The likeability principle works because people say yes to people who are likeable. Likeability increases or level of rapport and makes an influence attempt much easier. We are especially influenced by people we like. In fact we are more inclined and want to work for or alongside people who are likeable.

Likeability is perhaps one of the most under-rated, under-estimated and least spoken about principles of persuasion. This is perhaps because everyone believes they are likable. Yet we have all seen those who have ‘magnetic personalities’ or are referred to as a ‘people person. You can bet they are having a greater impact and influence over the lives of others compared to those who don’t have those traits. Essentially, people prefer to say “yes!” to people they like.  There is a saying that “All things being equal, people like to do business with those they know, like and trust”.

There are a number of factors that can actually increase our levels of likeability with the first being Physical Attractiveness. In fact, research has shown that we are automatically drawn towards more good-looking individuals as we associate them with favorable traits such as warmth, kindness, empathy, honesty, and intelligence.”

The similarity principle is another factor that can also heighten our likeability for someone too. We generally like or gravitate towards people who are similar to us. This fact seems to hold true whether the similarity is when the similarity is based on non-physical attributes such as personality traits, background, or lifestyle.

Equally, if we give compliments to others, this can also influence others to like us more as we tend, to believe praise and compliments as authentic even though it is sometimes non-authentic.

Contact and cooperation and other couple of factors that when compounded together can also increase our likeability. Becoming familiar with someone or something through repeated contact doesn’t necessarily increase how much we like something but we must be working for the similar or same goals where will both achieve the same of similar levels of success and thus benefit mutually.

Finally, conditioning and association are the final influence principles that can also increase our likeability for us and is one of the reasons why we use attractive models in ads to make sales.

One of the best examples of likeability is if we draw an example from the most successful car salesman of all time – Joe Girard. Over the course of his life he attributed his success to 3 factors but one of them was being likeable. Each month, he sent all of his customers a card he had commissioned by a local artist and in it he simply hand wrote – I like you. This triggered the likeability principle. 

Equally, he would take his team out for dinner once a month and he would pay for anything. As a result, they would work harder, and for longer hours and deliver higher levels of customer service because he was likeable. Being likeable also made him relatable – so he didn’t dress with any flash or expensive tastes either. In 2017 his record of selling the most cars in a calendar year was eclipsed by another salesman and the secrets to his success were no different – attributing his success to being likeable as well!