Master the Four Levels of USPs [VIDEO]

Tired of being treated like a commodity—and paid like one?

In this video, Roxanne Emmerich dismantles the “rate-match or lose” myth and replaces it with a hard-edged framework for extreme differentiation that commands premium pricing on both sides of the balance sheet. She breaks down the four levels of USPs—from weak “we give great service” claims (Level 1) and easily copied features (Level 2), to elite expertise (Level 3) and, ultimately, proprietary, client-valued processes (Level 4) that buyers say are worth 10× your fee increase.

You’ll discover:

• NIM lift without apology: How Level-4 USPs enable +150–200 bps over competitors while holding deposit costs in check.

• De-commoditize on contact: A sales motion that monetizes your USPs and shuts down “Can you match the rate?” before it’s asked.

• Cycle-proof stickiness: Evidence, certification, and process that keep top customers loyal in any environment.

If you’re done subsidizing competitors with your value, this is your blueprint to escape margin compression and become the bank that top customers chase.

Watch now. 

What if you could use extreme differentiation to get 150 basis points or more on the loan side and improve your deposit pricing at the same time? If you’re the kind of leader who feels strongly that you can follow the herd that believes net interest margin compression is inevitable, you’re going to love this. Or if you have some lenders who get premium pricing but are frustrated that others still fall back to rate matching, you’ll want to watch this. Or maybe you’ve given up on getting premium pricing because you believed the conventional wisdom that banking is a commodity that you’ve heard at the industry conferences—and if so, this is for you.

Here’s why: When you get it, you’ll have a blueprint for catapulting yourself past the three biggest problems in banking right now. One: customers that love you and leave you for better rates. Two: customers believe you’re a commodity, and you might not be giving them a reason to think differently. And three: your people mean well and offer great service, but they don’t know how to sidestep the whole rate-conversation trap. Every bank is facing these three.

Today you will learn about four levels of USPs—and why you need dozens of these. But to get extreme premium pricing, you need to create level-four USPs. Level-one USPs offer basic differentiation. If you’ve ever believed that “great customer service” was your key differentiator, then you’re working with a level-one USP. Level-two USPs are gadgets and products. Your super-duper free checking, your nifty online banking site, your instant-approval mortgage are all level-two USPs. You need them, but they’re too easy to copy.

Level-three USPs are where it gets juicy. They are the special education and certifications that matter to discerning customers and put you in a league of elite bankers all your own. And level-four USPs are the pinnacle. They are the proprietary processes that clients tell you are worth at least ten times more than the additional amount that you charge. These take you way out of the commodity world.

Flex your level-four USPs with a sales process designed to monetize it, and you’ll pull away your competitors’ best customers at 150 basis points or more. Some of our banks regularly average at least 200 basis points more than what their competitors get, so don’t tell me it can’t be done. Also, you’ll have the peace of mind that you are profitable and safe during good times and bad.

What if you could use your USPs in your sales process to make sure you never hear those ugly words, “Can you match the rate?”—so you and your people can feel the confidence of knowing that you are an elite, prestigious organization worth more. Get your USPs right and stop worrying about what the economy or desperate competitors do to your profits. That’s for those other banks.