Five Steps to Build Your Unique Selling Proposition in 2018
Information is immediately accessible on the Internet, regardless of its validity or confirmability. It can leave little room for interpretation and even be disadvantageous.
As great as some Internet information is, the fact remains that the value of a real estate agent and their services cannot be replaced by the Internet. Buyers and sellers will always benefit from having a personal real estate agent.
By creating and building your unique selling proposition (USP), you ensure that your value is not only communicated, but well represented.
Your USP is created in a five-step process, built upon knowledge, attitude, skills and beliefs that you already possess! Your USP is your unique, memorable and persuasive statement that expresses the true value of working with you. It’s your advance presentation. It’s what gets your foot in the door so that you’re sitting at the table. It should set you apart, allowing you to position yourself in the market.
Also referred to as the “agent message,” your USP is unique to you. You want it to resonate with your clients in a meaningful way, while representing your personal validity and abilities. This is what defines and distinguishes you.
The five-step process to creating your unique selling proposition is:
Step 1: The words and phrases you use to describe yourself
Step 2: The words and phrases others use to describe you
Step 3: Define your customer service
Step 4: Create your value proposition
Step 5: Create your unique selling proposition
STEP 1
The words and Phrases you use to describe yourself
Examine and describe yourself . Each one of us is a story. Throughout your life, you have accumulated experiences, knowledge, skills and beliefs that weave together to tell that story. Your life story is what makes you unique and distinguishes you. A good place to start when telling your story is to examine your résumé. Jot down notes as you scroll back upon your life story. What experiences stand out to you? What lessons define your mettle? What challenged your knowledge base? What changes taught you growth? Don’t be modest about your accomplishments nor avoid your tribulations. These are all facets of the whole.
Make it relevant to real estate. How do your life story, skills, knowledge, traits and experiences pertain to real estate? How do they benefit your persona as an agent and how do they benefit your client?
When considering how to make it real estate relevant, think about what buyers and sellers say are the most important factors to them when choosing a real estate agent.
STEP 2
The words and phrases others use to describe you
Testimonials are a great starting point to get this process flowing. Testimonials and third-party endorsements reflect the knowledge, attitudes, skills and beliefs that others think you offer. They are an index of your strengths and services.
Ideas to get you thinking about how to craft this part of your USP:
How do the people you are closest to describe you?
How do the people you respect (teachers, mentors, employers) describe you?
How do your business colleagues, relationships and vendors describe you?
What notable thing did you do for your clients that they would remember?
STEP 3
Define your customer service and the quality you offer
What unique services and personal touches do you extend to your clients?Define whatquality.png clients say they want from an agent and target where you meet those needs. What are the areas of real estate that you find are important for your clients to know and understand? What lengths do you go to in certain areas to make sure your client remains satisfied with your service? What do you do that makes you unique and speaks to your personal added value? What are your strengths that directly benefit your clients (i.e., assessing your clients’ needs and motivations, negotiation prowess, documentation and legalities, selling strategies).
STEP 4
Create your value proposition
Once your service offerings are established and written down, you can take them and transform them into client benefits. These benefits explain your value, underline your commission and accentuate the dynamics of what it is that you do.
Your sales skills are unique to you and define your character in real estate. Do you excel at listening and analyzing your clients’ needs? Do you possess superior negotiating tactics? Is elicitation your strong point? When creating your value proposition, keep in mind that this is to illustrate what your client “gets” as a result of your value offered. This is what they get from you that they could never get from the internet or working alone. Ask yourself, “What do I offer that in turn benefits my client?”
STEP 5
Create your unique selling proposition
Once you have completed steps 1 – 4, you are ready to create your USP – your personal “brand identity.” As an agent, you are not only selling homes: you are selling yourself as a qualified person to get your client the best deal in the best time. Having a well-defined self-statement will set you apart from the crowd and reinforce your validity as the agent they should hire.
Congratulations!
Once you have your USP, you have a foundation for your personal validity, and you are grounded in why you are uniquely qualified to be a real estate professional. You have started building your wall of value.
