How to Find, Develop, and Use a Unique Selling Proposition for Real Estate

“Congrats on the anniversary! Hope you’re doing well.”

When it’s someone’s work anniversary on LinkedIn, you can click a button to send them a message. The message pre-populates the text above. All you have to do is click the send button, and LinkedIn sends your message.

On my recent work anniversary here at Luminary Agent, my inbox looked like this:

The messages were all exactly the same! Nobody took the time to change the pre-populated text and differentiate themselves. (Although I did get one “hope all is well.”)

Now, I love that people even took a few seconds to press the button and wish me well. However, seeing all those messages that looked exactly the same is parallel to something I notice a lot: a complete lack of differentiation among agents.

Here’s the thing: every agent, broker, and company should have something that truly sets them apart—what we in marketing call a Unique Selling Proposition.

What is a Unique Selling Proposition?

Entrepreneur.com defines a unique selling proposition as “the factor or consideration presented by a seller as the reason that one product or service is different from and better than that of the competition.”

Put into simple terms, a USP is what makes you different or sets you apart from other agents in your market. It’s what gets a potential client to go, “that’s different. That other agent doesn’t offer that. I want that.”

A USP can be something you do. It can be something you don’t do. It can be the way you make someone feel or how you relate to them. It doesn’t always have to be, “I’ll sell your home in 60 days or I’ll buy it for cash.” Focusing on a certain niche market may be unique enough if there aren’t other agents offering the same.

Why a USP Matters

1000Watt did a survey and found the average person knows seven real estate agents. SEVEN. When it’s time for that person to buy or sell, who they choose is likely going to come down to that agent’s USP. You may think you have a Forever Client™ but if you don’t have a compelling reason for them to choose you over someone else, you might not.

A USP also makes your job easier. When you’re clear on what makes you different, you’ll:

• Attract the right kind of clients
• Create more compelling marketing
• Show up more confidently in listing appointments
• Feel great about your career!

But I’ll Pigeonhole Myself!

Having a USP doesn’t mean that you can only serve those types of clients. Don’t believe the MYTH that if you market to a specific niche that you’ll have to turn away everyone else and your business will suffer.

That’s a bunch of B.S.

The professionals who choose to niche down and focus end up with more business than they know what to do with. Why? Because when you do so, you make the pool of competition smaller and smaller for your type of client until you’re the only logical choice left.

Anyone can help someone looking to downsize, but you FOCUS on that type of client, and you’ve done four already this year. If I need help downsizing, why would I choose someone else? Do the math: do you want 1% of 100 deals or 80% of five deals? (I know, I know, math is hard. That’s one deal versus four!)

Is Your Current USP Really Different?

If I were to ask 10 agents what their USP is, I’m likely to get 10 different versions of the same thing… something about service, honesty, and communication.

Guess what? All clients expect you to offer great service, be honest, and communicate regularly. You’re basically telling them that what makes you different is that you do the bare minimum required.

It’s also exactly what every other agent is saying.

Scattergories: USP Edition

Let’s play a quick game. We’re going to play Scattergories: USP Edition. For those of you who don’t know, Scattergories is a game where you’re given a letter of the alphabet and a card with 12 categories on it.

You have three minutes to think of something in each category that starts with the letter you’re given. At the end of the three minutes, you compare your words with everyone else’s, and any duplicates get crossed off.

For example: I’ll assign the letter A. You have to write one thing in each category that begins with A. If one category is color, you can write amber or auburn. If another category is things you sit on, you can write Adirondack chairs or all this junk inside this trunk. Ok, not that last one.

Here’s a worksheet you can download to play: Download Here

Open up the worksheet you just downloaded. Write down everything you think makes your business different or unique. (No, they don’t have to all start with the same letter.)

Now I want you to pull up the websites of five other agents in your market. Read through the pages of their websites. If you find any of the items listed on your paper also listed on their websites, you have to cross them off.

If you’re left with anything, this might be the closest thing you have to a true Unique Selling Proposition. If you have nothing left on your list, it’s time to get serious about finding something that sets you apart.

Find Your Unique Selling Proposition

It can be difficult to find something that sets you apart. You want something truly unique for your market but also something you can realistically do (and want to do). There’s no point in focusing on beach properties if you hate the beach.

Maybe you sell a lot of homes with ADUs or second dwellings and know a lot about that process. Maybe you serve clients with a high net worth and understand their challenges. Maybe you can guarantee a 10-day closing. Maybe you work with new parents and have a nanny who can watch their kids while you look at homes. Right now, the goal is to simply throw some ideas down on paper. Get creative, think strategically, and let the ideas fly.

I’ve created a tool to help you figure out your own USP. When you fill out and submit this form, the tool will study your answers and email you with a list of ideas that could become your USP.

Develop Your Unique Selling Proposition

Once you have the results of your USP brainstorm in your inbox, it’s time to pick one and develop it. A great USP is:

• Unique
• Systematized so it’s repeatable
• Packaged and given a name and tagline

Here are some things you should research and write down about your chosen Unique Selling Proposition:

• What systems, processes, and marketing materials do I need to put in place to guarantee my USP every single time?
• How can I quantify this difference? What is the average compared to me? Most agents zig, I zag.
• What type of client will gravitate towards my USP? What type of client won’t?
• What do I want to call this USP? Think “The 10-Day Home Selling System”

This step will take some work, so take your time. You’re basically creating a product and the marketing materials to go with it. The great thing is, once you have it, it’s done and it will be easy to use going forward.

Examples of a Unique Selling Proposition

Your USP could be that you do more of something. Prove it. It could be that you do something better. Prove it. It could be that you know an area better than anyone else. Show us. It could be that you offer something that’s not available anywhere else. Explain how it’s special. Here are some examples of things you might come up with, including how you would present them in your marketing:

• I have won 90% of multiple offer situations using my “Offer Domination Method” to structure and negotiate deals that get chosen.
• As a Veteran, my “VA Home Advantage Program” has helped 85 current and former military households utilize their VA benefits to buy a home.
• My “Wealth Integrated Home Plan” consists of a team of 8 professionals that help you integrate real estate into your overall financial plan.
• My “40k Reach Launch System” is a five-step online marketing system that will get your home seen by over 40,000 people in the first seven days.
• 13 clients have used my “ADU Blueprint System” to buy and convert a portion of their home into an ADU.
• My clients get access to my custom “Move-Prep Checklist” system with a full vendor team (organizers, movers, haulers, cleaners) already vetted and ready to go.
• I created a “Buy Then Sell” playbook for homeowners who need to buy their next home before selling their current one.
• As a former appraiser, I created the “Profit-First Pricing Formula” to help buyers avoid overpaying and sellers price for profit — not just comps.
• All former clients have access to my “All-Access VIP Club” to the best referral partners and exclusive benefits and discounts.

Do you hear how compelling these sound? They make you go, “wait, what is that? Do I need that? I think I need that.” These USPs are not gimmicks, either. Underneath each one is a step-by-step system or process that you have or can develop that can be easily repeated with each new Forever Client™.

Use Your Unique Selling Proposition

Once you’ve developed your Unique Selling Proposition, it’s time to infuse it into every aspect of your marketing. Every Forever Client™ should know your USP. Everyone who comes into contact with you and your brand should be introduced to your USP. Here’s a list of places you can add your Unique Selling Proposition.

• Website – when a client lands on your website, the first thing they should see is your USP right there in front of them
• Email Signature – put it at the bottom of your email signature with a link to your website
• Blog Posts – reference it in your blog posts, especially blogs whose subject relates to your USP
• Newsletters – put it at the bottom of all your newsletters
• Social Media Profiles – it should be in every social media profile you have, including adding a link to its page on your website
• Postcards – add it to the back of all your postcards with a QR code that links to its website page
• Client Reviews – help your clients to refer to it when writing a review about working with you

In Conclusion

Find your Unique Selling Proposition for your real estate business. Use it. Make a commitment to go all in and stand by your decision.

Because here’s the truth: you don’t need to be everything to everyone—you just need to be the obvious choice for the right people.

When you have a clear USP, your marketing becomes magnetic. Clients get what you do and why it matters. You stop blending in and start standing out. You don’t have to hustle for every deal—Forever Clients™ start coming to you.

So take the time. Do the work. And don’t settle for sounding like everyone else. The more clearly you define what makes you different, the easier it becomes to build a business you actually love.