| Have you ever spent endless hours wondering | | | | important? |
| how to get you marketing message across? | | | | Step 2: Write down your client's concerns - use |
| Anyone who's been involved in marketing for any | | | | the responses to your survey in Step 1 in |
| length of time certainly has. So, if there is a | | | | dot-point form. |
| secret to successful marketing, what might it be? | | | | Step 3: Prioritise - list the dot-points in order of |
| Getting your marketing message read is one of | | | | importance identified by your survey. |
| the most difficult things to achieve for any | | | | Step 4: Identify the most important issue - this |
| business owner and let's face it, if potential clients | | | | might be a combination of a few issues. |
| don't read your message, they're certainly not | | | | Step 5: Specify the benefits - this means |
| going to take action. | | | | identifying what's in it for them (ie your clients). In |
| Amongst the daily clutter of marketing, it's critical | | | | other words, ask the question . . . so what? |
| that every business owner develops his or her | | | | Step 6: Describe the feelings - this step involves |
| Unique Selling Proposition. This will go a long way | | | | taking benefits to the next level. While a benefit |
| toward removing the clutter from your message. | | | | identifies how the solution improves your client's |
| So what is a Unique Selling Proposition AND how | | | | situation, feelings entrench outcomes into the |
| do we develop one? | | | | imagination of your client. Feelings engender |
| A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is the 'thing' that | | | | emotion. |
| makes your business different and distinctive | | | | Step 7: Write a short, succinct statement of |
| from all others in your market. While developing | | | | purpose - while there could be any number of |
| your USP is both difficult and time consuming, it's | | | | client concerns such as cleaners not turning up on |
| essential that you devote the necessary time and | | | | time or not turning up at all, dangerous chemicals |
| energy. The following steps should help: | | | | being used, carpets taking hour to dry, damage to |
| Step 1: If you haven't done so already, spend | | | | valuable carpets, etc, an example of a USP using |
| time getting to know your market. You need to | | | | a 'combination of issues' approach might be: The |
| understand how your market thinks. | | | | Most Professional Clean You've Ever Seen OR It's |
| Step 2: Write down (in dot-point form), those | | | | FREE. |
| issues that are of utmost concern to potential | | | | There are many different types of USPs. Some |
| clients. In other words, identify the critical | | | | you might like to consider include uniqueness of: |
| emotions of your market. | | | | technology, quality, product features, convenience, |
| Step 3: Prioritise the emotions identified. | | | | design, qualification, added value, people, systems |
| Step 4: Identify the most important emotional | | | | and price. Whichever your focus, you need to |
| issue in your market. | | | | embed your USP with feelings that generate |
| Step 5: Specify the benefits (to your clients) in | | | | emotion. After all, people buy on emotion and |
| providing a solution. | | | | your ability to sell will likely depend on how well |
| Step 6: Describe the feelings associated with the | | | | your USP differentiates your offerings from those |
| most critical benefit. | | | | of your competitors. The more unique you are, |
| Step 7: Write a short (one sentence), succinct | | | | the better your opportunity to 'cut through the |
| statement of purpose for your business based | | | | clutter' and get your message across. |
| around the feelings described in Step 6. This | | | | There are many important parts to the marketing |
| becomes your USP. | | | | equation and we certainly do not wish to trivialise |
| To demonstrate this process, let's consider a | | | | any of them. However developing your Unique |
| practical example. | | | | Selling Proposition will go a long way toward |
| Imagine you have a carpet cleaning business. | | | | overcoming the 'clutter' in your market place |
| Step 1: Understand how your market thinks - | | | | which in turn will enhance the likelihood of getting |
| survey your existing clients by asking questions | | | | your message read. Once you have the market's |
| such as: (i) When having your carpets | | | | attention, it's up to you to convince them that |
| professionally cleaned, what are the five most | | | | your product or service is worthy of further |
| important issues? AND (ii) How would you rate | | | | investigation AND that . . . sounds like the basis |
| these issues in order of most important to least | | | | for another article. |