, This Week's Question: All my competitors do the same thing. How do I convince my customers they should buy from me?
Transcription:
All my competitors essentially do the same thing, how do I convince my prospects they should buy from me? Standing out from the crowd it's hard work, and you're going to want to develop what's called a unique selling proposition or USP.
This is a statement that says why are you different from your competition and why should they buy from you. Think of it as why should your prospects choose you. If you want to learn more about this topic, keep watching!
Hi, I'm Tom Malesic, founder and President of EZMarketing, a marketing company in Lancaster, PA, and you're watching Ask EZ. This is where small business owners go to get real answers to their marketing questions.
what a usp isn't
Let's start with what a USP isn't. It isn't saying things like we give great service or we have a great product at an affordable price, anybody can say that and those are just vague, general statements. And a USP isn't just a clever tagline, it's getting into the heart of your business and how you operate.
what is a usp?
So exactly what is a USP? Think of it as how you are uniquely able to solve your customer's problems.
The Ritz-Carlton
A great example of a USP is the Ritz-Carlton. Their USP is, "Ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen." Now you could argue this is just a glorified way to say we give great customer service. But if you've ever been to a Ritz-Carlton you'll know that's not the case. The concept of white glove and giving their employees the ability to spend up to two thousand dollars to solve a guest's problem. That's really standing behind a strong USP.
if you're not unique
What if you feel you're truly not unique. Very few of us have the advantage of having a product or service that is truly one-of-a-kind, or that you're the first to go to market with, or that you're the lowest price, or that you can really claim that you actually are the best at what you do. If you really feel like you're not unique, you could add a guarantee to add value.
Domino's Pizza
Like Domino's Pizza does. Right, their USP is, "Hot, fresh pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less." Let's face it, pizza is not really that unique, but Domino's has found a way through their USP to make it unique for them.
TOMS Shoes
You could also focus on meeting a specific emotional need that your competitors aren't. Just for example, TOMS shoes. For every pair of shoes that you buy from TOMS they donate a pair of shoes to someone in need. You could buy a pair of shoes from anybody or from any manufacturer, but you feel good about buying a pair of shoes from TOMS.
be a unique personality
You could also focus your USP specifically around you, your unique personality, and your expertise. People like buying from you because you're interesting, and you have something unique to say, and a cool story that maybe people really relate to.
niche market usp
You can also focus your USP around a very specific niche market. For example, we have a client who is an IT service provider. Now fixing computers really isn't all that unique, but what this customer does is they only provide IT support for orthopedic practices across the United States. Talk about being super unique!
In many cases, your USP isn't just one thing, it's the combination of many traits that you have in your business as to how your business differentiates from the competition.
how do you write your usp?
So how do you go about writing your USP? I want you to start with making a list. You're going to make a list of all the things that you offer that maybe your competitor doesn't.
I also want you to make a list of all the problems you solve, so what are the pains, fears, and frustrations that your customer has that you solve? After you have that list, then we can start to condense that more into a statement.
Potential statement
A potential statement that you could use is; we help our customers to do something, by providing our products and services.
So here's an example from an accountant that I'm working with and he's helping me better understand my profit and loss statements. The challenge is, how does he stand out from every other accountant out there.
Here's my shot at it. "Greg helps small business owners effectively manage their corporate finances by providing consulting services that go beyond simple income and expenses to create true profitability for their business."
Your homework
Here's your homework:
I want you to go back through the video, use my formula, write down everything and create your USP. If you need help, just send it to me.
If you have other questions about marketing, please leave a comment below and we're happy to shoot a video just on your question. Or just give our marketing company in nearby Lancaster, PA a call. And don't forget to like and subscribe!
