Founder of online dating consulting service E-Cyrano and author of Why You're Still Single: Things Your Friends Would Tell You If You Promised Not To Get Mad and  I Can't Believe I'm Buying this Book: A Commonsense Guide to Successful Internet Dating, Evan Marc Katz has established himself as America's leading dating expert. In addition to being a regular contributor to Match.com’s Happen Magazine, he was the co-creator, editor in chief, and advice columnist for JDate’s JMag. Evan was also named Harlequin Books’ 2006 Romance Report media spokesperson, doing interviews about mastering real-life dating encounters.

Guest Blogger Evan Marc Katz--

Ask most women what they’re looking for and you’ll get some version of "a nice guy with a little bit of an edge". They value his ability to be a man, take control, make decisions, speak his mind and march to the beat of his own drum. None of those things prevent a guy from being nice. They just mean that he’s not a desperate kiss-ass.

Nice guys often confuse these two things. Because they’ve tried to "nice" their way into women’s hearts and failed, they’re convinced that they have to start being jerks. Uh uh. Decent women have no tolerance for jerks. They just don’t want a guy who values himself so little that he has to try so very hard to impress.

The confidence that a man projects is the magnetism that draws women.
The kindness is what keeps women there.

Confidence without kindness describes "bad boys" that smart woman have long ago given up.
Kindness without confidence is the charge against the wishy-washy "nice guys".

But if you put confidence and kindness together…well, I’d say you have a pretty irresistible combination of traits for a man.

So let’s sum up:

Confident men treat women well.
Confident men keep their plans after they make them.
Confident men can express vulnerability and caring without seeming weak.

This territory isn’t exclusive to nice guys who finish last. This is for guys who won’t bend over backwards to the point where they are spineless.

And in case you don’t believe me about the game playing, here’s the best example I can provide to make my case:

You know what a woman says when a guy she likes calls her the day after a date?

"He’s so sweeeeet!"

You know what a woman says when a guy she doesn’t like calls her the day after a date?

"He’s a creepy, needy, stalker."

The phone call doesn’t change her opinion. She’s already made up her mind.

So if you’re a nice guy who went on a nice date with a nice girl, try being authentic and call her the next day.

It would be a nice change of pace.

More On Love And Relationships

More From Evan Marc Katz