Being liked by your clients should have absolutely no bearing on how well you do your job. Terrell Owns is one of the most disliked people in professional football, but he does his job well enough make $millions. Having made that point, it is ultimately meaningless unless someone brings you clients and forces them to do business with you. The point is, if your target market does not like you, they do not hire you.

On the flip side, professionals who are liked by their clients prove to be more successful because they get more clients. In our personal search through a ream of reports and research findings, we discovered that scientific researchers continue to look closely at what makes a person likable. Further, they have determined exactly what it is. Bottom line – if you want to become more successful, become more likable. And, now, I'm going to list five ways you can do exactly that.

First, please recognize that my firm deals in psychology, not magic. Likeability is not the result of luck. it's not a gift inherited by only a few anointed people – it's a skill set. And, here's what the research says happens to the people who develop this skill set: