How To Craft Your Uniqueness Statement

The average person has an attention span of merely 15 seconds. You don’t have a lot of time when someone asks you the inevitable question, “What do you do?” In the personal branding process, it’s imperative to have a Uniqueness Statement that establishes rapport and sets you apart from the rest. 

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. There’s nothing worse than being caught off guard when someone asks you about your work, or feeling unprepared or flustered, and not taking advantage of an opportunity to make a powerful connection.

A Uniqueness Statement will:

• Increase your confidence when speaking about what you do
• Help you present yourself with polish and professionalism
• Build credibility
• Differentiate you from the rest of the pack
• Help build rapport with your prospect
• Create excitement about your products and services

So how do you build a powerful Uniqueness Statement? Here are four steps to get you started:

1. Identify Your Target Market – Who are your clients? Who do you most want to be working with?
2. Communicate Your Area of Specialization – What is your “Zone of Genius?” What do you do better than anyone else?
3. Highlight the Benefits of Working With You – How have your clients benefited from working with you? What have they achieved as a result of your working together?
4. Motivate Them Into Action – After meeting you, how could they learn more about you or even work with you?

For example, you’re not just a fashion stylist. You help female executives over 40 build chic, well-curated wardrobes and present themselves with flair and confidence. Your last three clients purged half of their closets and now can’t wait to get dressed each morning. One of them received a promotion at work and another met her husband-to-be. Anyone can sign up on your website for your weekly tips on “How To Build A Wardrobe That You Love.”

Or, you’re not just an herbal acupuncturist, you help mothers between the ages of 35-55 who have struggled with chronic fatigue syndrome regain their energy and vitality through custom immune-building programs and treatments. Within six months, most of your clients have renewed energy and are sleeping better than they have in years. A recent client just climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro after battling chronic fatigue for more than 10 years. For more information and to get your article “Ten Tips For Increasing Your Energy TODAY,” potential clients can sign up at your website.

You get the idea. Anyone can be a doctor, lawyer, event planner, financial planner, personal trainer or freelance writer. But only you can be YOU – in all of your unique glory.

Much of the work in crafting your Uniqueness Statement is in practicing your message and perfecting its delivery. Remember, this is a living, breathing statement about who you are, so it’s going to be a work in progress and will evolve over time.

I know you’re wondering, so here’s mine – as of today.

I teach female entrepreneurs and small business owners how to build powerful, confident personal brands that attract more clients and position themselves as experts . Through my proprietary system I help them develop and implement an effective marketing strategy that will build their buzz online and off. Results often come quickly; recently two different clients tripled their business in less than a year by gaining clarity around their personal brand and implementing a solid marketing plan. If you are interested in learning more (as I hand them my business card which has this exact information on the back of the card), you can sign up for my free e-book “101 Ways To Build A Powerful Personal Brand” at www.shebrand.com. You will also get a subscription to my bi-weekly newsletter, “SheBuzz” that is filled with marketing and client attraction tips and ideas. Clients are waiting. Are you ready?

©Liz Dennery Sanders 2010

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Why Should I Choose You?

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:

• Managing brand credibility
• Building rapport
• Creating understanding
• Separating yourself from the crowd
• Communicating your values
• Touching on the features and benefits of working with you

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 2010

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What Are People Saying About You?

In personal branding, as in life, the little things matter. Every move that you make and everything that you put your name on reflects your brand.  Brand and reputation are closely linked. Companies are constantly evaluated by the way they are perceived by the competition, the media and their customers. You are constantly being judged based on perceptions as well.

A brand is all about perception, and as frustrating as it might be, you don’t always have control over how potential clients or the public sees you. That said, with the right focus, strategy and consistency, you can certainly influence how your personal brand is perceived. Pay attention to what you are putting out there – everything from how you dress, how you communicate, what activities you participate in and who you choose to work and socialize with, contribute to your overall brand image.

Cultivating your brand means investing time, effort and eventually money into determining what you want to communicate and how you want to communicate it.  Once you have clarity, content and a plan of action, you will be well-prepared to implement it.

Here are four important areas to consider when determining your personal brand strategy and how you might influence perception:

1. Brand Attributes – These are the adjectives or “descriptors” that best describe you. What are the qualities that you want to exude and be best known for? When you make decisions about your brand collateral, website, promotional materials etc., ask yourself if they truly represent the attributes that you have chosen.
2. Brand Identity – Visual continuity is a critical aspect of brand building. It’s important that you create a “face” for your business and that this is replicated in all facets of your image. This not only includes your logo, letterhead, packaging, website, advertising and promotional materials, but also your personal wardrobe and presentation style.
3. Brand Definition – Make sure you clearly define your brand in a way that you want others to perceive you. In one sentence (often referred to as your tagline), you should be able to eloquently communicate what you do and how you can help the other person. For example, my tagline is “I help female entrepreneurs build powerful, confident personal brands with style.”
4. Brand Message – In Politics, one of the Golden Rules is to stay “on message”. This means that everyone on the team understands and is able to clearly communicate the same brand message. A thread of continuity should run through all aspects of your business – from employees to your website and collateral materials. Whether I speak to an employee, peruse your website or receive a letter from you in the mail; I should walk away with a sense of your brand attributes and an understanding of your message.

A strong brand contains an element (or elements) that its target market emotionally connects to and therefore stands out in that consumer’s mind. In order to be memorable – and to influence the emotional connection that a potential client has with your brand, you must be consistent with your brand attributes, identity, definition and messaging in everything that you do.

©Liz Dennery Sanders 2009

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