Do you really need a Unique Selling Point? What happens if you don’t have one? Well, unless you are in an industry with no competitors then your USP is what will set you apart. It will give your prospects a reason to go with you instead of someone else.
In a struggling economy, you need all the competitive advantage you can get. And if you are looking for a job, you need that competitive edge too.
So, why should someone buy your product? It is no longer enough to say “we are the best”, you need to say how. And it needs to be based on reality rather than an aspiration that you are working towards.
There was a wonderful sign displayed which went like this:
“We offer three kinds of service – Good, Cheap or Fast. You can pick any two. Good and cheap won’t be fast. Good and fast won’t be cheap. Cheap and fast won’t be good. ”
At the gym yesterday, my personal trainer said the best advice he was given is to always think of yourself as number two so that you would still strive to do better. This reminded me of the Avis USP which is “We are number two – we try harder.” What a great USP which succeeds in turning a negative into a massive positive.
Apple’s USP is to think differently – they are the company best known for their innovation, having broken many technological boundaries. They can be relied upon to be innovative, fun and customer-focused.
If you are finding it difficult to identify your USP, go back to testimonials you have been given by your customers. It is easy to forget these but hopefully you have kept a log of them. Also, consider what your competitors are doing and what they are promising. How are you different to them? What are the problems you are solving for your customers?
Let’s take an example. For an IT support company, their customers may suffer from not being terribly IT literate, having to wait a long time before an engineer can fix their problem, or their technology is stopping them from getting on with their work
Let’s look at the customers’problem, potential USPs and their corresponding straplines:
- Waiting a long time for an engineer
- USP – getting their IT problems solved quickly
- Strapline – Your IT Support within 24 hours or quicker
- Not very IT literate
- USP – use jargon free communication so that the problem is easier to understand
- Strapline – Taking the Jargon out of IT Support
- Technology stopping them from working
- USP – getting you up and running quickly
- Strapline –Helping you to work when your computer doesn’t
- Frustrated that every problem seems to mean a new computer
- USP – providing the simplest, most cost effective solutions
- Strapline – Simple Solutions to Complicated Problems
Whatever your USP, do make sure that you live and breathe it. You don’t want your USP to be “tried and failed” – it should enhance your reputation, not undermine it.
© Tricia Woolfrey 2013
About Tricia Woolfrey – click HERE to find out about the author.
Marketing is the activity which creates awareness of your products or services and brings new business in. However, it does require you to spend time on your business rather than in it. This means, creating a cohesive and sustained marketing strategy to create awareness and desire for your services or products. A mistake a lot of people make is to try something once and, if it doesn’t yield the desired result, drop it and move onto something else. That’s understandable but means that you are never leveraging off that effort.
We normally think of brand in terms of company name, tag-line or logo and it’s an important part of your marketing. Personally, I view brand as much more than this. Let’s say your company name is “Precision Accountancy Partners”, there is a promise implied in that name which suggests a level of accuracy and professionalism.