Finding a USP allows you to provide some differentiation between you and your competition. It’s the answer to the question, “Why should I hire you?”
World renowned business consultant Jay Abraham says it this way in his book Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: “How can you elevate yourself or your company to a position of notable superiority over your competition? In order to stand above the crowded marketplace, you or your company must offer your prospect or client a unique and distinctive benefit or advantage above and beyond that of your competitor. If you don’t, people have no motivation to do business with you instead of your competition.”
Companies create a USP in a variety of ways. The easiest way is to look at what your competition does poorly and offer a better alternative. If your main competition is overpriced, offer a lower priced product. If your competition has slow turnaround time then offer faster service. You can create a USP on nearly anything, but you have to deliver on your promise. “When you identify what that distinct advantage is, you then must integrate it into all your promotional, relationship marketing, referral marketing, advertising, and selling operations… You don’t just want to say it, you want to constantly demonstrate it. You want to live it. That means whatever your USP stands for, you do at all times,” says Abraham.
Having a USP is extremely important for real estate professionals, and it’s not as hard as you think. It usually takes the form of a specialty or focus. If you’re a specialist in a particular neighborhood, you have a solid reason why a homeowner in that neighborhood should pick you over the competition. When you advertise to that neighborhood you should focus your message on exactly WHAT makes you an expert, as well as the BENEFITS of working with someone who knows that neighborhood. That can be experience with unique local challenges, a list of interested buyers from previous listings, a better understanding of how to price correctly, etc. And then use those same points when you get the listing presentation to close the deal.
Are you a condo specialist? Luxury home specialist? Foreclosure expert? Relocation guru? Every specialty is a unique selling points and should be the focus of your sales and relationship marketing and integrated fully into your personal brand. Plus, knowing your USP will help you identify the top people to be in your sphere of influence and help you build it to a level where you can easily work by referral. Pick people to be in your sphere who are most likely to need and be impressed by your unique selling proposition.
Real estate professionals who create, support and market their unique selling proposition will have more effective and affordable referral marketing, find customers who best fit their talents, and win more listings from their competition than those who take a generic approach.