Marketing yourself and business - Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Recently, I received an email from a businessman thanking me for the valuable information that is available in my newsletter. It is great to hear from folks who are getting something of value from my efforts.

When we talked last I was telling you about the importance of the USP - remember? We will start this issue where we left off - - -

Integrate Your USP Into Everything You Do

Once you decide what your best Unique Selling Proposition is, you should integrate it into everything you do, every aspect of your business - - advertising, personal communications, telephone calls, letters.

Maybe you render more service than anybody else; maybe your product has more quality than anybody else; maybe you offer greater value than anyone else; maybe your discounts are greater because your markup are less.

Bottom line, your Unique Selling Proposition is what you should build your entire business around.

Most people try to be everything to everyone, and they can't understand why they don't have any unique advantage, why they can't really take off ahead of the competitors.

The biggest reason is that they've never sat down and said, "What's my Unique Selling Proposition?" Am I going to be expensive, less expensive, render more service, give better value, give a better guarantee, give two when you buy three, three when you buy two?

Why Should Someone Deal With Me?

What you need to do is sit down and say to yourself "why should someone buy from me rather than my competitor?"

Be honest with yourself. Finding the answer to this question will help you identify your Unique Selling Proposition.

You can't build a consistent and effective marketing and selling proposition if you just send messages out and your customers don't know what you're really representing yourself to be in your market that your competitors are not.

I strongly suggest to anyone who is in business and especially to you my friend and subscriber that if you have never sat down and tried to state for yourself what your Unique Selling Proposition is, then you should do it, NOW!

Maybe you'll want to redefine what your Unique Selling Proposition is. We've found that we can go around almost anyone's advantage by countering whatever is in the market.

If everyone was selling the same product for $29, we should sell it for $27, or give them more value, or give them three times the guarantee, or give them something free when they buy it. But, come up with a Unique Selling Proposition, and integrate that into everything you do - - your ads, your salespeople in the field, your salespeople over the counter, and your phone salespeople if people call you. It's very important.

When you know and state your USP, you will stand out from your competition, like "Fred's All Natural Foods" or "John's Exotic Car Rentals" or the "Metric Tool Box."

You can see at times it is possible to have the USP in the name of the business. The philosophy of your USP has to be the bedrock of the company. All company transactions must show it. The USP must be known by all your employees; and by the competition, customers, stockholders and suppliers.

Your USP will describe your niche in the market.

For example, you become aware that you don't rent cars. You Lease Exotic Automobiles.

Or your USP might be that you sell only natural food.

The USP could be that you do indeed sell products at the lowest markup in the industry.

A USP could be that you educate your customers and provide the best service, and that you actually do.

Another USP could be that you have at all times 1,000,000 different parts in stock for cars. Or your USP says that you never close.

For DOMINO'S PIZZA it became known for "30 minutes or It's FREE."

For FEDERAL EXPRESS it's mantra was "If it absolutely has to be there overnight - Federal Express."

Whatever it is, use the USP.

As you develop your USP don't worry that you will have to use the same one as long as you are in business. Your unique selling advantage in 2006 my need to be changed in 2009. Or, whatever it was in 2000 is no longer applicable now and needs to be changed. As the
market changes or you change your USP needs to change, too.

If you learn nothing else today, learn this:

Know and use your Unique Selling Proposition

Adopted from Neil McPherron - "Your" Master Marketer