3 SIMPLE Steps to Testing your USP

Some say that your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, is everything in business - the most important ingredient to success.? Whether or not that’s true, there’s no doubt that having a strong USP, or value proposition, is vital if you are to avoid competing on price, so has to be among the most important things you have in your business.???

There are various ways of developing a strong USP and I won’t go into that here.? Instead, I want to give you three very simple questions that will confirm whether or not your USP is strong:?

1. Is it actually unique or at least sufficiently different?? Be honest here.? You must stand out. Look at your competitors and demand that there are at least three points in your USP that actually differentiate you from the majority of your competitors.?

2. Is it sufficiently tangible?? “We’re focussed on our customers; providing exemplary service” really says nothing useful.? If it sets you aside, it only sets you aside from someone promising to offer poor service.? On the other hand, committing to respond to every customer request on the spot, guaranteeing same day delivery or client satisfaction would be more compelling examples.? Be sure to ensure that your points of difference are tangible; or, put another way, that they are specific and can be clearly demonstrated.???

3. Does it demonstrate how your customers’ lives or businesses will improve?? As nice as it is to talk about your expertise, your unique features and everything else about YOU, unless you can also explain the value those things bring to your customers, you’re unlikely to get those customers excited.? Typically, this should speak to something that will drive true value or emotion: their time, their money, their confidence, their excitement and so on.?

These are simple questions but too often overlooked.? The good news is, it takes only a few minutes to answer them and, if you can clearly articulate a proposition that genuinely differentiates you, in a way which is tangible and clearly of real value to your target market, you’ll have, at minimum, made a great start to achieving success in business!?