*This is part three in my 7-part series on Personal Branding. You can read part #1 here and part #2 here.*
Show me a woman who’s got a killer stand-out brand, and you’ll show me a woman who KNOWS what makes her great.
She’s got an air about her, doesn’t she? A confidence that radiates from the inside out. You look at her and that inner voice inside your head says, “I want to be like her – I want to just have it all figured out.”
When you don’t know what makes you great – what makes you unique – it all feels hard. You may wonder why on earth anyone would chose you over the competition, and you start to doubt your ability to be successful. That damn imposter syndrome kicks in and you spend an hour just spinning around – wishing you knew the answers that would make it all just finally work!
The answer is your Unique Greatness Proposition (UGP).
At the heart of any compelling personal brand is your UGP. This is a play off of your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) because at the core – what’s most important to Go Pro in business, is to know what makes you great.
Your UGP is yours, and yours alone. And once you uncover it? Liberation!
Your marketing becomes easy. Your elevator pitch is a breeze. You stop worrying about the competition. You feel confident.
In an overcrowded marketplace, identifying what makes you unique is your best strategy. Why? Because the ONE thing you have that your competitors don’t is YOU.
As Oscar Wilde said, “Be Yourself – Everyone Else is Taken.”
Here’s how you go about identifying your UGP:
Take some time to answer the following questions in detail. If you’re stuck, ask a few trusted colleagues, friends, clients and family members. Often the answer is right there in front of you for all the world to see – you just need to claim it as your own!
1. What are you better at than anyone else?
2. What could you (or do you) provide that no one else is providing?
3. What are your top strengths?
4. What do people thank you for repeatedly?
5. What are you passionate about? What gets you all fired up?
6. What personality traits are you known for?
Most importantly, you need to have a clear, compelling answer to the question, “Why You?” Why should prospective clients chose you over someone else? If you don’t have an answer to this, you’re going to have a tough time converting prospects into customers.
Still can’t come up with a UGP? Create one. Think about what you offer, or the way you offer it, or to whom you offer it to – and then come up with your very own authentic twist to make it different.
- If you’re a real estate agent – maybe you offer an extremely personalized service just for first-time homeowners who are totally green on all things real estate.
- If you’re a coach – maybe you use your previous experience as a forest firefighter repelling out of helicopters (yes, I know someone who has done this) to help super burnt-out women re-discover who they are and how to get some adventure back in their lives.
- If you’re a writer – maybe your UGP is as simple as your writing style (direct, R-rated, funny, sarcastic, academic, etc.) coupled with the audience you write for.
You get the idea.
Find your UGP and you’ll be ahead of the competition. Leverage it and you’re on the fast track to success.
Now, won’t that be great?
