What Makes You Unique - Are You Compelling?

Do you run your business like a business?

Whether you are a one-person mortgage broker shop or work for a large national name brand company; if you do not think of yourself as the CEO of your book of business, you will NEVER reach the ranks of superstar status in your industry.

It's imperative YOU run your book of business as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company runs their company. While the scale of size differs, the principles remain the same.

All businesses are similar in that they require good management, marketing, public relations, financing, cash flow, good accounting and record keeping, and so on. Yet, it is also important to remember each businesses is unique and knowing what makes yours different.

You have to make your business your own. Your company should reflect your values, as well as those of your staff and customers. In other words, find what works for you, and stick with it. While you are sticking with what works, you should be searching for new and creative ways to solve the short and long term problems facing your business.

How to manage your business is a topic that receives endless attention and discussion. Perhaps you have heard or read the latest fads in marketing and possibly even put some of them into practice. My guess is the results were probably mixed at best.

We've all heard the experts, tell us there is a certain way to run a business. Their points usually run in the direction of what worked for them should also work for everyone. Unfortunately, in the REAL WORLD, that's not always the case.

Often, the expert was indeed highly successful with the recommended management system they are selling. Occasionally, they fudge the facts a bit to sell the program to the unwary. Sometimes, the only real money their businesses ever made was from the sale of their get rich quick schemes (Let's not go there).

Keep in mind that many mortgage consultants have made an entire industry out of selling the same business plan to every client. You do however have to admire their ingenuity and their sales/marketing ability.

Yet, it's imperative YOU remember; there is NO set in stone plan that is going to work for YOU 100% of the time.

Your business is as individual as you are. That unique nature of your company is its greatest strength. Your unique selling proposition (often called a USP) should reflect what makes your organization one of a kind. Offer a USP that only you and your business can provide.

It might be the personal service, your written money back guarantee, or your offering of free information and services. Whatever your business advantage may be, it must be unique to your business alone. You have to let the potential customer know in an instant why your company is the only one that can meet their requirements.

As an exercise and take away, write down all of the things that make your business one of a kind. List everything that comes to mind. Don't edit it now. Just write the list and set it aside for a day or two. Leave that for another day when you can approach your ideas objectively. Take the best ideas and reduce them to one sentence that describes your business. You should be able to present your USP in less than thirty seconds. Anywhere. Anytime.

Once you discover how your business is unique, no one size fits no one solutions are required. You will have your one of a kind USP in hand; ready to take on the world. Write it on your business card. Place it on your blog or website. Let your USP sell your one of a kind business to the world.

Run your business like a business, think differently from the pack, and you will lead it.

Comments

[Ronnie Roach]

Tony,
Great post. With the evolving market and new products available - we have long since left the one size fits all mentality. Customer service is what it is all about. You pay for what you get in this business.

[Tony Gallegos]

Ronnie - Right on...different people have different needs and we need to learn how to cater to those needs. Congrats on making the Dr. Beach #1 position.