When a potential client asks, “why you?,” do you have an answer? Are you prepared to communicate your unique message about what makes you special and different from everyone else in your industry? Why should someone work with you?
A brand is either positive, negative or neutral. If you don’t decide what your own personal brand is, others will do it for you. You exude your personal brand in everything you do – from the clothes you wear, the tone of your voice, the manner in which you treat people to how you communicate your brand message. Your personal brand is the great separator – it distinguishes you from everyone else and it’s what makes you stand apart from the rest.
In the personal branding process, it’s imperative to have a uniqueness statement that sets you apart. The average person has an attention span of merely 15 seconds, so that’s about the amount of time you have to effectively communicate your message. A Uniqueness Statement (often referred to as a Unique Selling Proposition or USP) is an opportunity to make an emotional connection with your target market by touching on the qualities and values that you stand for, and by highlighting the benefits that a potential client will receive by working with you.
A Uniqueness Statement is not just about winning people over or making a sale. It’s about:
You want to be the kind of person and have the kind of business that people want more of. Be interesting. Be dynamic. But don’t be boring. In today’s marketplace, if you aren’t sensational, you’re pretty much average, or worse, invisible.
So how can you be sensational and answer the question, “Why you?” Be interested in other people. Be thoughtful. And create a Uniqueness Statement that illuminates your brand. Determine what emotional appeals and benefits your product or service delivers to your target market and be able to communicate them easily and effectively. Practice, practice, practice. As Michael Jordan once said, “I’m not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.”
Much of the work is in practicing your message and perfecting its delivery. Become spectacular at delivering your message, exhaust people with your consistency and you will build powerful brand equity and an emotional connection to your target market.
© Liz Dennery Sanders 2009
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