Your Promotable
Advantage
Is your business
different from your competitors? What do you offer above and beyond what
your competitors provide? With what do people associate your business?
You need to actively define what is known as your Unique Selling
Position (USP). This concept was introduced by Rosser Reeves (then the
chairman of the Ted Bates Advertising Agency) in the 1950s. The USP is
meant to tell the prospective customer three things:
1)
What
you specifically have to offer
2)
What
you do that makes you special that the public did not already know
3)
What
you will do for them that would make them want to do business with you
(a short pitch in less than fifteen seconds)
The USP usually comes
in the form of a tagline that is used with your company name. In a
nutshell, your USP is the tool with which people identify you. It makes
them think about what makes you special. In Ford Motor Companys case,
its USP implies that you should try out a Ford NOW even if you had one
in the past. They are positioning themselves as having improved their
vehicles ride, comfort and quality with a simple USP in the form of a
question. Typically the USP is presented in a statement rather than a
question but you have to use what works for your business. There are a
couple ways you can approach your Unique Selling Position. Here are some
famous examples:
Ford - Have you driven
a Ford lately?
Federal Express - When
it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight
Xerox - A simpler way
to do good work
7-Up - The uncola
Or you can be even
more descriptive on your business cards, letterhead, advertising,
packaging etc.
Here are some
excellent, more in-depth USPs:
My company helps
small business people who need help creating practical accounting
procedures in order to keep accurate, easy-to-use records on a daily
basis.
Our goal is to create
eye-popping trade-show booths for progressive companies who want to sell
their products effectively while having the luxury of easy set-up and
tear-down of their area.
Think about why your
prospective client should do business with you instead of using another
company or just doing nothing. Really think about what makes your
business different and what benefits you offer people. The market is too
competitive to ignore the necessity of a strong Unique Selling Position.

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