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It is not especially difficult for some people to learn body language that and mannerisms that make them seem pleasant to be around: widening the eyes and smiling slightly when they see you, leaning toward you slightly when you speak, as if they can't wait to hear your words, etc. A lot of people who we call charming or charismatic are simply people who have consciously or unconsciously learned these mannerisms. What makes these techniques powerful is that most people who are subjected to them aren't aware that they're taking place; they simply feel that the person across from them is very interested in them and thinks they're important or special in some way.
When you get a "gut feeling" about somebody who does these things, you're looking beyond the mannerisms -- either because they're putting out some other vibe or signal that you are picking up on -- again unconsciously -- or they're simply not very good at it. Or, just as likely, you've been burned before by people like this and you're learning to look past the "I'm your friend" mannerisms to other subliminal indicators that give a more accurate idea of what this guy is about. Not that you're necessarily aware of that, either, but hey.
There are books that teach you how to con people with mannerisms. There's a newish-age discipline called neuro-linguistic processing that can be used in this way, as well. I hear a lot of sleazoids have found their way over to NLP.
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