Let us create a 3D eBook for you!
Let us create a 3d Digital eBook for you! DigyCat.com

 

Unique Selling Propositions


If you have competitors, then you should have at least one Unique Selling Proposition (USP). The more REAL ones you have, the better - for your Branding, your business recognition, and your sales!

We all have competitors, and the more you have, the more important it is that you have a Unique Selling Proposition (at least one).

Allow me to explain. Let's use a recent example of a company that sells laser toner cartridges... Do you think they have competition online? You bet they do, another category that is swamped with resellers. Sound like yours?

The task of coming up with a USP can sometimes be tough. But every company needs this, it sets you apart from your competitors. Let me stress this again, it is one or more reasons why prospects should work with you, or buy from you, or do business with you, instead of your competitors, period.

Let me narrow this a little further, it used to be if you had the best price, - you got the business. Although still a minor USP, price alone should not be the only consideration, it's not really that unique... Yes, you still need to be competitive, but I don't want to be the cheapest guy... we're in this to make a profit, right? So don't make price your 'only' USP. Combine it with more value, something your competition doesn't do, or doesn't offer.

O.K., back to our example. This company needed more than price, their product pricing is right inline with everyone else, so now what?

First of all, you need to know what your competitors do offer.

This is not a new concept. You can't compete if you don't know what you're up against. So take a little time and check out what they have. Do some research, you'd be surprised what you might find - or not. Special offers, free shipping, a contest, great customer support?

Take a step back, imagine you are the customer and you do buy toner from someone a few times a year. If they do not get great service or it's just average, then chances are you can sway them your way. This references "customer loyalty" another chapter, but it follows first getting the customer. So, let's get the prospect as a customer first.

Now, what do we do to sway these prospects? We offer them what the competition doesn't. This can be discovered with your competitive research. Oh, and if you still haven't found a USP or a few - then Hyperformance Media can help you with this as well.

Write down every idea that you and your team come up with. Please don't worry about how silly they might seem (at the time), just brainstorm with the data you have gained. The reason I say to include the silly ones, and others is because sometimes those little ideas that you laughed at can actually be morphed to create your USP. No idea is too far fetched at this point, and usually the ideas you laughed at are, in fact, some things your competitors don't offer. That's where we go next.

On the toner company we came up with all kinds, some were already offered by competitors, some were not. The idea is to initially come up with as many as possible. Here are some of what we narrowed the field to (we started with about two dozen);

  • Price (of course)

  • Free Shipping (varied by quantity/price)

  • Great Customer Service (so everyone says)

  • A Contest / Promotion (a what?)

  • Free Gifts (vary)

  • Referral Savings (with parameters)

  • Reminders? (to buy)
The next step is again to nail down our list, get creative, really think here. This alone still makes us more competitive (once implemented), even if others use the same approach. Why? Because before we did this, there was a ton of competition, and as we add these USP's we now narrow the list of our 'real' competitors. We are now more competitive within our industry, because we now offer things that (most) of our competitors do not!

We are getting more competitive immediately by implementing some simple offerings. Let's take each one in this example and see how we can use it or discard it to our advantage.

  • Price - Still very important in any market, but very tied to customer value (or perceived value). If your product or service is not competing here - it does not necessarily rule you out, more on this later. However, this is usually where a shopper starts (because it's easy), and you want to be considered with this group. In this example, we agreed that (based on our research) we were in the market on price. So our price is competitive and that's great, but not unique enough to get the business.

  • Free Shipping - In our research, we found that most of the company's who were offering this service were just a couple dollars higher in price (covering their "free" offer). So while it may have some perceived value, it was not enough for this company to offer that, so we discarded this one. If however, your costs are such that you can ship for free and still be competitive and profitable, this is a worthwhile USP.

  • Great Customer Service - This is stated everywhere, making it tough for the consumer to know what is reality. It is hard to judge until you are a customer. It would be more valuable to offer testimonials of Great Customer Satisfaction. Not Customer Service, but Customer Satisfaction. There is a big difference here. So we DO want to take some of our really satisfied customers and put together, or request their testimonials. This is much more powerful than the words or promise of "Great Customer Service". So we will use this, but focusing on satisfaction with testimonials in our advertising pieces and website, etc.

  • A Contest/Promotion - This covers a broad area, but can be extremely successful when implemented and marketed properly, so be creative and if possible, develop one for your business, product or service. After our discussions, and research, we have begun developing this idea. Example: Every time you buy from us, you get another chance at winning "Free Toner for a Year". I know you're saying... free toner for a year - what are you crazy? Bear with me on this... first of all, most of their customers use 4 to 6 toners in normal use in one year (In our contest, we can actually cap that in our rules, i.e., "Not to exceed 6 cartridges". So we associate our costs to that, which does not make this a cost prohibitive program at all, depending upon the program success. Again, the mileage and customers we gain from our contest is potentially huge, and if it works well, we continue it... at a maximum cost of 6 toners per year for a Grand Prize.

  • Free Gifts - Don't discount this one, many people grab hold of these 'offers' to feel like they are making out. All else being the same, the customer does get something for nothing. Now, if the item truly has no value, then the customer has little to no interest. And, it actually 'cheapens' the image of your firm (be careful). We decided with our products and business customer profile, this would not work for this business. But it could work for you or your products.

  • Referral Programs - Another potential attraction (savings) for your customer. I say potential because this type of referral program, like price, should not be the only USP. When used in conjunction with others, this can steadily grow your business (sales) as well. You need to develop a program that somehow rewards referrals. For example, it can be something simple like "Refer a customer to our business and when we ship their order you will receive or accrue credits, dollars, points, or 5% off your next order". Get the idea? The key is to make it of value, and still keep it cost effective.

  • Reminders - This was it! The big one, it was unique, it has great value to the customer, and it reinforces our Customer Satisfaction! This was also laughed at when first mentioned.
So? What was the plan? We acquire a software program that can be set to automatically e-mail each customer based on their own usage when their toner and supplies were potentially running low (i.e., 30 or 90 days or any date we choose. Once set-up it is all automated (cost effective)! It also gave us their e-mail address (important anytime) and with our reminders we could include any special or seasonal offers that might further attract more sales.

So, what did this company find?

In a nutshell - Their products are priced well to compete. In this case, we discarded free shipping as not really cost effective. We stressed Satisfied Customers in all of our marketing materials with testimonials and real-life examples. We are also developing a contest to further set us apart from our competitors. We could not find a free gift we thought would add any value to the customer (but continue to look). They are considering a Referral Program as well. The real USP in combination with the others was our unique E-mail Reminder System. At that time, no other competitor was offering anything like this! This IS a Unique Selling Proposition and was perfect for our example. Put all these together, and this company has numerous 'edges' on their competition. Once customers are aware of these differences that set you apart from all the rest - growth is almost certain! That company is in a much better position to 'own' their market online, or at a minimum increase their market share.

The more you get the word out, the more you're sure to benefit from these type ideas.

I understand this was a pretty broad example but you should get the idea.

You won't always come up with an idea that no competitor has or offers, but if only 3-6 competitors offer that same USP, you are still in the top tier of your competition instead of lost somewhere un-noticed while buyers continue to purchase through your competition. You decide.

Use this article for your training, website, or newsletter by simply adding the following footer;

Written by and Copyright © 2003

www.hyperformancemedia.com

About The Author

Scott is the Founder and Sr. Project Manager for Hyperformance Media.com, a Technology Marketing Company serving online businesses since 1996. His 23+ years of experience in the computer industry will help you succeed. Their website offers free education & resources that will assist any business in successfully marketing their company online.

ss@hyperformancemedia.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Sales - Google News

What Nintendo's 2011 sales mean for Wii U, third parties - Gamasutra


Gamasutra

What Nintendo's 2011 sales mean for Wii U, third parties
Gamasutra
Regrettably, we have no good idea for the scale of retail sales compared to the online distribution. As the Nintendo DS begins its final descent into obsolescence, the company's new handheld – the 3DS – is just getting started. Its top-selling software ...
Report: Xbox 360 Best Selling Console of 2011TechnoBuffalo

all 15 news articles »

Orchids Paper Products Company Reports Record Quarterly Converted Product ... - Sacramento Bee


Orchids Paper Products Company Reports Record Quarterly Converted Product ...
Sacramento Bee
The increase in converted product sales resulted from a 46% increase in converted product tonnage shipped and a 2% decrease in net selling price per ton. The increase in shipments was due to a combination of new product sales which were primarily in ...

and more »

Apotex pays Bristol, Sanofi damages over Plavix - Wall Street Journal


Apotex pays Bristol, Sanofi damages over Plavix
Wall Street Journal
Apotex Corp., Canada's biggest drugmaker, has paid Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi SA, the two brand-name drugmakers that jointly sell Plavix, $442.2 million in damages ordered over its improper sales of a generic version of Plavix in 2006.

and more »

Beer sales could be boon for Arizona's universities - AZ Central.com


Beer sales could be boon for Arizona's universities
AZ Central.com
Several Arizona representatives have proposed a bill that would open the door to selling beer and wine to the general public at state university sporting events. My gut reaction was "never" as I envisioned stadium students sections turning into a ...

and more »

Fed Sells $6.2 Billion of Bonds From AIG Rescue to Goldman - San Francisco Chronicle


Bloomberg

Fed Sells $6.2 Billion of Bonds From AIG Rescue to Goldman
San Francisco Chronicle
The New York Fed in June ended its earlier plan to sell Maiden Lane II assets through regular auctions, following sales of about $10 billion. The face value of the assets had dwindled to about $21 billion when the auctions were halted.
Goldman in $6.2bn toxic asset dealFinancial Times

all 40 news articles »

iPhone on Sprint: Great for sales, terrible for profits - Christian Science Monitor


Christian Science Monitor

iPhone on Sprint: Great for sales, terrible for profits
Christian Science Monitor
The Apple iPhone was the top-selling smartphone of the last quarter, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation – the king of a smartphone market that has expanded by as much as 55 percent over the past year.
Sprint's iPhone sales can't stem lossesSan Francisco Chronicle
Sprint's First iPhone Sales Add to Wider LossWall Street Journal
You can lose money selling iPhone, just ask SprintBetaNews
Slate Magazine (blog) -Fox News -Seeking Alpha
all 548 news articles »

Wells Fargo's Carroll eyes cross-selling by brokers - Reuters


Wells Fargo's Carroll eyes cross-selling by brokers
Reuters
Wells Fargo is known to carefully track sales of credit cards, insurance and other products to its bank customers. And executives have embraced the idea of cross-selling. The firm does not have any mandatory cross-selling sales goals for its brokers, ...

and more »

Las Vegas Still Selling More Homes in January, Yet Prices Still Declining - World Property Channel


Las Vegas Still Selling More Homes in January, Yet Prices Still Declining
World Property Channel
The local housing market began 2012 in much the same way it ended 2011, local home sales increased compared to the same month last year while prices dipped. "We continue to sell existing homes at a record pace and at bargain prices," said greater Los ...

and more »

Newsstand Report: Sales Down Across the Board, Elle Plumets 18%, and ... - Fashionista


Globe and Mail

Newsstand Report: Sales Down Across the Board, <em>Elle</em> Plumets 18%, and ...
Fashionista
Glamour was at the industry average, selling an average of 469544 copies. Marie Claire wasn't far behind, falling 8.9 percent to 231054 and W's newsstand was down 7.4 percent to 20426. Harper's Bazaar's single-copy sales fell 7.3 percent to 147194.
Canadian magazine sales slip in 2nd half of 2011Globe and Mail
Newsstand magazine sales down 10% in USChina Post

all 106 news articles »

Average Salespeople “Fly By The Seat Of Their Pants” - Utah Pulse


Average Salespeople “Fly By The Seat Of Their Pants”
Utah Pulse
If you feel that selling isn't hard work you probably aren't as successful as you could be. 2. Salespeople don't think through the sale as they should. If you don't know the who, what, where, when, why and how of the sales opportunity, you are missing ...
The Forum Corporation: New Survey Finds That Traditional Relationship Selling ...MarketWatch (press release)

all 5 news articles »

Click here for Best Buy In-Store Pickup

StreetSideAuto.com

Looking For Royalty Free Photos for your Website, Business or Advertising?

My Life Through The Lens

List4Sale Domain Is For Sale - $10,000 For Enquiries eMail Us

© www.List4Sale.biz 2011

home | site map | links

eXTReMe Tracker