How to Employ Unique Selling Points Winning Secrets

Double your business? Just thinking what it would take is scary, isn’t it? Almost regardless of whom you are or what you do, you have bigger and often better competitors. The market leaders. And if you have no competitive advantages, no understanding of the secrets of unique selling points (USP’s), you really can’t compete.

But with extraordinary unique selling propositions, it certainly is another matter. And knowing these 10 secrets can help you with building fantastic unique selling points for your business.

Here is a 3-minute video that will refresh you on this subject:

Value Proposition Canvas Explained

So let’s turn our attention to these 10 secrets to deriving the best unique selling points possible.

Secrets of unique selling points … # 1 Best value

The most useful definition of 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 your online bookstore has 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 book seller. Zappos’ isn’t the easiest way to shop. People buy from them for other reasons.

So, if your 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 you.

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.

Secret #2 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 easy and conveniently as possible. Also one that can deliver the most multiple functions.

Unique selling points examples … secret #3 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.

Secret #4 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.

Become your customers.

Secrets of unique selling propositions … #5 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.

Secret #6 Multiple unique selling propositions

When your customers have customers, different USPs are required for different players in the value delivery chain.

Secret #7 Span all your business functions

Look for value across your entire business. Use USPs to govern the span of all your business functions. One set for all functions.

Secret #8 Know how to employ USP’s

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 unique selling propositions.

The usual definition of a unique selling proposition 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.

Unique selling propositions, as defined it like that, is a decent, but incomplete, internal tool that can guide your decisions to the right general direction. But nothing more.

Secret # 9 Demonstrate the 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. 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.

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.

Secret # 10 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 unique selling 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?

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Call Mike at 607-725-8240.

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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 them on G+, 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. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.

More reading on value propositions from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Convert Value Propositions Into Winners (With Examples)

Creative Tips to Build Small Business Differentiation

Elevator Pitch Examples to Use as Learning Models

Value Proposition Mistakes that Lose Customers

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