Here's Proof Your Little Imperfections Can Pay Off

by Bonnie Boots

If you're a dog fancier, you may recognize the little pooch in the picture above as a former winner of the "Ugly Dog" contest. Year after year some homely mutt wins this contest, proving that life can come up roses even for those with obvious imperfections.

I love the Ugly Dog contest. It's the perfect antidote to the pervasive belief that only picture-pretty people need apply for the good life.

I suspect Vicki Kunkel is also a fan of the Ugly Dog. In her book, Instant Appeal, she says," We're duped into believing that the pretty, the pristine, and the perfect get all the perks, all the breaks, all the glory," then goes on to point out that in many cases, obvious imperfections have their benefits.

Kunkel says people and corporate brands can all benefit from letting their little imperfections show. To prove her point, she conducted a survey where participants were shown a series of split-screen images-each with one attractive person and one homely person-and asked questions like:

"To which of these two individuals would you feel more comfortable giving the keys to your house?"

" If you loaned each of these people $50, which one do you feel would be more likely to pay you back?"

Her survey results showed 67 % of the participants would give their keys to the less attractive person. An overwhelming 82 %, considered the homely group more credit-worthy. "Apparently" says Kunkel, " we trust the average-looking among us more than the swans to be moral, helpful and honest."


She calls it the "Conspicuous Flaw Factor."

The point of the survey, says Kunkel, can apply across the board, from personal promotion to brand advertising. "We're most appealing when we're being ourselves," she writes, "warts (or moles or gapped teeth or dorkiness or oratorical clumsiness) and all. There is real power and panache in knowing and embracing our shortcomings, our flaws, and ourselves."

According to Kunkel, a website like Cragslist works because its homely design seems straightforward. By the same token, people are more likely to look favorably at a product that has a few bad reviews among many good reviews. Businesses shouldn't fret about not being able to control what's said about them on a site like Amazon, it seems, because a few warts among the roses shows reviewers are being honest. The positive reviews, then, take on more meaning.

I speak to so many wanna-be web publishers who hold off on going public until everything is perfect, not just with their site, but with themselves. One memorable client, responding to my advice to set up a media page with a bio and headshot, told me, "If I have to put my picture out in public, I'm not going to release my book until I've lost 30 pounds."

Don't let little imperfections hold you back from putting yourself out on the web It's doesn't matter if you don't have movie star looks. It doesn't matter if you're not a Pulitzer-winning writer or you make the occasional speeling mistake.

Just like our Ugly Dog, if you put your authentic self, warts and all, out in front of the public, they're far more likely to trust you and your message.

The "conspicuous flaw factor" is just one of the factors Kunkel identifies as 8 Factors of Instant Appeal:
1) The Conspicuous Flaw Factor
2) The Visual Pre-Programming Factor
3)The Reptilian Comfort Factor
4) The Sacred Cow Factor
5) The Jackass Factor
6) The Biology of Language Factor
7)The Bio-Tuning Factor
8) The Mental Real Estate Factor

Kunkel's book brings fresh, new information to the field of influencing and persuasion in sales. If you're interested in learning how and why people find a person or product believable, desirable, buyable, this book is a must-read. You can have it in your hands in days by ordering now at Amazon:



 

 
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