What make YOUR business unique?

…And have you told your potential buyers about it?

By Derek Gehl

I just got back from an incredible seminar in the UK in a beautiful little town called Bournemouth. It was a terrific seminar with more than 3000 attendees, all PUMPED on the idea of achieving online success.

During the weekend I got to talk to a lot of interesting people and hear about a lot of cool businesses.

Something I like to do when I’m at an event like this is conduct my own “undercover market research” — which means I ask a lot of people the same question and see what the most common answers are.

This past weekend, my question was simple: “What makes YOU different from your competition?”

(Or using proper marketing mumbo jumbo: “What’s your unique selling proposition, or ‘USP’?”)

Here were the most common answers I got:

1. “I am just in the process of setting up my business so I haven’t got one yet.”

Ahhhh… How can you be setting up your business and not have a USP?

Seriously, before you even start developing your product — or building your website — or writing a single word of salescopy — you must be able to clearly articulate what the heck makes YOU different from your competition!

2. “I have the lowest price!” — OR — “I have the best quality!”

Let me blunt: neither of those USPs work. I’ll tell you why in a moment, but first — do you want to hear something ironic?

After a number of people at the seminar told me their USP was about price or quality, those very same people told me they wouldn’t believe other businesses who claimed those USPs!

The fact is, so many big brand companies have abused these two USPs, potential customers have become desensitized to them. “Low price!” or “Best quality!” ads no longer grab people’s attention or give them a unique, believable reason to buy your product.

Here is the quick and dirty of it: If you want to be really successful you need to stand out from the crowd by offering a USP that’s truly different… something your competition just can’t claim.

(And in hindsight, you’ll know you did it right when your competitors scramble to catch up by offering the same USP. But they won’t sound as believable — because you’re the one who offered it first!)

To get your creative juices flowing, here are some famous USPs that have played a pivotal role in the success of their organizations:

• Fedex – “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight!”
• Domino’s Pizza – “Hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes — or it’s free!”
• M&M’s – “The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”
• Wonder Bread – “It helps build strong bones 12 ways.”
• Head & Shoulders – “You get rid of dandruff!”
• Olay – “You get younger-looking skin!”
• Red Bull – “You get stimulation of body and mind!”

Take note that these are all clear, to-the-point messages conveying a simple idea that differentiates their product from everyone else’s. And most importantly, they’re believable!

So what is your USP?

What makes you different from your competitors — in ten words or less — and gives your customers a powerful, compelling reason to buy your product?

To your massive success…

Derek Gehl