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Page 1: Developing Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)€¦ · Developing Your Unique Selling ... Created USP: You create a point of difference between your ... understanding of what an

Copyright Professional Performance Specialists 2010 1

Developing Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

By John Davie, Professional Performance Specialists

And Bevan Rigato, BeWrite Professional Writing & Marketing Services

People are bombarded with thousands of messages, promotions and various marketing materials

every day. If you want people to take notice of you, then it’s essential that you stand out and

remain Top-Of-Mind in the minds of your target market. People are looking for a business that

either solves a frustration or satisfies a desire.

It is absolutely essential, even critical, to truly differentiate your business in the eyes of your

potential customers. Know your market and what people are really looking for, and understand

how your business can meet their needs.

People Buy Difference

When people buy from you, they’re actually buying the difference they perceive about your

business. Consider the differences your customers perceive about your business that makes them

want to buy from you rather than your competitors. To conquer your target market you must

differentiate yourself.

Your USP makes it easier for customers to choose you rather than the many other options that are

available. Outlining your unique differences helps a customer feel more confident about their

decision to choose you. Establish your USPs and then actively apply them to all communications

(internal and external) for your business. Once you have created and cemented your USP into your

business, it will become the core of all communications to your target market. Promote those

differences in all your marketing and advertising, be bold and let the market know why they should

choose your business over anyone else’s.

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Copyright Professional Performance Specialists 2010 2

Unique Selling Propositions are:

The Points of Difference that set you apart from your competition.

The ‘uniqueness’ about your product or service.

The things that compel people to buy from you instead of your competitors.

Focused on the buying motivators of your target market, their hot buttons, buying concerns,

or their key frustrations or problems they want solved.

Helping customers to easily identify why they should choose you over competitors.

Making the purchase decision easy for your customers.

Your USP should permeate every facet of your operations. It should determine how your team

members present themselves, the way you deal with your customers and the way your business

itself is presented. Virtually every area of your business must fulfil that differentiation presented by

your USP.

Create a Business That Stands Out

Once you start to embed your USP throughout your business, you need to ensure that you can

deliver on it. Create a business that stands out from the rest of your industry, know your target

market’s buying motives then aim to supersede them!

Don’t fall into the trap that most ‘Small Medium Sized Enterprises (SME)’ fall into, which is to be

under the false illusion that because they have opened for business, people will buy from them

simply because they’re there.

“Hey look at us, we’re over here, come buy from us!” This doesn’t give your potential customers a

compelling reason to buy from you. Remember, there are a myriad of direct and indirect

competitors all vying for your business.

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Copyright Professional Performance Specialists 2010 3

Market Benefits, Not Features

Many SME’s make the mistake of marketing and promoting their products based on price, or the

features of their products and services, rather than the benefits their potential clients would

receive.

Market research has shown that only 15% of the market shop on price alone.

If you don’t clarify your USP and spell out the direct benefits of dealing with your business, you’ll

miss out on the largest and most important sector of your market.

Some points to think about as they relate to your business.

What are you selling?

Who are you targeting?

How are you planning to get the message to them?

How are you going to deliver your service?

Do you sell a raw product or do you provide the benefit that this product provides?

Do you sell services or the benefits of those services?

What is it that you want to be known for that differentiates you from your competitors?

What points of difference can you highlight as being desirable for your target market?

What is it you can be ‘Best in Class’ at?

What proof do you have that substantiates your uniqueness?

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Copyright Professional Performance Specialists 2010 4

Know Your Target Market

The foundation for your USP must come from a real understanding of the people to whom you are

sending your message, with the aim of influencing them to use your service. Here are a couple of

ways you can develop that understanding.

Think like your clients: Step outside of your day-to-day role as the business owner or senior

manager and think about what your clients really want from you. What is it that makes them

come back again and again? It might be the quality of your service, convenience, or perhaps

it is your friendliness, exceptional customer service and listening skills or reliability. Or, it

maybe that they perceive you as solving their problems using a ‘Best in Class’ service.

Learn what motivates your customer’s decisions: Learn what drives and motivates those

who would use your service or refer people to it. Having some knowledge of the

demographics of your target market is essential to effective business, but just as importantly

you must learn how they tend to derive gratification in life and what their purchase

preferences are. People use products and services primarily based on their desires, not on

their needs. Knowing these desires and motivations will help in forming your true Unique

Selling Proposition.

Know the real reasons customers come to you instead of your competition: How do you do

that? Ask your best source of information: your customers. This can be done in a number of

ways including face-to-face conversations, surveys or focus groups. Every business lends

itself to certain methods of deriving this information, but the fundamental truth is that you

can never know too much about your market!

The last step is to be as objective as possible in determining what features of your business stand

out: What is it that sets you apart from the pack?

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Copyright Professional Performance Specialists 2010 5

Three Types Of USPs

There are three different kinds of USPs to differentiate your business from your competitors.

1. Actual USP: Something that is genuinely unique about your business, the products, or services

you provide.

2. Created USP: You create a point of difference between your business and your competitors. You

define and focus on what makes you stand out in the eyes of your customers to either solve a

customer frustration or problem, giving them a compelling reason to buy from you.

3. Perceived USP: You may not have anything in your business that’s totally unique. But if you’re

the first one to articulate a difference (even though others do the same), you’ll stand out in the

marketplace. You may simply articulate what you do better than your competitors,

differentiating your business in the minds of your customers as a perceived point of difference.

Perception Is Reality

Don’t be afraid to tell your potential customers exactly why you are unique and why they should

buy from you. People like to buy difference as long as it is a perceived benefit to them. But

remember, you need to live up to your promises so it’s important that any claims you make are

completely adhered to. This is what makes the USP work for your business.

A powerful USP is typically tied into the most emotionally stimulating elements of your customers’

experience with your business. So how do you capture this in a short phrase that touches on the

emotional gratification promised by your service? Follow these seven guidelines:

1. Keep it short.

2. Paint a picture within the imagination of your reader.

3. Convey a positive feeling.

4. Give it impact and emotion.

5. Avoid defining your service as a commodity.

6. Focus on the promise of emotional gratification – the result or benefit – not the work or

features you offer.

7. Make it consistent with the general perception of your business and what you have learned

of your customer’s gratification mode and purchase preferences.

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Evolve your USPs To Grow With Your Business

Businesses often develop new USPs as they grow and evolve. The more you learn about your

customers and what constitutes your promise of emotional gratification, the clearer your

understanding of what an effective Unique Selling Proposition will be. Ultimately, the real acid test

is to ask yourself:

What emotion am I selling?

Does it accurately portray what my business does?

Does it create an image beyond those of the competition?

Is it desirable to my target market?

Development Help

To assist with developing your USP you may want to sit down with someone outside of your

business who can provide a fresh insight. Get them to interview you to help ascertain what

compelling USP you can create which you can commit to with energy, excitement and enthusiasm.

Allow this to permeate throughout every aspect of your business.

If you are not enthusiastic about your business, how can you expect your staff to be? If you are not

excited about what you are providing how can you expect your customers to be excited about what

you offer? Consider the following questions:

“Why do people buy from me?”

‘What is Unique about your business and what you provide?

Why, do you do the things that you do in the way that you do them?’

‘What separates my company from my competitors?

Write a list of all the reasons why people buy from you.

Ask your team members to write a list of the reasons why they think people buy from you.

Call some of your clients and ask them why they specifically decided to buy from you and

what differences they noticed, if any, between you and your competitors at that time.

Take action by starting the process of developing your Unique Selling Points and dominate your market by

putting yourself in the driving seat.

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Copyright Professional Performance Specialists 2010 7

About Professional Performance Specialists

PPS was developed through the merger of U.K based Retail Performance Specialists (RPS) and Davie

Consultancy in Sydney Australia. RPS is one of the world’s foremost service and retail performance

consultancies, providing solutions to the world’s leading retailers for nearly 30 years. Since their

formation they have worked with over 400,000 individual retail staff and thousands of retailers on 5

continents to deliver proven strategies and systems to increase sales, service and business

performance.

PPS CEO John Davie has extensive expertise in business consulting and development in multiple

areas. After several years of researching and studying elite health professional practices worldwide

and using his experience from the lessons learned as an international athlete, John managed to

create New Zealand’s largest physiotherapy practice in just 3 years (according to the New Zealand

government compulsory insurance scheme ACC, this practice was more than twice the size of the

next largest).

PPS has developed world-class health professional and physiotherapy specific systems,

methodologies and processes which have been proven to improve the performance of these

specialised businesses. Their methodologies are based on almost 30 years working with some of the

most successful global health and service businesses.

John Davie (CEO)

Ph: (+61) 0413 570 938 Office: 1300 978 082

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.pps-global.com

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About BeWrite Professional Writing & Marketing Services

BeWrite have been providing high-quality and high-value copywriting and marketing services to

small and medium business clients for over six years. Bevan Rigato started the business with one

focus, and that was to help businesses get great customised professional writing and marketing

services which would let business owners stay focused on doing the things that their business is

great at.

Each BeWrite consultant and preferred partner are highly experienced at their area of specialisation

enabling them to quickly understand what the client business does and what that specific business

needs. BeWrite specialists will work with you to clearly understand where your business is now, and

where you want to go in order to deliver the perfect copywriting and / or marketing solution to

match your goals.

Bevan Rigato

Ph: 1300 032383

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.bewrite.com.au