What Should My USP Be?

Subject: What Should My USP Be? Author: candyshack

OK, I know I should have a unique selling proposition for my business. I don't want to set one until I know it's the right one.

The wrong one will bring in the wrong people or worse yet nobody!!

But until I set one, how can I know if it's right?
I'm not sure I'm asking this the right way.

Subject: Re: What Should My USP Be? Author: Dennis S. Vogel

Hi:

Just as a guess, I'm figuring you have a candy store. Even if you don't you can apply the information in this post to a different business.

Sometimes USPs can be used as headlines in ads. So, what I advise you to do is test different possibilities in ads or other marketing messages. Find out which one gets the best response. This doesn't mean the most responses though.

It means that it gets you profitable sales, not just people looking for on-sale/discount items.

So, here's the way you can do this -
1) Pick businesses that serve the same target market.
2) Ask the owners to distribute (give not just put on the counter top) your flyers.
3) Then develop two or more different flyers. Everything on each should be the same except the headline.
Have instructions on the flyers for people to bring them in when they come to your store.
4) Collate/shuffle them so that (If you have two different flyers) - customer #1 gets flyer #1; customer #2 gets flyer #2; customer #3 gets flyer #1; customer #4 gets flyer #2; and so on.
5) Carefully track which flyer induces more people to come in.

OK, now for the flyer content.

Base the messages on what customers have told about the candy. If your business has just started, use information from your trade association or your marketing survey.

You can try marketing candy as people's way of rewarding themselves for working hard or accomplishing something.

If you sell gourmet candy, you can focus on the better, deeper taste and/or better ingredients.

Dennis S. Vogel

Subject: Re: What Should My USP Be? Author: Dion Jackson

Hi Dennis:

My main local competitor seems to have the best USP and has upstaged me. That's besides the competition from the national chains.

He used to be a successful stock car driver and his own mechanic. Now he owns an auto parts store. Mechanics that buy wholesale parts from him even advertise that they get parts from him.

I'm embarassed to do but I'll take a chance on advertising for him.

His business is Winner's Circle Auto Parts. His USP is
"Life is a race you've got to win."

Should I concede the race or do you have something I can use?

Dion Jackson

Subject: Re: What Should My USP Be? Author: Dennis S. Vogel

Thank you for being patient, I hope you were patient.

I ended up moving into another apartment so my computers were out of service for a while.

I won't and can't decide for you what to do. But I do have
something you can test for effectiveness.

I'm glad you included information about your competitor and his business, because that helps me to help you.

I want to point out that this isn't a USP, it's a slogan -"Life is a race you've got to win." Yes, it does tie in with his reputation and business name but it doesn't really "say" anything.

A Unique Selling Proposition is different.

If you have a strong USP, you won't have to concede the race. All you need to do is get the USP out to your target market.

The locally-based auto parts stores where I live are affiliated with or franchisees of CarQuest and NAPA. If yours is like these (near me) you may be better off tying in with the supplier's/ manufacturer's USP. If you're involved with one that doesn't have a USP or has an ineffective USP, then let's develop one for your business.

I know many people are racing fans, but to me, racing isn't the real, everyday world. What I mean is that many people may admire stock car drivers and aspire to be like them, but that's not true reality. (Though to racing fans it may seem like reality.) And your business may never appeal to them. That may seem bad, but you can make it into something good.

You shouldn't try to appeal to everybody because:
1) Different people like different things so nothing will appeal to everybody except pure survival items;
2) It's too expensive to try to reach everybody consistently enough to make a difference.

True reality is driving a regular vehicle - car, (mini)van or truck in traffic. So, your USP could be -
"You need what’s here: Auto parts and supplies for vehicles like yours that have to work in real world traffic." You should test it like I'd advised "candyshack" to do.

If you can get a public domain (non-copyrighted) picture of a stock car on trailer next to a regular car or mini-van, I have an idea that may work. Or you could have a picture like that you own the copyright to.

With a picture like that, you can use a supporting statement like -- "Your car, truck or van doesn't get pulled on a trailer, so it has to work in traffic day after day."

Or a picture of a pit crew working on stock car may work, but again don't use a picture if you don't have a legal right to use it. (If you don't know if you can legally use it, then please don't just to be safe.) Your supporting statement could be - "If you could afford to have a crew work on your car like this, then you may be to afford the same parts that are used in this car. But if one repair has to last through years of traffic, then you need the right parts and supplies for your situation."

Of course, a good USP, as important as it is, is only part of a good marketing program.

If you were a long-term client I'd ask you a lot of questions before I'd be able to develop a whole marketing program. So please, keep my advice in perspective. I believe it will help you, but you need more than just a good USP.

You may be to differentiate yourself (set yourself a *PART* - Come on, Dion at least smile) by giving your customers good information about car repairs and maintenance.

If the local mechanics buy from your competitor anyway, you may be able to afford to tick them off by having clinics in which you show people how to do basic repairs and maintenance. Consider appealing to people who want to do repairs themselves or who can't afford to pay a mechanic to do it.

Just be sure you have insurance to cover you in case somebody gets hurts while following your advice or somebody messes up his/her vehicle despite your good advice. Ask a lawyer about having people sign a waiver form stating they take full responsibility for the work they do.

Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.

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