Learn how to succeed by turning on the charm.

Charm is good business. It can increase your income, boost your status, and establish and maintain your reputation. It can mean the difference, in many cases, between success and bankruptcy.

Most businesspeople don't fully understand the concept of charm. It ought to be a reflex, a conditioned response, to "turn on the charm" when dealing with customers, clients, associates, and employees—but it isn't. Yet, research has proven the value of charm, and it's been made clear through opinion polls, scientific studies, and just plain old real life. It's true in politics. It's rare to hear Bill Clinton mentioned, for instance, without a comment following on his charm. And it's certainly true in entertainment, a whole industry based on the moneymaking potential of charm.

This is true for the small businessperson as well. Charm draws customers, whether to a garage, a dry cleaner's, or an investment bank. Charm gets noticed. When a customer contacts a firm for the first time, charm can seal the deal. But charm is only partly innate. Much of it is learned, from your parents, from your friends, and from people like author Michael Levine, who has made a lifelong point of paying attention to charm. And you can learn how to make it work for you. How to succeed in business without really trying? By charming your way to the top.

Michael Levine is the author of eleven books, including Guerilla P.R., the world’s most widely used introduction to public relations. His essays have been featured in the New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts Inside Out with Michael Levine on KRLA, and he is the founder and owner of Levine Communications, based in Los Angeles.