{"id":13952,"date":"2019-09-23T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T15:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/?p=13952"},"modified":"2019-09-23T10:37:08","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T15:37:08","slug":"can-the-blemish-effect-improve-your-closing-ratio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/real-estate-marketing\/can-the-blemish-effect-improve-your-closing-ratio\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the ‘Blemish Effect’ improve your closing ratio?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Presenting a product or service in its most immaculate, polished state has been the strategy for virtually all organizations, and overselling items with known flaws is a practice as old as time. According to marketing researchers, however, this approach may not be the only way to achieve optimal results due to something known as the \u201cBlemish Effect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blemish Effect isn\u2019t quite the inverse of the perfectionist product pitch; rather, it builds on the theory that small problems with a product or service can actually throw into relief its good qualities. For example, a small scratch on the back of an otherwise pristine iPhone might draw one\u2019s eye to the glossy finish, while an objectively perfect housing might not be appreciated in the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same goes for mildly bad press or a customer\u2019s pros and cons list. If someone has absolutely no complaints or desires for whatever you\u2019re marketing, the end result can look flat and lacking in nuance. Having the slightest bit of longing associated with an aspect (or lack thereof) of your business means that you have room to grow, which can be tantalizing for the eager consumer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Stanford study<\/a> indicates that small doses of mildly negative information may actually strengthen a consumer\u2019s positive impression of a product or service. Interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another beneficial aspect of the Blemish Effect is that it helps consumers focus their negativity. \u201cToo good to be true\u201d often means exactly that, and we\u2019re eager to criticize where possible; if your product or service has a noticeable flaw which doesn\u2019t harm the item\u2019s use, your audience might settle for lamenting the minor flaw and favoring the rest of the product rather than looking for problems which don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This concept also applies to expectation management. <\/strong>Absent an obvious blemish, it can be all to easy for consumers to envision your product or service on an unattainable level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they\u2019re invariably disappointed that their unrealistic expectations weren\u2019t fulfilled, your reputation might take a hit, or consumers might lose interest after the initial wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The takeaway<\/strong> is that consumers trust transparency, so in describing your offering, tossing in a negative boosts the perception that you’re being honest and transparent, so a graphic artist could note that while their skills are superior and their pricing reasonable, they take their time with intricate projects. The time expectation is a potentially negative aspect of their service, but expressing anything negative improves sales as it builds trust<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be noted that the Blemish Effect applies to minor impairments in cosmetic or adjacent qualities, not in the product or service itself.

Delivering something inherently flawed won\u2019t make anyone happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an age where less truly is more, the Blemish Effect stands to dictate a new wave of honesty in marketing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(MARKETING) It may feel awkward to use the Blemish Effect, but it could mean more money in your pocket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":337375,"featured_media":13956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[109],"class_list":["post-13952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-marketing","tag-real-estate-marketing-2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/01\/blemish-effect.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/337375"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13952"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13957,"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13952\/revisions\/13957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theamericangenius.com\/housing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}