Business Success Center
Can you drive
a company’s success
with just a few words? The legendary “ad man,” Rosser
Reeves, seemed to think so. Despite the fact that it’s
been five decades since the late Reeves first introduced the
sales concept of utilizing a “Unique Selling Proposition” (USP),
his techniques are still widely utilized today.
While many may be unfamiliar with Reeves
himself, his work is highly recognizable:
“M&M’s
melt in your mouth, not in your hands.”
“Certs
breath mints with a magic drop of retsyn.”
“Colgate
cleans your breath while it cleans your teeth.”
“How do
you spell relief? R-O-L-A-I-D-S.”
In his book Reality in Advertising,
Reeves states that an advertisement must make a proposition
to the consumer. It must say to each reader, “Buy this
product and you will get this specific benefit.” It must
also be something that a competitor cannot or does not offer – in
essence distinguishing you from your competitors. In short,
your USP tells people why they should choose to do business
with you over any of your competitors.
A good example
of the USP in action - the Avis Rent A Car slogan, “We’re number two.
We try harder.” As David Frey points out in his book, The
Small Business Marketing Bible, Avis knew that Hertz,
the number one car rental company, was so much bigger they
couldn’t compete head-on. Consequently, they positioned
themselves as the number two car company that worked harder for
the customer.
Today, there
are many choices for consumers. For businesses trying to
survive in slower economies, being able to differentiate
yourself is essential. Many businesses make the mistake of
trying to add more services or offer the same services at
lower prices in order to gain market share. However, taking
a more simplistic approach is often more effective and definitely
more profitable. Trying to be the “best” in
your industry is great. But, as strange as it may seem, being “unique” is
even better.
How many businesses
do you hear saying, “The
Best Selection in Town” or “The Best Price” or “Most
Dependable Service.” The problem – while these
statements may be true, too many people use them diminishing
their effectiveness. How can you differentiate yourself if
everyone is saying the same thing? A more effective USP will
instead be unique, specific, and quantifiable.
Domino’s Pizza’s slogan is
straightforward and bold – “Fresh, hot pizza in
30 minutes or less.” They didn’t try to make the
best pizza, have the most toppings, or offer the best price.
Instead, they focused on simply getting fresh, hot pizza delivered
in less than 30 minutes – very specific, very quantifiable,
and very successful.
How do you develop
your USP? A good place to start is by looking at “performance gaps” or “misconceptions” in
your industry. What problems or misperceptions can you address
with your USP? For example, sending things through the mail
is often perceived as being a slow, unreliable means of delivery.
Consequently, Federal Express targeted this performance gap
with the slogan, “When it absolutely, positively has
to be there.”
When developing
your USP, take some time to develop a slogan that you can
live with for a very long time. Reeves felt that the USP
should last the entire life of the product. Changing or re-implementing
your USP can be confusing to your prospects – not to
mention costly.
Once you have
developed your USP, the rest may seem easy. First and foremost,
make sure that you live up to your USP. How successful would
Domino’s or
Federal Express have been if they couldn’t consistently
deliver what they promised on time? Secondly, you need to incorporate
your USP in everything you do. When people see or hear your
business’ name, they should automatically expect to see
or hear your slogan – again and again and again.
Don’t leave
your prospects guessing why they should do business with
you. Tell them.
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