As a service professional, you may think it strange to talk about your Unique Selling Proposition, however, your USP is a core part of your business identity and sets you apart from others in your profession.
Many professionals find new business through networking. When you meet someone for the first time and they ask, “What do you do?” how do you respond? If you have to think about it, it’s already too late. You only have one time to create a first impression. With a clear USP, you can create a memorable first impression.
What is a USP?
Your USP is a way to establish brand identity. For example, “Just Do It!” (Nike) or “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight.” (Fedex) It’s the reason some customers will buy from you and nobody else.
Here’s a little history from wikipedia.org:
The Unique Selling Proposition (also Unique Selling Point or USP) is a marketing concept that was first proposed as a theory to explain a pattern among successful advertising campaigns of the early 1940s. It states that such campaigns made unique propositions to the customer and that this convinced them to switch brands. The term was invented by Rosser Reeves of Ted Bates & Company. Today the term is used in other fields or just casually to refer to any aspect of an object that differentiates it from similar objects.
According to Scott Sedwick of Hyperformance Media
The task of coming up with a USP can sometimes be tough. But every company needs to do this, it sets you apart from your competitors.… it is one or more reasons why prospects should work with you, or buy from you, or do business with you, instead of your competitors, period.
How to find your USP
If you’re struggling to come up with your USP, here’s a suggestion. Sit down with your team and brainstorm. Write down all the characteristics of your buyers that you can think of. Now use that list to identify the core problem that your product or service satisfies for these buyers. Now write a short sentence or phrase expressing how your solution solves that problem. Voilà! USP!
In the mortgage industry, loan companies may differentiate themselves by being easy to work with, or having no fees before closing, or no income qualification, etc. As a broker or professional within the industry, you can differentiate yourself individually by “going the extra mile” or “making sure you understand everything” or “going over all the options.”
Your Concierge for Private Commercial Lending
At Sofia Capital Ventures, we are “Your Concierge for Private Commercial Lending.” Think about that for a moment. What does a concierge do? He or she can tell you all the best places to eat, great attractions to see, etc. Similarly, we keep current on the industry, and can steer prospective borrowers to the best lender and loan program for their specific purposes.
What is your USP?
Contact us for a Free Strategy Session and we’ll help you find out!
