There’s always something to howl about.

You’re Unique – Just Like Everyone Else

What makes you unique?  I’m not referring to your eleventh toe or your ability to recite the Arabic alphabet backwards.  That’s not unique – that’s plain odd.

Why do clients want to work with you?  What makes you better than the rest of the pack?  I ask this question based upon the comments I received in my last past.

Simply because you may rank first or second in a Google search does not make you unique – it makes you visible.   Now that you’re visible, what is the value you bring to the table?

I did a search on an address of a property I’ve listed, sadden to see that my SEO wizardry had failed me – Trulia and a whole host of other sites beat me to the punch – but honestly, I don’t care.  My client’s property is well represented in cyberspace.  It’s visible.  But visibility is not value in and of itself.

Now – say you use the fact that you rank first, maybe second on the list of the Google search you ran, specifically on the property’s address – or maybe even on the property’s characteristics – terrific!

But wait – as a consumer, I see your site and perhaps Trulia, Redfin or another local broker’s site with the same property – and a slew of other sites with the same information.  It’s visible but it is not specifically clear to me as a consumer why I would choose your site versus another.  Perhaps I choose your link because it’s first on the list.  Not a bad choice, but it was relatively arbitrary – it ranked first – not necessarily best.

If you’re marketing yourself as the best professional to sell a client’s home because you own the ranking of their property in a search result, you’re kidding your client – but mostly, you’re kidding yourself.

Greg Swann nailed the value proposition as to why high visibility on the web is a key differentiator:  he’s visible – but he also sells his clients’ listings in less time than comparable properties in his market.  Like almost 50% less.

Your high visibility facilitates your ability to sell more faster – if you don’t have the facts to back it up, it doesn’t make you unique.  Many consumers don’t understand that visibility doesn’t equate to added value.

Providing a true value proposition that demonstrates to your potential seller that the investment you made in creating higher visibility, thus translating into better marketing statistics relative to your competitors makes you truly unique.