Jay Abraham places great emphasis on a bedrock statement of your company philosophy.
Your Unique Selling Proposition "USP" is that distinct, appealing idea that sets your business apart from every other "me too" competitor.
Your entire marketing and operational success should be built upon your Unique Selling Propo- sition. Your USP may touch any part of the marketing gamut — price, service, quality or exclu- sivity.
There are many kinds of USP Successes:
• Some companies position themselves as having the best selection or the broadest array of buying options. Their USP is "broad choice."
• Other companies may offer more limited selection, but their USP is "low price" or "low markup."
• Another company may decide they don't want to be known for just price selection, so instead they offer the finest quality at a higher, but still reasonable price. Quality or exclusivity — even snob appeal — is its USP.
• Still, another firm may offer a product at reasonable prices, but their distinct selling appeal is that they offer better service, assistance, or installation help.
Adopt A USP That Addresses An Obvious Void In The Market-Place
The possibilities for building a USP are unlimited. It's best, however, to adopt a USP that
dynamically addresses an obvious voice in the marketplace that you can fill. Beware though: It's counterproductive to adopt a USP if you cannot fulfill the promise.
Before recommending some USPs, let me describe a curious phenomenon. When you ask a business owner to articulate clearly and concisely in one paragraph or less, his or her USP, most business owners have no answer. Why? Because they've never thought through or offered a Unique Selling Proposition. Most of them have no USP, only a "me too," rudderless, nondescript business that feeds solely upon the momentum of the marketplace. There's nothing unique; there's nothing distinct. They promise no great value, benefit or service — just "buy from us" for no justifiable reason.
It's no surprise that most businesses, lacking a USP, merely get by. Their failure rate is high, their owners are apathetic and they get only a small share of the potential business. But other than a convient location, why should they get much patronage if they fail to offer any appealing promise, unique feature or special service? Customers expect special consideration and regard in exchange for their business.
Would you want to patronize a firm that's just "there," with no unique benefit, no incredible prices or selection, no especially comforting counsel, service or guarantee?
Or would you prefer a firm that offers you the broadest selection in the country? Or one with every item marked up less than 1/2 the margin other competitors charge? Or one that sells the
"Rolls Royce" of the industry? You gain a unique selling advantage by offering a big, unique and appealing promise that's not being offered by your competitors.
70___________________________________________________UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION Can you see what an appealing difference the USP makes in establishing a company's per-
ceived image or posture to the customer? It's ludicrous to operate any business without carefully crafting a clear, strong, appealing USP into the very fabric of that business' daily existence.
That tiny fraction of all business professionals who adopt a dynamic USP fare immeasurably better than those without one. They have a profound advantage over all their competitors.
Identify Needs That Are Going Unfulfilled In Your Industry
How do you pick a USP? You must first identify which needs are going unfulfilled within your industry:
1. A broad selection.
2. Big discounts.
3. Advice and assistance.
4. Convenience (i.e. location, quick service, fully stocked shelves, imme- diate delivery).
5. Top-of-the-line products.
6. Speedy service.
7. Services above and beyond the basics.
8. A longer and more comprehensive warranty or guarantee than the norm.
9. Any other you might think of.
Focus On One Niche — Keep The Promises You Make
The point is to focus on the one niche, need or gap that is most sorely lacking — provided you can keep the promise you make.
You can even create hybrid USPs — combinations that integrate one marketing gap with another.
Before you decide on a USP, be sure you can always deliver that USP through your whole organiza- tion. You and your staff must consistently maintain high levels of quality or service.
If your USP is that your company offers the broadest selection of products or services "in- stantly available" or "always in stock," but in reality you only stock six out of 25 items and only a few of each item, then you're falling down on the essence of your USP — and your marketing will fail. It is critical to always fulfill the "big promise" of your USP. If you don't honestly believe you can deliver on your USP, pick another one. Be sure it's unique and that you can fulfill it.
Be Clear And To The Point
Before you can incorporate and communicate your chosen USP through various marketing avenues, focus and articulate it crisply and clearly — with impact. Don't be cute or abstract.
Think it through until you can articulate it in one crystal-clear, compelling and alluring para- graph — or less.
The USP is the nucleus around which you build your success, fame and wealth, so you better be able to state it. If you can't state it, your prospects won't see it. Whenever a customer needs the type of product or service you sell, your USP should bring your company immediately to mind.
Clearly conveying the USP through your marketing and business performance will make busi- ness success inevitable. But you must boil down your USP to its bare essence.
Try it. With paper and pen, prepare a one-paragraph statement of your new USP. At first you will have trouble expressing it tightly and specifically. It may take two or three paragraphs or more. That's okay. Ruthlessly edit away the generalities and focus on a crisp, clear statement that
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION_____________________________________________________71 promises the most you could possibly offer. Hack away excess verbiage until you have a clearly
defined, Unique Selling Proposition a customer can immediately seize upon.
You must integrate your USP into every marketing aspect of your business, such as display advertising, direct mail and field salespeople.
Let's say you run display ads and your USP offers a greater selection than any other competi- tor. There are several ways to integrate this into your ads.
State the USP in the ad headline:
We Always Have 168 Different Widgets in No Less Than 12 Different Sizes and 10 Desirable Colors, in Price Ranges From $6 to $600
Or, this one...
Five Times the Selection, Four Times The Color Choice, Three Times the Number of Convenient Locations, Two Times the Warranty, and Half the Markup of Any Other Dealer
Or, amplify your USP in a subhead:
Most Plumbing Contractors Handle Only One Or Two Lines of Air Conditioning
Acme Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning handles the 10 best-selling brands — plus we are an authorized installer and service center for five additional lines. Why accept little or no choice on a matter as important as your office or home comfort, when a call to Acme can put all the options at your command?
Or, maybe this one...
Most Service Companies Work From 9 to 5
ABC Service Company will send a repairperson whenever you need one. We have 20 service people on 24-hour call, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year — including holidays, Christmas and New Year's. With 20 full-time service people always on call, we'll respond within three hours — even on weekends.
One more important point: Our repair prices are the same whether you use us weekdays at 2 p.m. or weekends at 5 a.m. And our rates average 10% below our top ten competitors.
Those are just a few fun suggestions for display headlines and subheadings for a selection- based USP. Now let's look at some ways to develop that headline thought in the body of any ad.
When You're in the Market for a Widget You Want to Know All Your Choices — Unless You Are Happy with Just Any Old Widget, or the First Widget You Find
If you're not aware of all the available choices, how can you possibly know which widget is right for you?
That's why ABC Company doesn't just offer one or two kinds of widgets.
We've researched the widget industry extensively for years. There are 106 different kinds of widgets and, depending on your budget and expected usage, different widgets may serve you better or more economically.
72________________________________________________________UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION If your widget must last 15 years, spend 20% more for our 20-year-guar-
anteed, triple-layered, quadruple-welded (not riveted), lead-reinforced wid- gets. If you only need the widget for a year or so, our private label copper/
tin version is fine.
It's one-half the thickness of the top-of-the-line unit, has 60% the capacity, its seams are precision-riveted and solder-sealed, and its durability rating is 88 plus. Best of all, it only costs 40% as much as the top-of-the-line unit.
Your needs are unique, and a widget that might be perfect for someone else might be too much or too little for your special needs. That is why we feature 15 brands, 47 different models, and 106 different types. Plus...
(you get the point.) The Price-Discount USP
If your USP is price-discount positioning, you might use these kinds of headlines and sub- headings:
We Sell The Same Brands of Widgets as Company X Or Company Y —
At 25% to 75% Less Or...
The Average Dentist Charges $295 to Cap Two Teeth. Dr. Esmond Charges $28 Per Tooth, Plus a $49 Lab Fee, and Modest X-Ray Costs
Or...
$15,000 Swimming Pools Cost $3,995 At ABC Pool Company
Or this sample headline...
It Usually Costs You $110 Per Square Foot to Build a New Home
We'll remodel up to 4,000 square feet with triple-grade materials, 2X6 (minimum of 2 X 4) high-alloy, 20,000 lb. high-tech nails (instead of tin), real walnut paneling (not veneer), filament wool carpet (not polyester), and pure brass fixtures, for just $39 a square foot — minimum 500 square feet.
Or...
$8,500 Hondas Just $5,960, Plus A Modest Charge for the Stereo Or...
XYZ Realty Charges You a 6%
Commission — That's $7,000-$22,000 on A Typical Purchase. ABC Realty Charges Only a Modest $494 Fee
And we'll spend whatever time it takes to find your dream house. Even if it takes us a year, even if we have to look at 250 houses or make 100 offers
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION_________________________________________________________73
— it'll never cost you a cent more!
Or...
The Average Markup in The Widget Industry is 30% — Ours is 15%!!
Or, here's another example...
ABC Car Dealer pays $89,000 a month for rent. His electric bill is never less than $26,000. His payroll (for 168 people) averages $165,000 a month.
His monthly TV advertising bill exceeds $300,000. And he says he can afford to sell for low markups...
...Our Little Lot in the Country Costs Us Nothing
My Dad bought it for cash 35 years ago. Our electric bill seems high to me (it runs about $428 a month). I have 35 employees — two are salaried salespeople, three are office clerks, five are family, and the rest are service people who work six-day weeks to serve your needs. If I make a little more than $100 a car, I do really well. ABC Dealer has to make at least $900 profit per car or he can't pay his bills. Who do you want to buy your next new car from?
Or...
When a Dealer Buys Widgets from the Factory, He Gets a 10% Discount for Buying a Dozen, a 20% Discount for
Buying a Gross, and a 50% Discount For Buying 500
We buy widgets in minimum lots of 10,000 units, so our cost is about 20%
less than any other dealer. Then, we mark them up only 25% over our cost.
Where would you rather buy your widget? From the guy who buys them in dozen-unit lots, then doubles the price, or from us?
Now, extend the price-discount USP headline and subhead into the body copy of the ad:
A lot of companies sell widgets, some with a big markup, others for less.
The average industry markup is 225%. That means a widget that costs the dealer $100 costs you $325.
The typical "discount" dealer marks up his widgets 170%, so the widget that costs you $325 at the full-markup dealer costs you $275 at the dis- count dealer.
We buy more widgets at better prices than any other dealer in town.
We markup our widgets a mere 50%. The same widget that costs you $325 at the full-markup dealer, or $275 at the discount dealer, costs you only
$150 at our company.
The Service-Oriented USP
Here are ideas for a service USP approach:
When You Buy a Widget from Every Other Dealer in Town, You Get a "Limited"
12-Month Warranty. When You Buy That
74_________________________________________________________UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION Widget from Us, You Get a Lifetime,
"unlimited" warranty with Service Guaranteed Within 24 Hours, and a Loaner Furnished Free. Plus, We Make House Calls Or...
When You Buy a Book from B. Dalton or Waldenbooks, You Own That Book Whether You Like it or Not
When you buy a book from us, you have a 90-day, 100% money-back guarantee, in case it's not what the critics said. You get credits toward any other book, magazine or reference publica- tion we sell for every book you buy and keep.
Or...
Most Tree Trimmers Charge You $100 or More for Every Call. And Your Trees and Shrubs Should Be Trimmed at Least Three Times a Year
ABC Tree Trimmers will trim and maintain your trees and shrubs six times a year — once every two months — and all it costs you is $16 a month, billed quarterly.
Or, another possibility is...
Whenever It Snows, We'll Be Out Within 24 Hours to Clean Your Driveway and Walk — Free
...Just another added benefit of placing your home-owner's policy with XYZ Agency.
On-Most Restaurants Charge Separately for Appetizers and Dessert, and the Wine's Always Extra
At Chez Abraham you always get your choice of giant prawns, caviar, or pate — free. And, a bottle of French champagne is included with my com- pliments. Oh, yes, — we also include your choice of Cherries Jubilee or Baked Alaska.
Or, another option is...
Most Computer Companies Sell You a Computer, Then Walk Away, Leaving You with a High-Tech Paperweight
We give you an on-site training program, plus a Saturday session for all your staff We also double the normal warranty period and provide a loaner if your unit breaks down within the warranty period. If it breaks down after
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION_________________________________________________________75 the warranty period, we rent you a computer for just $100 a day, and do the
repair free.
Oh, yes, we also offer for your benefit, a 45-day trial period before you lock yourself into your brand new purchase.
Or...
Office Cleaning is a Pretty Unimportant Subject — Until You Add Up How Much It Costs You Annually
We clean your office every night — sweep, mop, dust, vacuum, polish, replace tissue — all for just a dime a square foot.
Plus, we throw in carpet cleaning, window washing, upholstery shampoo- ing, and pest control once a quarter — free! We also include 24-hour emer- gency cleanup on weekends or early mornings after you've worked late — and if it's a genuine emergency, we'll be glad to do that free.
The Quality/Snob-Appeal USP
How about the quality/exclusive USP? Here are a few interesting headline and body copy possibilities:
Only 1,200 XYZ Deluxe Widgets Are Produced Annually
Nine hundred stay in Europe, where they originate. Of the remaining 300, 50 go to Japan. Of the remaining 250, 100 go to South America and Australia.
Each year, only 150 come into the United States. Of that 150, only 25 are sent to California — and WE'VE GOT 18 OF THEM.
We'll offer them at very fair prices to our best customers as long as they last.
Or, here's yet another possibility...
The Framework of the ABC Custom-Designed Sofa is Fused Together With 7/8-Inch Thick Dowels
It's then epoxy-melded with a graphite compound tested to a strength tol- erance of over 12,000 pounds of force. It's designed to firmly support the sofa for at least 50 years.
The fabric is handmade by craftsmen in a family-owned mill, where they still weave fabrics the way they did 100 years ago. Each yard of fabric contains 5,880 feet (over a mile) of silk and nylon threads, and patterns are intricately worked into the fabric with artistic precision — one strand at a time. Embossing is meticulously supervised by the same ruthless perfec- tionist who oversaw the creation of the magnificent fabric that adorns the sofa in the reception area just outside the White House's Oval Office.
This factory produces only 4,500 yards of handwoven, hand-embroidered, hand-inspected, quadruple-lined and finished fabric each year — only enough material to cover 85 sofas in an entire year. We have secured the en- tire production of the factory for the month of May, and we are accepting in- quiries regarding our custom-designed, custom-covered sofa. But please,
76________________________________________________________UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION don't ever call us unless you can wait patiently for three months, can afford
the best and can appreciate a genuine, one-of-a-kind work of historic art.
Or...
Mass-Marketed Health Clubs Have 10,000 Members All Jostling Between 6 and 9 p.m. to Use Five Nautilus
Machines, or All Trying to Squeeze into the Sauna or Jacuzzi at the Same Time
At Club Elegance, total membership is strictly limited to 565 families. We have four times as many Nautilus machines as a typical, mass-membership health club.
We also have 48-circuit Universal equipment, plus 10 lifecycles; a beauti- ful, carpeted, climate-controlled, refreshingly clean gym; a free weight course; both a wet and dry Argus (top of the line) Sauna chamber; full-time Swedish masseuse and masseur; an intimate private restaurant that seats only 25 people; and continental breakfasts of low-calorie, freshly baked croissants with homemade berry preserves.
Membership is $5,000 a year, with monthly dues of $100. Only 50 mem- berships remain; the other 515 have already been filled. You must be rec- ommended by at least five current members to be eligible to join. If seri- ously interested, contact John J. Johnson, Director of Membership, at 123- 4567.
Reinforce Your USP In Every Aspect Of Your Marketing
By now you should have the general idea that you should carefully integrate your newly
adopted USP into the headline and body copy of every ad you run and in every direct-mail piece you send out.
But integrating your USP into just your ads and mailing pieces is not enough. You must inte- grate it into every form of your marketing.
When your salespeople call on prospects, everything they say should clearly reinforce your USP. They should explain the USP to the customer in a clear, concise statement. For example:
"Hello, Mr. Prospect. I know your time is short, so I'll get right to the point. Your company manufactures widgets. You buy steel and copper from a competitor. You're currently paying
$100 a ton for steel and $75 a ton for copper of which you waste roughly 25%.
"My firm will sell you a higher grade steel and a higher alloy copper for $95 and $69 a ton,
"My firm will sell you a higher grade steel and a higher alloy copper for $95 and $69 a ton,