Creating Your Unique Selling Proposition!
I’M NOT THE BEST!
BUT THE WAY I DO IT IS MOST DEFINITELY DIFFERENT!
I’m NOT the best…but what would you rather be known for? Being the best or being different? Everyone claims to be the best at something…but when you claim to be the best, you don’t stand out from everyone else who also claim to be the best.
Blending in with everyone else is not the way to get customers or clients to notice you. I work with many clients who are searching for their unique selling proposition (USP). I know it’s hard when there might be many people out there doing the same thing you do.
One mistake that many business owners make is trying to copy what everyone else is doing. If you’re a coach, you look at how other successful coaches are doing it, and you want to copy what they’re doing.
“They are successful, so why not?”
You look at how other businesses look and feel and think you must follow their lead, because you see them as successful. Or maybe you think it’s easier than re-creating the wheel.
Change the way you’re thinking!
Face it…there aren’t many of us doing something so unique that we have cornered the market and never have to worry about our competitors. If you are…awesome for you! Even my business is not unique, but I think the way I do it is!
Now that Carol and I have merged our businesses; we are working on our new USP…which spurred me to write this blog post. One of our USP’s is that we use a special core-business system when we work with clients. It’s our system, we created it, so that makes it unique to just us.
Creating your USP is not easy, so I encourage you to take your time and work through the process.
I remember reading about USP in a blog post from Melanie Duncan, some time ago. She suggested a few exercises to help get started, and I now use these questions when I work with my clients in developing their marketing strategy:
1. Identify your competitors. While I don’t want you to copy them…I want you to know who they are, and identify what USP makes them stand out.
I always like to know what my competitors are up to. How are they working with clients, and why would my ideal client work with them over me?
2. List at least five things that make your business unique from those competitors.
Melanie also stated that, “Positioning happens in your branding, your marketing, your customer service, your customer interactions, and any other customer touchpoint. The more measurable, comparable, demonstrable, or quantifiable your advantage, the more powerful it will be.”
She shared some examples that I want to share with you today, because they give you a clear understanding of how you can position yourself:
- If you use a number, like ‘2 times better’ or 94% more effective’
- If you can save people time or money (two of the most powerful drivers) over your competitio
- If you provide a higher level of service or higher quality product
- If you are the luxury / discount alternative
- Or if you have a different approach or experience
I like Melanie’s system. It’s especially helpful for business owners who have never identified their USP. To read more about Melanie’s system and to download her exercises, click on her blog post!
We would love to hear your USP – click over to the blog, and leave a comment for us!