Mortgage Marketing to Realtors ? Creating a Memorable Positioning Statement

Mortgage marketing to Realtors involves having a crystal clear position that establishes credibility, so that you can develop a consistent dialogue with prospects and guide them at every stage of the relationship building process.

Declaring your position begins with creating a Positioning Statement. It is a no nonsense statement of how you want to be perceived. It provides direction and focuses around your claim of expertise. It answers the questions:

- What do you do, and for whom?
- What is your niche?
- What makes you different from the competition?
- What is the customer benefit of that difference?

Writing one is a very useful exercise. It requires you to identify, and then articulate in a concise and brief statement your distinct value to your prospect in relation to your competitors.

What Business You're In

The first part of your statement describes your ideal client. Lets say you're focused on servicing agents in a geographic area. The beginning could say, "John Smith, a member of ABC Mortgage, services agents in Beverly Hills."

On the other hand, maybe your ideal client isn't determined geographically, instead it's determined by experience. If so, your statement may start with, "John Smith, a mortgage professional with ABC Mortgage, helps million dollar producing agents."

What Problem You Solve

The first part sets the tone so the second part can heat up the interest. If you research your competitors Positioning Statements, you'll find that they all say the same thing. It's full of hyperbole and doesn't stimulate interest.

To get someone's attention, you have to accurately describe his or her problem. Agents will read anything that addresses a difficult problem that needs solving.

What if you can help agents who struggle producing client referrals consistently? Your statement would read, "John Smith, a mortgage professional with ABC Mortgage, helps million dollar producing agents who struggle capturing client referrals consistently."

How You're Different

Third, take a long look at your competition. Who directly competes with you for the same agents? What are they offering, and to whom? How are their offerings similar to yours, and how are they unique? Only by understanding your competition can you recognize and capitalize on the unique value of your own expertise. And then you can position it where it is most appealing to agents.

When you know your competition's weakness, you can position them to the side, so you become front and center. For example, if you're losing agents to agencies with in-house lenders, your statement might say, "John Smith, a consultant with ABC Mortgage, helps million dollar producing agents who struggle capturing client referrals consistently. Unlike in-house lenders who are limited in the customer care they render, John Smith specializes in client loyalty strategies..."

Your Positioning Statement places the competition on the shelf so you can tell how you're different. While you're helping the prospect become aware of your competition's weakness, without it being derogatory, you can differentiate your expertise in the prospect's mind.

What Unique Benefit Clients Derive

Finally, make a list of the benefits of your expertise to your targeted audience- from their perspective. And be careful not to confuse features with benefits. Features are the defining elements of your services. Benefits are the tangible or intangible ways that Agents gain from experiencing those features. The benefit you describe should be a result of the problem solved.

If you solve the problem of client referrals, your Positioning Statement might sound like, "John Smith, a consultant with ABC Mortgage, helps million dollar producing agents who struggle capturing client referrals consistently. Unlike in-house lenders who are limited in the customer care they render, John Smith specializes in client loyalty strategies so his agents enjoy a steady stream of referrals."

Explaining the unique benefit Agents derive from your service is the same as describing your Unique Competitive Advantage (UCA). Like when you're in an elevator and only have moments to tell someone what you do, you use your UCA to generate interest. You can use an UCA by itself, like with business cards, a tagline on your website, or it can be the final component of your positioning statement.

The Core of Your Strategy

The Positioning Statement is where you need to begin when planning the messages in any marketing communications campaign. Think about how it can help you improve your marketing materials, your sales presentations, and your website home page.

It's used as a lens through which all of your marketing materials will filter to make sure that they're communicating a consistent message about you. This is the key in establishing your brand identity, an identity that develops familiarity with Agents that they come to trust.

Jeff Nelson helps mortgage companies and individual loan officers increase loan originations by developing customized relationship-building strategies that secure quality relationships with real estate agents. Click here to get a free copy of the Marketing Planning Guide, a 20-page workbook designed to help you outline a strategy to becoming an Agent Magnet.

Visit us at http://www.loan-officer-marketing.com

---

6 MUST Have Strategies To Make Big Bucks with Big Ticket Items

Strategy #1: Change Your Mindset That's right, change your mindset!... Read More

Buzz Word

Offline, it's called word-of-mouth advertising. Online, it's known as viral... Read More

Leverage The Power Of Using Flyers To Advertise Your Online Product or Service Offline

One commonly overlooked method of advertising offline is flyers. Flyers... Read More

10 Steps to a Great Newsletter

A newsletter can be a wonderful, economical way to communicate... Read More

Getting Your Services Used

Every day I talk with professional service providers who do... Read More

Up Your Income Next Week: 13 Ways to Have a Sale

Nothing gets people buying products or programs like a special... Read More

Are You Attracting or Repelling Prospects?

There are basically two ways in which you can either... Read More

10 Essential Criteria For Choosing Your Target Market

A specific group of people you will focus on selling... Read More

Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing

Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and... Read More

How To Get Your Prospect To Take Action

There's really only one thing that separates Image advertising from... Read More

Six Secrets to Creating Successful Tourism Marketing, Websites, Ads, Tradeshow Booths, & More

If you want to substantially increase your tourism prospects and... Read More

Networking, iNetworking, What Is The First Rule?

Networking on the Internet is the same as networking in... Read More

The Six-Step Process That Grows Your Business

1. Examine your clientele and define your ideal client. Of... Read More

Direct Mail - Dont Assume, Just Test and Track

Where to Start:Most novice marketers have definite fixed ideas about... Read More

Building Credibility for Your Business

Small companies that rely on business-to-business sales often find it... Read More

5 Ways To Entice Your Parallel Market to Trade Links

Lots of people get confounded when attempting to exchange links,... Read More

Grow Your Business By Getting Your Customers Buying From You More Often - 35 Ideas

35 Ideas to Spark Your Creativity:There are 3 ways to... Read More

Six Ways to Boost Response on Your Surveys and Gain More Useful Information

So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey,... Read More

Testimonials - FREE Quality Advertising FOR YOU!

Every business person who has any kind of product or... Read More

Off the Shelf Small Business Mapping Software

All small businesses can benefit from inexpensive off the shelf... Read More

Are You Overlooking Your Hidden Profit Centers?

There are other names given to "Back-End Selling". You may... Read More

How to Handle Jargon at Your Web Site - and Why

If you sell a technical product or service, you probably... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Will Help Make Your Product Hotly In Demand

Giving away free bonuses is an important website marketing secret... Read More

Unleash the Powerful Promoter Within

Dear Friend,You're ripping me off.How? You may be thinking, "We... Read More

Marketing On The Cheap: Speak Out!

No matter what business you are in, you probably have... Read More

Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits

What is Upselling?It means pre-selling any additional features of your... Read More

Educating Your Customers

One of the biggest marketing mistakes businesses make today is... Read More

Signage for Mobile Car Wash Vehicles

If you are in the mobile car wash business and... Read More

Everything Youve Ever Learned About Marketing Is Wrong

Everything you've ever learned about marketing and advertising is WRONG.... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3

To read the beginning of this special report, you can... Read More

How to Set Up & Organize Your Customer Mailing List For Optimum Results

Your list of customers who have previously bought from you... Read More

Did You Know Your Mind-Set IS Your Problem?

How To Save Yourself From The Pits of Marketing Cyber... Read More

Business Postcard Marketing: 35 Ways to Use It

Postcards are an effective way for many business owners and... Read More