Jack Welch once said: If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Ever tried sailing with no wind? It is difficult, isn’t it? It is very analogous to marketing with no business differentiation. It is essentially impossible. But, like Jack Welsh said, if you don’t have a competitive advantage, it’s best not to waste your time and resources. But don’t give up before reviewing these tips to build small business differentiation strategies.
Check out our thoughts on creative marketing.
Before we continue, let me ask you a question.
What works best for value proposition design in your business? We would love to hear what it was. Would you do us a favor and post it in the comments section below? Be the one who starts a conversation.
With the advent of the Internet, the number of marketing options available to both budding and experienced entrepreneurs has become staggering.
Related: Do You Know the 9 Keys to Create Effective Advertisements?
So how do you derive good business differentiation? To build creative value propositions for your business, consider the following:
There are two ways to win in a competitive market:
Achieve sustainable lower cost (and therefore price) than your competition for the same products and services (very difficult)
Deliver more value, despite an equal or higher price
A business is a value delivery system. Do you know the ‘value experiences’ your business delivers? You must start by knowing your targeted customer segments well.
The heart of a winning value proposition is the end-result experiences of value a business intends to deliver to its target customer segments. It needs to be articulated for the customer value end state … not for your product, service, or business process.
Want to see the best unique selling proposition examples we could find?
Be your customers … study and creatively infer value by observing/learning from what they do.
Do your claims surpass the value alternatives in the marketplace? Will your customers believe your claims? Does your value differentiate you in the customer’s eyes?
Can you validate and deliver your differentiation?
Is it sustainable, at least in the near term?
Is it simple, clear, and specific?
When your customers have customers, different value propositions are required for different players in the value delivery chain.
Every business has a value proposition … either implied or explicit. Implied value propositions usually mean little to no discrimination versus your competition. Look beyond your implied values.
NOT a good business proposition. So, instead consider these tips on building differentiation:
if you don’t have a competitive advantage, it’s best not to waste your time and resources. But don’t give up before reviewing these tips to build small business differentiation strategies.
Small business differentiation strategies … create the best value
The most useful definition of best value and its corresponding unique selling propositions (USP) is a believable collection of the most persuasive reasons people should notice you and take the action you’re seeking.
This way, it guides your decisions much more clearly and can be used as the basis for marketing messages.
If you don’t have strong selling propositions, people don’t have good reasons to do either of those.
For example, if an online bookstore has an average selection, decent prices, delivery, a guarantee, good customer service, and a website, why would anyone buy from you? There’s surely a competitor who beats you in at least some of those aspects.
You don’t have to be the best in every way. Sure, it’s great if you are. But realistically, it’s difficult enough to be the best couple of ways.
However, if you’re the best in at least several ways, you’re the best option for the people who value those propositions.
Starbuck’s doesn’t have the lowest prices. Amazon isn’t the most prestigious bookseller. Zappos’ isn’t the easiest way to shop. People buy from them for other reasons.
So, if a bookstore has the largest selection, for example, but the other things are just average, the people who value a large selection have a reason to buy from lt.
You must have some product or service elements that are unique. Something has to make you the best option for your target customers.
Otherwise, they have no good reason to buy from you.
Heart of the proposition
The heart of a winning unique selling proposition is the end result experiences of value a business intends to deliver to its target customers. The end result experiences.
For example, a customer shopping for an electric drill is looking for one that can deliver holes as easily and conveniently as possible. Also, one that can deliver the most multiple functions.
Articulate for customers
Unique selling propositions need to be articulated for customers … not for your products, services or business processes. Products, services, processes are the vehicles for the proposition delivery.
All businesses have unique selling propositions
Customers perceive relative value in any proposition, even implicit ones … so every business delivers a unique selling proposition (explicit or implicit).
You need to design it explicitly. Don’t let it happen by chance.
Differentiation strategies examples … become your customers
“Become” your customers instead of just asking them what they want from your business. Listen, observe and study to creatively infer from what customers DO.
Small business differentiation strategies … multiple unique selling propositions
When your customers have customers, different USPs are required for different players in the value delivery chain.
So where would Seth Godin look for value in your business’s value delivery chain? His top 5 areas include:
Time
Time is the most important customer priority today. What can you do to keep your time demands to a minimum?
Convenience and easy to work with
Ones related to customer time for sure. Do everything you can to make things as simple as possible.
Customer experience/service
Great service creates a great experience and becomes something worth your customer talking to his friends about. It is the most important element of your word of mouth marketing campaign.
Trust and warranty
Trust is the most often named reason customers say they select businesses to do business with. Good warranties are great places to start building trust.
Business differentiation … new ways
Here we are talking about new ways of doing business. The best example of this value proposition in my mind is Netflix. What do you think?
Seth would end the discussion with you by asking the following questions:
Can you validate and deliver your unique selling point?
Is it sustainable, at least in the near term?
Is it simple, clear, and specific?
What is the unique selling point for your business? How does it stack up with Seth’s recommendations?
Do you have the experience to share with this community? How about a comment or question?
The bottom line
Remember this: Information is cheap. Attention is expensive. Time is priceless. Customer time and convenience is a great place to look for business differentiation. Give it a try today.
