Thriving by Focusing on Service, Not Income

MONEY: No matter what you do for a living, you may do better if you pay less attention to making money than to delivering value. We see the proof of this in --

• The car dealer who wins repeat business by showing an interest in a car's performance after the sale. 
• The grocery clerk who survives a downsizing because he smiles at people, seeks out extra tasks.
• The programmer who advances in her career because she nails user requirements before coding.

A good example of the "thrive by serving" principle is Christine Khemis, recently named the number one long-term care insurance agent in Washington State. Many people in marketing seem to think the way to sell more is to sell harder. Not Khemis. She long ago concluded that people realize they need long-term care insurance once they start planning for their future care. But, "Good planning is preceded by good education," says Khemis, so she concentrates on education.

For example, she -- 

• Teaches continguing education courses on the subject.
• Educates business owners and managers on their own planning and on how to pass that LTC knowledge on to their employees.
• Gives informative presentations to gatherings at banks, law firms, CPA firms, hospitals, health fairs, and other venues.

For more on the secret of her success, see an article about her in the Personal PR Forum: http://pprforum.ning.com. The site also features other outstanding performers and their winning practices, and offers free and low-cost PR tools and resources.