The real estate market is constantly shifting, and as a bevy of young, eager agents enter the fray alongside new digital brokerage platforms, it can feel even more tumultuous than ever. If you want to succeed among such fierce competition, it’s crucial that you can express what comparative advantages you bring your clients. Now is the time to separate yourself from the crowd and prove that you are worth your rate.

Here are five ways in which you can demonstrate your professional value:

#1: Know what you’re selling

Your job is more than just brokering deals between buyers and sellers. The greatest service you provide your clients is that of your expertise: your connections, your market know-how and the specific set of experiences you bring to the homebuying process. Communicating the significance of this knowledge to potential new clients will boost their confidence both in you and in the value you offer.

#2: Differentiate your offerings

According to Agent EDU, real estate advertising has three common goals: branding for lead generation, advertising a specific listing for market exposure and positioning the agent as an industry expert. Though it may seem trivial, advertising the qualities that you find attractive in a home or client can do much to improve your perceived worth. Do you work with families? Are the majority of your listings located near a body of water? Perhaps you have a secret passion for well-groomed landscaping or pristine interior design. Highlighting those traits that make your individual brand unique will make you stand out from other Realtors and, in turn, more valuable to clients whose interests align with your own.

#3: Make a plan of action

Knowing how you will handle each and every listing will further promote the advantages of using your services. Creating a detailed outline of how you will approach buying or selling your client’s home provides them with an in-depth look at your technique. Moreover, coming prepared to each meeting demonstrates your dedication to your clients and the gravity with which you treat their business in a way that online brokerage applications simply cannot.

#4: Think outside the box

Getting creative with strategies can also make you invaluable to your clients. Instead of sticking to the same guidelines for placing your client’s home on the market, try instead to generate enticing or memorable methods customized to your client’s goals. For example, if your clients are hoping to sell to a family, setting up an open house with cartoons and toys catered to children could help draw buyers in. Presenting such inventive ideas to your clients will keep them engaged and once again prove to them your commitment and skill.

#5: Invest in yourself

Finally, if you truly wish to demonstrate your professional worth to customers, you might need to invest more time — and potentially money — into building your repertoire. Attaining additional real estate certifications, licensures or course credits can and will make you a better agent. Spending the time to make sure you are up to date and in the know will be of great value to your personal brand as a broker and, by extension, to the clients who come your way in the future.