Jack Welch once said: If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Does your business have discrimination and unique value propositions that you employ? Is it just good enough or is it a real winner? And do you know how to convert average value propositions into winners?
Do you agree with Jack Welsh’s quote above? We certainly do.
With little to no competitive advantage, you will compete and lose. Why would anyone want to do that? That is why we wholeheartedly agree with Jack Welsh.
Think of grit. Grit is the perseverance and passion to achieve all goals. Sometimes you will hear grit referred to as mental toughness. Angela Duckworth, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, suggests that grit is a strong predictor of success and the ability to reach one’s goals.
We have found many businesses that cannot articulate a single way of how their business is truly unique. Forget multiple unique selling propositions.
What analogy to this situation stands out in our minds? Trying to win against your competition without good business differentiation is like trying to sail with no wind. Is no way there? A business is a value delivery system. Do you know the ‘value experiences’ your business delivers? Do you know your targeted customer segments?
A value proposition is a short statement that tells your prospect why they should buy fromyour company. It is focused on outcomes. Your proposition distills all the complexity of the value you provide into an easy-to-remember phrase that your client can easily grasp and remember.
This helps spread word-of-mouth marketing and it differentiates you from the competition. Keep in mind that your value proposition should identify and remedy an unmet need that your customers face. It should relieve their pain.
Related: How to Frame Marketing Messages for Optimum Engagement
Regardless of the size of your business or the type of industry you are in, your company should have value propositions that stand out from your competition and are the difference makers.
To help you convert so-so value propositions into difference-makers, here are some guidelines that will be a big help:
“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.
As an example, Dutch Boy Paint took the approach to think like their customers. Paint cans are heavy, hard to carry, hard to close, hard to open, hard to pour, and certainly no fun. Yet they’ve been around for a long time, and most people assumed that there had to be a reason why they were so bad.
Dutch Boy realized that there was no reason. They also realized that the can was an integral part of the product: People don’t buy paint, they buy painted walls, and the can make that process much easier.
The most useful definition of a value proposition is a believable collection of the most persuasive best values why 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.
Let’s take Zappos for example. If you are an online clothing and shoe business like Zappos, with a good 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. Zappos decided to push to be number one in all things customer service. Doing a great job of that, aren’t they? A growing business because of its customer service value propositions.
Value propositions into winners … heart of the value proposition
The heart of a winning unique selling propositionis the end result experiences of value a business intends to deliver to its target customers. The end result experiences.
For example, the Safelite business model and value propositions are built around customer convenience and trust. They take their service to the customer and build trust by a super guarantee. Customers shopping for an auto windshield repair love that Safelite can deliver the repairs as easily and conveniently as possible.
Value proposition template … articulate for customers
Value 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.
Take a recent JetBlue commercial for a great example of how to articulate value propositions to customers. Have you seen the latest JetBlue commercial design? You know … the one with the great use of the analogy using pigeons?
Quite clever isn’t it, and likely one you will remember and maybe even talk about, right? And perhaps the best example of articulating value propositions in a commercial I have ever seen.
Utilize multiple value propositions
When your customers have customers, different value propositions are required for different players in the value delivery chain.
The Safelite business is a great example of using multiple value propositions at once. While many businesses have a difficult time deriving one good unique selling proposition, a few have defined multiple unique selling propositions. The best brand we could find with the best multiple selling propositions is Safelite Autoglass.
Have you ever heard of Safelite Autoglass and its business model? They have created The Safelite Advantage™ as a bundle of unique selling propositions providing what consumers have identified as their most important vehicle glass service needs.
Don’t take value for granted
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.
How did Dutch Boy Paint stir up the paint business? It’s so simple, it’s scary. They built their value proposition by changing the design of their paint can.
Creative employment
People won’t ever buy from you if they don’t even understand why they should pay attention to you. And they notice you only if you have strong and standout value propositions.
Have you seen this Fios commercial? If you have a product that truly discriminates you from your competition, build your story and messages on these discriminators. Several of the most effective value propositions we have seen in a while are shared in these 30 seconds.
As the child in the commercial tries to do things with his TV, his uncle has to tell him that those things don’t exist with their system. But they obviously do in the system the little boy is familiar with at home.
It’s just that the uncle is not aware that they exist since his system doesn’t have them. Don’t need to say much as the visuals do much of the talking. Powerful.
Always demonstrate proof
If you say, my pizza is the best in the world; will people flood your restaurant? No. They won’t believe you.
Without proof, you can’t say much before it starts to sound like marketing talk. No one pays attention. Or remembers. They just don’t believe it. No believing, no trust. It is all downhill after that.
For example, I recently saw a digital marketing competitor site where they claimed to be the secret weapon of digital marketing for the most successful companies in the world. Needless to say, we doubt anyone can take that seriously when nothing supports the claim.
As long as you don’t prove your claims, people are unlikely to really believe them. And your unique selling proposition becomes of no use.
Here is a very different value proposition that you rarely see used and yet it is easy to demonstrate proof. Toms Shoes are quirky, comfy, light, and inexpensive. That alone probably isn’t enough to make a company stand out in the shoe business.
The most unique and compelling part of the TOMS Shoes proposition is that they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you purchase. You don’t even have to remember the exact words. The story is what sticks in your head.
Who else cares that much? Very few.
Be clever in communicating claims
It’s your job to hit people in the head with what makes you different and worth attention. Clever ways to communicate your claims. In believable and memorable ways.
Let’s go back to the recent JetBlue commercial for an example of how to be clever in communicating claims of value propositions to customers. Have you seen the latest JetBlue commercial design? You know … the one with the great use of the analogy using pigeons?
Quite clever isn’t it, and likely one you will remember and maybe even talk about, right? And perhaps the best example of communicating value propositions in a commercial I have ever seen.
The bottom line
So, if you were wondering where to put your marketing time and energy to optimize how to win customers from your competitors, focus on defining and delivering winning value propositions.
Please share a story or two from your customer winning experiences with this community. Perhaps a comment or a question?
Need some help in capturing more customers with your value propositions? Creative ideas to help the differentiation from your competitors?
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to continually improving your continuous learning?
Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find him on Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
Need some help in capturing more customers from your marketing strategies? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with potential customers?
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to improving your marketing, branding, and advertising?
Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find him on Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
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.
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.
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.
The heart of a winning unique selling propositionis 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.
Need some help in capturing more customers from your marketing strategies? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with potential clients?
Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.
Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And this struggle gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to improve your marketing, branding, and advertising?
Do you have a lesson about making your marketing strategy better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
We don’t have an information shortage, we have an attention shortage. One of the best from Seth Godin. Does your business set growth as a measure of success? Double your business size? Just thinking about what that would take is scary, isn’t it? Almost regardless of whom you are or what you do, you have competitors that have awesome marketing.
The market leaders … if you have no competitive advantages, no understanding of the secrets of small business slogan examples, you really will have a difficult time competing.
Lots of our clients confuse a unique selling proposition with a business tagline. But they are not the same. A tagline is a simple representation of the brand. One whose objective is to draw attention.
A unique selling proposition, on the other hand, is a business differentiation that is designed to be the reason a customer will want to buy your product or service. Its objective is to market in a way that makes the product or service stand out, pure and simple. Both are key to small business success.
Review the 5 best unique selling proposition examples we could find.
The art of tagline development is to distill the meaning of a big idea into a cogent message that’s easy to say, easy to understand, and easy to remember. It is very similar to an elevator pitch, isn’t it?
To ensure your brand expression is impossible to forget, use the following checklist to avoid the most common mistakes that plague aspiring taglines.
Slogan examples … definition of a slogan
Tagline, strapline, slogan… Whatever you choose to call it, it’s all the same. It’s the key phrase that identifies your business by capturing the essence of three elements:
Your mission
Your promise
Your brand
Coming up with a great tagline is a struggle many people face. More often than not, they get it wrong by focusing on what their product or service is and neglecting what it offers.
Taglines can help or hamper your marketing efforts. They must be clear and relevant. Some taglines make you scratch your head, some don’t make you think at all, and some, the ones that work, make you think. You know what’s insanely difficult? Being succinct.
Seriously … it’s ridiculously hard. But do you know what’s even more difficult? Expressing a complex emotional concept in just a couple of words. In other words, coming up with a tagline. Yeah, it’s a head-scratcher.
But that’s why we have a lot of respect for these brands that did it right. So if you’re looking to get a little tagline inspiration of your own, take a look at some of our favorite company taglines — from past and present.
To ensure your brand expression is impossible to forget, use the following checklist to avoid the most common mistakes that plague aspiring taglines.
The most useful definition of a good tagline is the why people should notice you and take the action you’re seeking. Be clear, not overly clever.
This way, it guides your decisions much more clearly and can be used as the basis for marketing messages.
For example, if you own an online bookstore and have the 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 promises.
You must have some promise that you can make that is unique. Something has to make you the best option for your target customers.
Otherwise, they have no good reason to buy from you.
Catchy sayings … heart of the proposition
The heart of a winning taglineis the end result value a business intends to deliver to its target customers. The end result experience. Ask yourself this question: “So what?”
The answers you’ll come up with are the benefits a visitor (or potential customer) receives from staying on your site
A unique tagline needs to be articulated for customers… not for your products, services or business processes. Products, services, processes are the vehicles for your tagline delivery.
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 to help derive your unique promise.
Slogan list … utilize a slogan properly
People won’t ever buy from you if they don’t even understand why they should pay attention to you. And they notice you only if you have a unique tagline.
The usual definition of a unique tagline is incomplete. It is a promise of something the competition cannot or does not offer. It must be strong enough to move the masses, i.e., attract new customers.
A unique tagline becomes is the internal tool that guides your decisions to the best direction to maximize your customer utility.
Small business tagline designs … demonstrate the proof
If your tagline states you have the best pizza in the state; will people flood your restaurant? No. They won’t believe the tagline.
Without proof, you can’t say much before it starts to sound like marketing talk. No one pays attention. Or remembers. They just don’t believe. No believing, no trust. It is all downhill after that.
For example, I recently saw a digital marketing competitor site where their tagline claimed to be the secret weapon of digital marketing for the most successful companies in the world. Needless to say, we doubt anyone can take that seriously when nothing supports the claim.
As long as you don’t prove your claims, people are unlikely to really believe them. And your tagline becomes just another short sentence.
Use studies, testimonials, and common sense, among other methods, to prove your claims. Impressive numbers can be the right choice, but they don’t always work.
Instead, a few expert testimonials make the idea credible. They can even take away the need for you to make any claims’ the testimonials can make the claims for you. Similarly, you can use testimonials to build your products’ overall perceived value and take away the last doubt people might feel about your promises.
Many businesses don’t help people see what sets the company apart from its competitors. This always amazes us.
They are better than others, and they could prove it. They just don’t do it.
Instead, they try to persuade people with general promises, corporate babble, and feature lists. If your website doesn’t clearly tell visitors what makes you worth their attention, they won’t spend the time to figure it out on their own.
Be clever in communicating your claims
It’s your job to hit people in the head with what makes you different and worth attention. Clever ways to communicate your claims. In believable ways.
When people understand why they should buy your product instead of any other, they’ll do it.
So, if you were wondering where to put your marketing time and energy to optimize how to win customers from your competitors, focus on defining and delivering winning taglines.
We have a lot of respect for these brands that did it right. So if you’re looking to get a little tagline inspiration of your own, take a look at some of our favorite company taglines — from past and present.
See Food Differently
I see food differently. The tagline for this campaign is Sea Food Differently. I think this is tagline writing at its best: clever, play on words, and RELEVANT. They are saying that Red Lobster does seafood differently (presumably better) than other restaurants. Perfect.
The uncola
A brave and somewhat bold way 7-Up’s tagline distinguishes its product from the cola competition. Taste wise it’s not cola, and that is 7-Ups promise.
Snap, Crackle, Pop
Kellogg’s Rice Krispies’ fantastic tagline that doubles up as a jingle, and also is descriptive – they actual do Snap! Crackle! And Pop!
This is more of a slogan, a classic slogan example really. It’s very advertising orientated – very product specific/descriptive! And the promise is freshness as the sound says.
Where dreams come true
This is just one of many of the dream makers at Disney, for they have so many elements and areas of operations, from Disney World to a range of other media and wonderful creations.
Disney is a dream company, whilst the word dream strikes similarity with DreamWorks; it works best for the Disney promise.
We make IT happen
IBM’s clever use of playing on IT (Information Technology) doubling up as IT (as in that’s it).
Slogan examples … Just do it
Instantly, Nike’s tag line’s message began to resonate. It is no longer about just a shoe or a pair of shorts; it is about a state of mind. You don’t have to be an athlete to be in shape or tackle an obstacle. If you want to do it, just do it. That’s all it takes.
More to learn: Press Coverage … 9 Actionable Ways to Get Good Coverage
The Ultimate Driving Machine
For BMW, the fact they call their vehicles “machines” shows a real truth, coupling with the word ultimate, the tagline is a well-oiled machine that works!
We try harder
This is a really strong tagline for Avis. It differentiates the brand as “going the extra mile” (this would be a relevant but more obvious tagline). It evokes that it genuinely does try harder
The bottom line
So, if you were wondering where to put your marketing time and energy to optimize how to win customers from your competitors, focus on delivering dramatic tagline design.
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
