Why is it that some people appear to repel business while others have an abundance of business everywhere they look? On both the buy side and the sell side, a handful of missteps can ruin your industry reputation and leave you fighting an ongoing uphill battle towards your business objectives.

In my 10+ years in the interactive space, I've observed many different types of personalities, business styles and sales tactics. Over this time, with all of the changes that have happened in our industry, I keep seeing people make the same mistakes that leave me scratching my head saying, "What was he thinking?"

While sometimes amusing, but most of the time annoying, these mistakes made repeatedly can easily doom the career of a newbie just starting out as easily as they can cause a serious thud to the career of an industry veteran. In a highly connected industry where information travels quickly and people love to talk, your reputation can either be your greatest asset or your Achilles' heel.

The good news is that even if you've made these mistakes before, all is not lost. As long as you maintain your ethics and integrity and your intention is in the right place, you can be rebuilt "better, stronger, faster."

Although there are numerous ways to flush your industry reputation down the toilet, here are the top five that I've witnessed over and over again.