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How to Create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Rick Henkin
Developing a Unique Selling Proposition (UPS) is one of the most valuable and important things you can ever create for your business. It sets you apart from your competition and communicates why your customers should buy from you and not from someone else. It will drive customers to you and keep you focused on delivering the benefit you've promised in your USP. It will also help you cut through the "noise" of all the messages we are all bombarded with every day. What is a USP? A unique selling proposition is a statement that communicates what sets your business apart from the competition. It answers the customer's question: "Why should I buy from you and not someone else?" This is a question that you have to answer. New visitors don't know you. They don't know how great your product or service is. They don't know how much time or effort you've put into your business. And you know what? They don't care either. The only thing they care about and the only question they have is- "What's in it for me?" Your USP is one of the primary ways you can communicate the answer to that question. It will become your greatest asset. Without one, you've given no reason why someone should choose your business over another. With a powerful USP, your marketing and selling becomes much easier and much more focused, because everything you do will revolve around your USP. Famous USPs
What these USPs have in common is that in a very concise statement, they've set their service or product apart from that of their competition. They've cut through the "noise". They've made you a promise and given you a reason to choose them. It positions them as the best choice and no two brands can occupy the same position in the same target market. That doesn't mean that they've appealed to everyone. They can't have 100% of the marketplace and neither can you. However, by creating their USP, they've reached a target audience that is in sync with their promise and separated themselves from their competitors. Since you can't be all things to all people, you have to be willing to focus and concentrate your efforts on a specific segment of the market who resonate with your message. Your possibility of "owning" that fraction of the market is much greater than your possibility of "owning" the entire market. Make sure that whatever your promise is, you're able to deliver on that promise. Not delivering on your promise, especially in this day of global communications, is worse than not having a USP at all. Creating a Unique Selling Proposition We've all seen the ads that say, "We offer great customer service ," or "Serving all your needs," or "Quality work at an affordable price." They're meaningless. They're the same things that a zillion other businesses can say. They don't pinpoint any thing that's unique about these companies. To get started creating your own USP, answer the following questions and remember you're ultimately answering the customer's question- "Why should I buy from you and not from someone else?":
It's possible that you may not know the answers to these questions yet and even if you think you do, it's a much better idea to ask your customers. The reasons you think they buy from you may be much different than their actual reasons. Ask 20 or 30 of your good customers for permission to telephone them for a short 10 minute interview. Let them know you want to improve your service or product and you'd like their help. It also serves as a great public relations tool as most people will appreciate that you're trying to improve your business. Ask them questions like:
Let them just talk. Eventually, a pattern will emerge as you begin to receive similar responses to these questions. Your customers will tell you what you've done right, what you need to work on and what their "pain" points are. Once, you understand why they've bought from you, what you can do to
improve yourself and
what their "pain" points are, set about making those changes necessary
to improve your product or service and to exceed their expectations.
Your customer's point of view is the only one that really counts.
You're in business to serve them. Give them what they want. |
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