Foundations in Branding for Financial Advisors - Developing Unique Selling Proposition

STANDING OUTF O U N D AT I O N S I N B R AN D I N G F O R F I NAN C I AL ADV I S O R S

B Y: J E R E M Y F LOY D

S E V E N S T E P S T O

S E T H G O D I N , P U R P L E C O W“Cows, after you’ve seen them for a while, are boring. They may be perfect cows, attractive cows, cows with great personalities, cows lit by beautiful light, but they’re still boring. A Purple Cow, though. Now that would be interesting…. remarkable.

Image shared by Nicholas A. Tonelli via Creative Commons license.

remarkable |riˈmärkəbəl| adjective worthy of attention; striking: a remarkable coincidence.

remarkable |riˈmärkəbəl| adjective worthy of attention; striking: a remarkable coincidence.

Something worth talking about.

B AC K P O R C H V I S TA . C O M | @ B AC K P O R C H V I S TA

“You must discover and commit to something that allows your firm to differentiate itself in the minds of your prospect.”

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JOHN JANTSCH, DUCT TAPE MARKETING

YOUKNOWING WHO YOU ARE AND WHO YOU AREN’T, MAKES YOU,


BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WHO YOU ARE IS YOUR BRAND.

O S C AR W I L D E

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Don't chase new opportunities. Let them come to you.


Being at the right place at the right time with the right clients means you've solved the riddle of who your clients are, and, more importantly, the riddle of who you are.


U N I Q U E S E L L I N G P R O P O S I T I O N

“Find something that separates you from your competition; become it and speak it to everyone you meet.”

JOHN JANTSCH, DUCT TAPE MARKETING


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PA S S I O N

Your UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION sits at the intersection of your passion, your skill set, and why your clients value you.

S K I L LVA L U E


L E T ’ S D O AN E X E R C I S E

The following slides will walk through seven mini-exercises to help develop your Unique Selling Proposition.

# 1 W H AT ’ S Y O U R PA S S I O N ?

What do you Google when you aren’t researching a specific task?i.e. What blogs and topics do you visit and re-visit based on raw curiosity?

What’s your guilty pleasure when you have a few extra minutes during the day? i.e. After the email is done and you have 15 minutes before a call, what are you thinking about?

What is one compliment that makes you proud? i.e. If someone tells you that you are a great mentor in the business, is that especially meaningful?

Example: I’m fascinated by Gen Y. I research them, speak at conferences, and study their behavior—because it interests me.


# 2 W H AT D O Y O U R C L I E N T S VAL U E AB O U T Y O U ?

Ever have a referral? Why did they choose you? i.e. When asked, do they tell you that they “really liked” how you provided their friend a financial planning guide?

What if they don’t value you? Are they doing you a favor because they “owe you one?”Not every client should be. Take a look at whether you are really providing value and whether you want to build your business around that type of client.

Example: My clients tell others that I frequently share new ideas with them.


# 3 - H O W AR E Y O U U N I Q U E LY S K I L L E D ?

Do you have unique subject-matter knowledge?i.e. Do you specialize in a particular area of financial services?

Do you have insight into a particular audience/group?i.e. Perhaps a family member provides exposure to an audience in need.

Does your background provide insight into a particular clientele? i.e. Maybe you were an engineer before entering the business.

Do you speak another language?

Example: My dad was an FBI agent, and I grew up around law enforcement.


# 4 - T H E T W I T T E R T E S T

Take the items from steps 1-2-3 and write a sentence combining all of those items.

Try writing 10-20 variations.

Example: "Jeremy is a font of fresh investment ideas for Gen Y policemen and women."

Twitter bios are limited to 160 characters. Many professionals have become adept at cramming broad descriptions into that narrow window. Let's try it.


# 5 T H E “ W H Y ” T E S T ?

1. Ask yourself: Why is that how I want to be known? Then: Write down your answer. Now: REPEAT 5x

2. Ask yourself: Why am I uniquely qualified? Then: Write down your answer. Now: REPEAT 5x


# 6 T H E S P O U S E T E S T

When you’re not around, how does your spouse describe your career? (Consider asking!)

How would you like for your spouse to describe you?

What would you change?


What they are saying about you says a lot about you.

Image shared by Kathleen Tyler Conklin via Creative Commons license.

# 7 G I V E I T A S P I N

Make a dreaded cold call and take your Unique Selling Proposition for a test drive.

Get a second call?

PAT Y O U R S E L F O N T H E B AC K

Now you have the basis for your digital brand! Next up in the series: How to translate that brand into new business.

To get the whole series, sign up here:http://bit.ly/brandingseries

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

• Godin, Seth. Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. New York: Portfolio, 2002.

• Jantsch, John. Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. Nashville: Nelson Business, 2006.