Unique Selling Proposition

Your Unique Selling Proposition

Your Unique Selling Proposition, or the USP, is the core of your marketing strategy. Successful marketing requires that a business must have a competitive advantage, something that sets it apart. Your USP sets you apart from your competition and makes you unique. If you can't differentiate yourself from your competition, one of you is unnecessary!

My Unique Selling Proposition is the first thing you see on my home page. When people ask me what I do, I say "I'm a small business marketing expert. I implement a system that increases their sales by 25% or more in as little as 90 days, guaranteed!" I'll tell you that I have never said that to anybody who did not raise their eyebrows and say, "How do you do that?"

Refine yours to get the same reaction and you have taken the first step to building your empire!

Your Unique Selling Proposition Must Answer These Two Questions

1. Why do people buy from you?
2. If they aren't buying from you, why should they?

Your USP Also Must

1. Differentiate you from any and all competition
2. Emphasize a desirable and positive customer benefit
3. Be easily understood
4. Be used repetitively in your marketing efforts and become ingrained in your company's culture. From the CEO to the receptionist to the delivery drive or cashier, all staff must be on board.
5. Create an Immediate Emotional Connection that makes people want to do business with you - IMMEDIATELY!
6. Elicit the response from the prospect, "Whoa!! How do you do that?"

Is a USP a Mission Statement?

A USP is NOT a mission statement. When you get right down to it, customers and prospects really don't care about your mission statement, how many years you have been in business or that you just built a new building. They care about what your product or service will do for them. What problem will it solve or what need will it fill. Take a moment to think about FedEx. Do you care it is their mission to be the number one overnight carrier in the country or do you care that they won't lose your package and that it gets there the next day?

When you have a good Unique Selling Proposition, creating a compelling marketing message to use in your advertising, direct mail and other marketing tactics becomes easy. If you don't, marketing your product or service becomes very difficult.

The Four Steps to Determining Your USP

1. Conduct a focus group meeting with the company executives and the staff (Tip � If you can interview the founder of the company and ask why they started the company, their passionate answer will often reveal the USP.)
2. Survey your customers, both past and present
3. Survey your competitors
4. Write it up

When creating your Unique Selling Proposition, your first tendency will probably be to say something like �We have the best service, quality, price, staff, etc.� You must be more specific because your competition is saying the same thing. In addition, consumers are expecting service and quality. If you don't offer service, then you can easily lose customers and prospects.

What exactly makes your service the best? Why do you have the best quality? Why do you have the best staff? Is it something that your customers and prospects will notice? Is it so noticeable that they will talk to others about it?

If you've shipped a package via FedEx, I venture a guess that you have a feeling of confidence when you see the driver leave with your package that absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. That is one of the most recognized USPs in the United States. Note that they also deliver on the promise, which is critical to sustained growth and profits.

Almost anybody who has visited Walt Disney World or other Disney theme parks inevitably notice how sparkling clean the parks are. It is a challenge to even find a light bulb that is burned out! The cleanliness is no accident. It is part of the Disney aura, the Disney marketing magic and the Disney USP.

Disney knows that when you go home, you will tell friends and relatives about the cleanliness. Clean = hygienic, clean = safe, clean = safe attractions. They all result in strengthening the message that Disney is a great place to take your family!

Next Step - Integrate the USP

After you've created your powerful Unique Selling Proposition, your next step is to integrate it into your organization. After all, if your customers, prospects and staff don't know why you are so great and unique, it won't do you much good. It is your job to tell them, not their job to find out!

You also need to create your elevator speech, which is your 15 to 30 second personal commercial that should have your prospect salivating to do business with you. Click here to learn how to craft your powerful elevator speech!

Don't Risk Doing it Wrong!

Creating your Unique Selling Proposition is one of the most important marketing tasks that you, the small business owner face. You may lack the time and training or you could be so close to your business that you may fail to see what you truly have to offer.

At Paul Flood Marketing, we have the training, experience and expertise to craft the perfect USP for your business. A USP that is a powerful statement about why customers and prospects will want to choose you over your competition

If this important task seems a bit overwhelming, and you want to be sure your Unique Selling Proposition makes your company the obvious choice, then contact Paul Flood Marketing for help.

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