... to grant your wish, what is the greatest single benefit that you could possibly ask for from this product?”
Write down her answer, no matter how long or detailed it may be. Once again... Condense it. Crystallize it. Hone it. And voilà!...
A fresh USP! Compare this to the USP you previously came up with. Is it stronger? Is it weaker? Choose the best USP of the two. Better still, combine the best points of each into a even stronger USP.
Now you will really stand out from the crowd. And when your visitor reads your sales copy, she no longer asks that painful question... “Why should I do business with you?”
Because your compelling answer will be staring her in the face!
What’s that? You wish you could ask that genie to write your USP? Let me guess... no luck identifying a feature/benefit that sets your product apart, right? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. That’s always the initial reaction for readers who have an “undifferentiated” kind of product.
No problem. That just means that it’s time to...
7.10. Get Creative If You’re Not Unique
Let me get this straight. You sell a commodity-kind of product -- tissue paper, or potatoes, or bread.
Hmmm... at first glance, that’s a problem. Nothing very unique about those products. After all, bread is bread, right? What can you do to change that? Create a difference! By that, I mean that you have to find a feature to differentiate yourself. For example...
Bloggs Bread is free of animal fats ... So is everyone else’s. Jackson’s Bread... the vegetarian’s choice... That’s a USP.
But, if all you do is run with this slogan, you’re really just trying to trick a few folks. But if you decide to enhance your whole product to deliver the most nutritious, wholesome AND tasty bread ever...
Well, that’s a pretty good start.
If you don’t differentiate a commodity, you’re doomed to play the “low price and lower profits” game. If you’re selling a commodity, just take a close look around you.
Odds are that most of your competitors don’t understand the vital importance of a strong USP. That’s why they’re struggling and fighting with each other to
catch…
... the same fish, in the same pond, with the same bait. Many competitors who do realize the value of a USP find it too much like hard work to grapple with the subject. Or they haven’t yet discovered how to identify their own USP correctly. But you know better than that now, don’t you?
You’re not fishing for customers. So don’t be content to simply dangle a line in the huge Internet pond and live in hope. Don’t be just another fisherman... Be an e-persuader.
Be savvy enough to realize that it’s words that bring in the customers -- not the hype and screaming promises being used by the others as bait. In order to be a successful e-persuader, you must stand apart from the crowd. And to do that, you need a powerful and persuasive USP.
Your USP will lift you and your business head and shoulders above the mob, and bring customers flocking to your order page. Why else would they choose you? Your USP is the only reason to keep returning to your Web site. It’s the only motivation that they have to recommend you to their friends and business colleagues.
And once you identify your USP,you’ll be amazed how much it will help you to focus on your marketing message, and really sharpen up your sales message. Which brings me to the next step, where the fun begins...
7.11. If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It!
Once you’ve identified your USP, condense it into a one or two line sales message and use it in every piece of copy you write. Display it…
... in everything you do. Never let it escape the attention of those exposed to your sales materials. You should...
• Integrate it into your logo.
• Make it a prominent feature in all of your advertising. • Include it in your e-mail and e-zine article sig file. • Use it in your Web site headlines.
• Use it offline on your business cards, your letter heads and invoices. In fact, whenever you write anything about your business, make sure your reader never fails to see it.
Just because your competitors have no USP, it doesn’t mean that it’s difficult to create one. It’s not! OK, so it’s not something you can achieve in a few
seconds. It may take a day or three.
But it’s the most important contribution you could ever make to the success of your business. It’s worth the effort. A powerful USP takes imagination, time and concentration!
Your USP is a benefit that your competitors don’t, can’t or haven’t thought about offering. And the bigger the benefit, the greater your results.