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Achieving a Marketing Advantage Through Your Unique Selling Proposition

Every business to be successful should be unique in a way that benefits its customers.  This is called the "Unique Selling Proposition" or "USP" for short.

There are many ways you can be unique in a favorable way.  Here are some possibilities to get your creative juices flowing. 

1. Lowest Prices

Many businesses attempt to be successful by being the "Low Price Leader".  Unless you have a significant advantage over everyone on production costs, this will be a tough row to hoe.  Everyone is cutting prices to the bone on the net.  There isn't much margin left when some internet businesses are being quoted as saying, "We are selling below cost to drive up revenues!"  

(Which only makes sense when you consider the Lifetime Value of Customers and if you will be able to hold on to the customers, instead of simply losing the customers to the next "low price leader"  Buyers who buy primarily on price tend to be very disloyal customers.)

Where is your low cost advantage?  Low overhead from working from your home?  That may be enough.  How about a massive production facility in which you achieve low costs for economies of scale. Perhaps.  Just don't kid yourself that if you can do it, no one else can.

If you do have the lowest prices available, tell your customers so and give them the ability to compare prices.

Beware that the research that Tom Peters and Bob Waterman did in writing their book "In Search of Excellence" indicated that low price leaders were rarely the most profitable. The high quality - high customer service companies beat them almost every time.  Many customers may assume that if you have the lowest cost you may also have the lowest quality, and surf away to another site.

2. Highest Quality

Having the best quality is a great competitive position from which to market. Not everyone will appreciate the higher quality and will focus on price, but over time, quality usually wins out. 

If you do have the highest quality, be sure to Sell On Benefits, Not On Price.   Show why the highest quality features add up to real people benefits. Sell Along the Benefit Path. Don't just say you have the highest quality products. Tell them what that means to them!  How will it make them feel?  What needs of theirs will be met?

3.  Exclusive Source

Being the exclusive source of something that people want and need is certainly a great marketing position.  Achieving such a position may be another thing. 

Short of being an inventor who can create a product and patent it, or being rich enough to buy out someone else's exclusive patent, one of the few ways you will be able to achieve an exclusive position is to create an information product of your own.

4. Best Customer Service

Achieving truly world class customer service will separate you from the crowd in a hurry.  This is such a simple and profound business truth, yet few companies can achieve it.  Opportunities always exist in this area!

Can you provide a 1 hour call back or e-mail response to respond to e-mail requests?  How about a 24 hour a day, seven day a week customer service hotline (the 24/7 idea)?  Can you provide the best technical support?  Can you provide the best expertise yet delivered in plain English?  Can you give not only more personal attention, but also more personable attention than the competition? Can and do you spend time helping them choose the right product for their situation and needs?

If you can, tell them.  And better yet, use lots of testimonials, because they are more believable. How To Increase Your Visits To Orders Ratio:  Get Testimonials!  Everybody claims to have the "Best Customer Service", and yet I once placed a call to a company that claimed that, but I was transferred nine times and I still did not get the simple information I was asking for.

Your claims for excellence in customer service will also be more believable if you can describe the extra lengths you go to to provide that, such as training, extra people, etc.

5.  Broadest Selection

Many people think that this is the best way to distinguish themselves from the competition.  Amazon.com certainly has done so.  Nonetheless, for the small business audience that this site is aimed at, it will be tough to claim this advantage. 

An exception is if you can define your niche so narrowly and offer the best and broadest selection for that specific niche.  Then you have a chance to say you have the broadest selection of _____ for the _____, _____, ______, _____ market.

6. Best Guarantee

Do you offer a "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" guarantee?  In the early days of catalog marketing, Sears and Roebuck made that guarantee and they ruled the catalog sales world for years.  If your competitor gives a 30 day guarantee, can you offer a one year guarantee? Guarantees That Reassure the Customer and Skyrocket Sales

Are your competitors' guarantees conditioned upon a number of things such that the customer can rarely qualify?  Let your customers know that your guarantee is "unconditional".  Let your customers know they have nothing to lose by doing business with you.

These are just a sampling of how you may be unique in a favorable way for your customers.  Your USP may be one of them, a combination, or hopefully an even more imaginative advantage.  Good luck.

Now, on to developing yours! How to Develop Your USP >>>>>>>