Written By: Susan Ross, Certified Business Coach, BlueOceanCoaching.com (mention Loan Officer Magazine and get a free 30-minute coaching session).
Now more than ever, to stay competitive, you must be able to clearly and compellingly articulate:
- What you do,
- How you do it,
- Why you are the answer to every past and future client or partner's needs, including needs they don't know they have!
But before you even begin to clearly define your Unique Selling Proposition, it all begins with your deeply personal and compelling reason for why you do what you do - making the work of creating a compelling USP less daunting.
The "how" of it will unfold when you are connected with your vision and your Why-You-Do-It at an emotional level. When people ask, "What's Your Why?" they are referring to your conviction and passion about your work. Once you connect with that, (or re-connect if necessary), your USP will flow because you are not thinking them up, you are bringing them forth from your heart and soul. People know immediately when they are dealing with a passionate person who is truly on a mission. They sparkle. They're compelling, authentic and confident. That's the feeling we want to convey to prospects and partners.
But first we have to believe it ourselves - that's the challenge of the USP for some. If you don't feel it, you can't sell it! It may take time and persistence to come up with a really authentic "you statement". But when you get it, you'll know it, because you'll feel it and you will use it.
The idea is to identify a problem or challenge that you can solve in a unique or creative way - then clearly, compellingly and briefly explain how you do that. The shortest formula to begin with is to think: WHO + WHAT equals your USP. The HOW equals your Elevator Pitch (USP).
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