What is your “Unique Selling Proposition” Why should I buy from you right now, instead of buying anything else from anybody else next week? (Marshall, p. 65)
If you have a great answer to that question, you can charge more money, have fatter margins, put more money into marketing and advertising, invest more in customer satisfaction and developing new product offerings.
Yet, what is the symptoms of having a BAD Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? You’re constantly fighting downward price pressure. You battle directly with other people on price and delivery. You feel competitors breathing down your neck, The cost of advertising seems out of reach. You feel defensive about taking up customer’s time. Nobody really wants to talk to you. You have to knock on lots of doors.(Marshall, p.66)
These were direct excerpts from “80/20 Sales and Marketing” by Perry Marshall and I found they are a direct relation to Small Business Owners and more specifically Insurance Agency Owners. It is a daily conversation that I have with Insurance Agency Owners and their Teams, “WE ARE TOO EXPENSIVE”, and although your Company may not be the least expensive, I have some thoughts around this concept that are worth you pondering.
THOUGHTS TO PONDER TODAY: Don’t ask to be cheaper, find ways to be WORTH more. Do you have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for yourself and your Agency? If you don’t, you had better get one! If that second paragraph sounds like you, then there is something you’re not promising, something you’re not guaranteeing or not articulating specifically enough that’s keeping you from being unique and keeping you from making more sales. DON’T ASK TO BE CHEAPER….ASK YOURSELF TO BE BETTER.
John Lucero, is a successful business owner with over 20 years of experience in multi-line insurance agency operations for several major National Brands. With an expertise in Recruiting, Educating, Coaching, Developing and Product Knowledge, his passion and drive to ELEVATE Insurance Agencies to higher levels of success is what keeps him inspired about the future and motivated about making a difference.
