"In order to be more believable and more trusted, you need to be more likeable," writes Rohit Bhargava in his book Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action.

Bhargava argues that because relationships, rather than logic, power almost all of our decisions, likeability is an essential trait for organizations within every industry. "Across the business world and beyond, likeability has a fundamental power in most of our interactions with people and organizations. Likeability makes the difference," he writes.

A key ingredient of likeability is unselfishness, so organizations must exude this, making it clear that they put customers' interests before their own. Bhargava argues that more and more consumers have started to expect companies to behave in an unselfish manner; in turn, customers reward companies that do with their loyalty.