HIGHLIGHTING UNIQUE SELLING POINTS (USPS)

Products should have at least one USP: a factor that differentiates and elevates them above their competitors.

For years, business trainers have stressed the importance of "USPs" (Unique Selling Propositions).

Your USP is the unique thing that you can offer that your competitors can't. It's a Competitive Edge. It's the reason why customers buy a product, and only that product.

USPs have helped many companies succeed. And they can help you too when you're marketing yourself, when seeking a promotion, finding a new job, or just making sure that you get the recognition you deserve. If a product doesn't have a USP, you're condemned to a struggle for survival, that way lies hard work and little reward.

However, USPs are often extremely difficult to find. And as soon as one company establishes a successful USP in a market, competitors rush to copy it.

Here are five steps to determine your USP:

1. List the features and benefits that are unique about your product or service. Do a search and compare your features and benefits with your direct competitors. Identify the benefits what sets you apart.

2. Decide what emotional need is being specifically met by your product or service. Think about this from your customer's perspective and add it to a list.

3. Identify aspects of your product or service that your competitors cannot imitate. Put a star beside anything that cannot be easily duplicated, reproduced, or copied.

4. Create phrases about your unique product or service that are short, clear, and concise. Use the words from steps 1-3 that you singled out. Be sure they can be easily communicated to and understood by your customers.

5. Answering your customer's primary question: "What's in it for me?" Make it to the point and state it as a benefit to the customer.

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