Remove the Mystery!

Despite popular belief, business development is not characterized by manipulation, mind reading, mysticism, magic or mystery. It requires hard work, a sustained effort and the sincere desire to help others.

But it has become increasingly difficult to attain success in our competitive marketplace. All too often businesspeople and companies try to distinguish themselves from their competitors through bland and almost generic statements such as:

• lowest prices

• great service

• superior quality

• top-of-the-line

• new and improved

Such claims are practically meaningless. They don't tell a prospective customer how low your prices are, how great your service is, the extent of your quality, what top-of-the-line really means, or what you did to become "new and improved." Sweeping and generalized statements don't allow a customer or prospect to perceive you and your product or service as being unique or different. Without any sense of inherent drama or uniqueness, you and your product are relegated to a commodity perception.

What makes you different?

You must continually concentrate on your uniqueness or differential competitive advantage. One of the best ways to do this is by developing for you, your company, products and services—your USP.

USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition. It's a strategy that comes from the world of advertising, but it has direct application, to the world of business development. A USP helps you rise above the clutter of other competitive sales, marketing and service messages.

An example of a USP might be a pizza place that assures you delivery within 30 minutes and if they're late, you get $3 off. Now that's unique! Sound familiar? With that simple USP, Domino’s built a huge business.

What is Domino’s really selling? Not pizza, but speed. Domino’s lets you know that if you want a deep-dish, gourmet style, soufflé pizza...they're probably not the folks to call. But if you're hungry and need to satisfy your craving quickly, they are the only pizza place to dial.

Here are two more examples of creative and effective unique selling propositions:

1. I spotted this USP in a print ad in a Chicago newspaper, for an eye-care medical treatment center.

The ad's headline read:

"If your vision is not measurably improved after cataract surgery, the charges for your surgery, will be refunded!"

2. A southern California accounting firm provides this assurance to its clients:

"We guarantee you 10-day turnaround (after receipt of information) on your tax return. If we don’t make our deadline, we pay you $50 per day, for each day we’re late."

How to Create Your USP!

Here are five specific steps to help you develop your USP:

1. You must make a proposition to each customer, who buys your product or service...that he or she receives a specific benefit or benefits.

2. The proposition must be one that your competition cannot, or does not offer. It must be unique—either in the brand, the product, the service or the claim.

3. The proposition must be strong enough to move the masses or attract new customers to you, your people and your product or service.

4. Your USP can be how your business is operated; how your product is developed, manufactured or marketed; or elements that go into your product or service that are of significantly higher quality, value or durability than that of your competitors.

5. Your USP can even highlight or be something that your competitors have, but they have failed to explain it or make it known to their or your customers. Therefore, the first company to define that unique benefit, process or procedure and educate their customers, takes a unique, powerful and profitable preemptive advantage.

To preempt - means to replace, to do-away with or to take possession of. Therefore, even if your product or service offers the same benefit as that of a competitor's, guess what? If you're the first one to tell the marketplace, you now have a unique and profitable preemptive advantage. You are the leader. And even if your competitors now claim that they too can offer these benefits, the marketplace perceives them as followers.

Profit points:

To develop your unique selling proposition, ask your prospects, customers or clients: