Your business must have a Unique Selling Proposition. The A-Z to any successful sales pitch is to communicate the benefit of your product or service to the potential buyer, in other word the ability to communicate your product or service proposition will determine your success in the sales process. The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not offer. It must be unique e.g. any aspect of an object that differentiates it from similar objects.
Companies have to be able to distinguishing its product or offering from others, to make it more attractive to a particular target market, in order to use this differentiation as a source of competitive advantage.
But the question remains, how to build Unique Selling Proposition?
There are different ways to build USP however a good place to start is a SWOT analysis. Companies need to know their strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats in the market for a strategic planning to build competitive advantage. You have to know exactly, what characteristics of business, or project team that give you an advantage over the other or put you at disadvantage relative to others in order to build a successful strategy based on your strengths and weaknesses.
The opportunities and threats need even more careful study, as both are the external to organisation and as a company you may not have much control over it. E.g. an opportunity in the market that has been created for your company due to lack of competitors knowledge, it will not stay the same for ever as your competitor may find about it, as we say blue ocean strategy will not last for ever.
However remember your USP is the very essence of what you are offering. Your USP needs to be so compelling that it can be used as a headline that sells your product or service. Therefore, since you want to optimize all your marketing materials for maximum results, create your USP before anything else (such as advertisements, website and marketing copy).
First use your biggest benefits, clearly describe the 3 biggest benefits of owning your product or service. Let me be blunt. Your prospect doesn’t care if you offer the best quality, service, or price. You have to explain exactly WHY that is important to them. Think in terms of what your business does for your customer and the end-result they desire from a product or service like yours. So, what are the 3 biggest benefits you offer?
Next remember the key here is to be unique. Basically, your USP separates you from the competition, sets up a “buying criteria” that illustrates your company is the most logical choice, and makes your product or service the “gotta have” item.
Write your USP so it creates desire and urgency. Your USP can be stated in your product itself, in your offer, or in your guarantee:
- PRODUCT: “A unique driver that will instantly force you to hit like a pro.”
- OFFER: “You can learn this simple technique that makes you hit like a pro in just 10 minutes of batting practice.”
- GUARANTEE: “If you don’t hit like a pro golf player the first time you use this new driver, we’ll refund your money.”
Third solve an Industry “Pain Point” Or “Performance Gap”, identify which needs are going unfulfilled within either your industry or your local market. The need or “gap” that exists between the current situation and the desired objectives is sometimes termed a “performance gap”. Many businesses that base their USP on industry performance gaps are successful.
For example, Domino’s Pizza used the “Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or it’s free” for its Unique Selling Proposition and it become wildly successful. This worked because of the need or “gap” in the market – After a long day at work Mom and Dad are too tired to cook. But the kids are starving and don’t want to wait an hour! They want pizza NOW. Call Domino’s.
So, what are the most frustrating things your customer experiences when working with you or your industry in general? Alleviate that “PAIN” in your Unique Selling Proposition and make sure you deliver on your promises.
Forth try to be specific and offer proof, consumers are sceptical of advertising claims companies make. So alleviate their scepticism by being specific and offering proof when possible.
Then your USP should be condensed into one clear and concise sentence, the most powerful USPs are so perfectly written, you cannot change or move even a single word. Each word earns you money by selling your product or service. After you get your USP written, your advertising and marketing copy will practically write itself!
Now take all the details about your product/service/offer from the steps above and sculpt them into one clear and concise sentence with compelling salesmanship fused into every single word. And finally remember to integrate your USP into all marketing materials such as your…
- Advertising and sales copy headlines;
- Business cards, brochures, flyers, & signs;
- Your “elevator pitch”, phone, and sales scripts;
- Letterhead, letters, & postcards;
- Website & Internet marketing.
But most importantly you should remember to that deliver on your USP’s promise. Be bold when developing your USP but be careful to ensure that you can deliver. Your USP should have promises and guarantees that capture your audience’s attention and compels them to respond to you. Having a strong USP can make your business a big success or a big failure if you don’t deliver on it thereby ruining your reputation.
Using a powerful USP is the driving force that builds your business success. Build your USP and use it to optimize your marketing materials for maximum results, and do not worry, we are always here to help, if you need it, further you can always find some good advice in our YouTube site.
