TheNumber One Skill to have in business is Marketing. And the number one marketingtool to have is the Unique Marketing Position (UMP). Why is marketing thenumber one skill to have? Because if the marketing is good, the sale is easy,but if the marketing is poor the sale is tough. That's because most people havean extreme dislike for salespeople.

As anexample of this, get a pen and write down the first 5 words that pop into yourmind if I were to say the word ?Salesman.? Any negative words? Do this withagents in your office. One of the reasons people struggle with the salesprocess is because subconsciously, this is how they feel toward salespeople anddo not want to be seen this way. So, if your marketing looks, sounds, and feelslike everyone else's marketing, you may be forced into the role of ?Salesman'by default in order to convince prospects that you really are different andthey would be better off hiring you to represent them.

What is aUnique Marketing Position? It is a marketing message that keeps you, yourproduct or your service from looking, sounding and feeling like everyoneelse's. It elevates, separates, differentiates and distinguishes you from allcompetitors in your market place. It re-sets the buying criteria from which allbuying decisions are made and allows you to totally dominate your market place.

Too manycompanies rely on ?Me, too!? marketing messages that do very little to compelprospects to take action. Their marketing is filled with generalities andplatitudes that are unbelievable and irrelevant to the prospect. ?We're numberone in listings!?, ?We're number one in sales!?, ?We have the best service.? Asmaster marketer Claude Hopkins once said ?Generalities and platitudes roll ofthe human understanding like water off a duck's back. They have no impactwhatsoever.?

If youwant to list more, sell more, have people chasing you, referring you to theirdatabases and buying from you over and over again, you need to have a Unique MarketingPosition that makes you different.

Not onlydoes your UMP separate you from the competition, it keeps you from sufferingthe painful ?Commission-ectomy? that is sometimes prevalent in our business.Why do sellers ask Realtors to reduce their commission? It's simple, really.Usually, but not always, it is because they are interviewing 3 or 4 agents inan attempt to decide which one would be best at marketing their home. In doingso, all the Realtors begin to sound alike. ?We're number one!?, ?We sell morehomes than anyone!?, ?My service is the best!?. When this happens, the sellerwill do what most of us do when shopping for a product or service when theycan't tell the difference them: default to price. ?How much do you charge??

If you donot have a UMP, you become a commodity. As soon as you become a commodity, youbecome subject to pricing pressure. How do you develop your very own UMP? YourUMP is the answer to the prospects? problems. What problems are sellers having?Interview them. Create a survey. ASK them. Remember, ?If you want to know whyJohn Smith buys what John Smith buys you have to see the world through JohnSmith's eyes.? How do sellers see Realtors? What problems are sellers havingwith Realtors? Are you really different? Is your service really better? Do theInside Systems of your company match up with the Outside Perception you areattempting to create? Have you surveyed your customers to find what problemsthey are having? Can you solve those problems?

Then tellthem what you do that is unique and different. This will compel prospects totake the first step, which is to get on your educational time track and giveyou the opportunity to educate them about what you do, how you do it, why youdo it that way and the benefit to them. Because as we all know, prospects areconstantly asking ?What's in it for me??

Example:There is no substitute for experience. Before you trust your home to justanyone, give me one hour and you will come to the same conclusion as yourneighbors: ?I'd be an absolute fool to hire anyone else, regardless of theircommission!?

This article was written byWayne Morgan, co-owner of The Texas Institute of Real Estate, The BusinessSchool for Real Estate Pros, and Author of ?How to Get Rich in Real Estate? ANDHave a Life!"