Developing my “unique selling points”

Developing my “unique selling points”
A unique selling point (USP), also called a unique selling proposition, is what makes me different from my competition. All other things being equal, USPs are the reason a potential customer should place their order with me, rather than somebody else.

 

I’d like to come up with what makes my product unique before I come up with the product, that way I can build my USP into the product.

 

I’ll start by looking at the competition, by doing this I can add features into my product that are different from my competitors, and I’ll then translate it into benefits for the customer.

 

This means that if my product is “50% faster than the nearest competitor”, my customer only has to work half as much to get the same amount of work done, it’s saving them time – which is the actual benefit of being 50% faster.

Here’s what I am looking for:

• Only one sentence.
• Clearly written so that everyone can understand it.
• Comprise of benefits that are unique to my company or product.

Things to think about:

• Which benefits are the most important to my customers?
• Which benefits are the most difficult for my competitors to offer?
• Which benefits can be most easily understood by my customers?

How do I do business? Is there something special, unusual, or significant about the way I do business? Could I offer something like a 24 or 48 hour turnaround?

 

What do my customers want? Is it low-prices, my personality, my reputation, or something else that attracts customers to my business?

 

Burger King: Have it your way.
- Can I be like Burger King?

 

 

Price – The problem with competing on price is that it is a reflection of the perceived quality of the service. This means that if a product or service is not competing here – it does not necessarily rule them out. However, this is usually where a shopper starts, and I do NOT want to price myself out of the game before we get started. So I’ll have to try and compete on price or at least be in the ball-park.

Great Customer Service – Yes…I know everyone has great customer service, which makes it hard for a potential client to know what the truth is. It is hard to judge until you are a customer. I think it would be more valuable to offer testimonials of Great Customer Satisfaction. Not Customer Service, but Customer Satisfaction. So I want to add testimonials to the site as soon as I start to get clients. So I’ll use this, but focusing on satisfaction with testimonials in advertising and on the website.

Referral Programs – Done correctly this can steadily grow my business. “Refer a customer to our business and get dollars, 5% cash”. You get the idea.

 

Unlimited Changes – This complied with the others should all add up to give me my own USP.