Unique selling proposition

Prepared By,
Sagar Gadekar
The Unique Selling Proposition (also Unique Selling
Point) is a marketing concept that was first proposed as
a theory to explain a pattern among successful
advertising campaigns of the early 1940s.
It states that such campaigns made unique propositions
to the customer and that this convinced them to switch
brands. The term was invented by Rosser Reeves of
Ted Bates & Company. Today the term is used in other
fields or just casually to refer to any aspect of an object
that differentiates it from similar objects.
A unique selling proposition (USP) defines your
competitive advantage and you must identify what
makes you different from your competitors and
emphasize these advantages in your marketing.
Today, a number of businesses and corporations
currently use USPs as a basis for their marketing
campaigns.
3 parts of the definition
Each advertisement must make a proposition to the
consumer. Not just words, not just product puffery
(Flattering, often exaggerated praise and publicity,
especially when used for promotional purposes), not just
show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say
to each reader: "Buy this product, and you will get this
specific benefit."
The proposition must be one that the competition either
cannot, or does not, offer. It must be uniqueeither a
uniqueness of the brand or a claim not otherwise made
in that particular field of advertising.
The proposition must be so strong that it can move the
mass millions, i.e., pull over new customers to your
product.
Communicating a Specific Benefit to the
Customer
As many products are identical in offering the main
benefit, you must identify the main advantage your
product offers over the competition. In order to
make your advertising message attractive, you
must find an important benefit unique to your
product or service in one of three ways.

Product feature. This USP may be based on
product features associated with the product,
ranging from what it does to the quality of your
support services.
Emotion. The USP may be based of an emotional
appeal, such as love, humor, or fear.
Association. The USP may be communicated by
association with a well-known personality.
Some good current examples of
products with a clear USP are:
Head & Shoulders: "You get rid of
dandruff"
Olay: "You get younger-looking skin
Some unique propositions that were
pioneers when they were introduced:
Domino's Pizza: "You get fresh, hot pizza
delivered to your door in 30 minutes or
less -- or it's free."
FedEx: "When your package absolutely,
positively has to get there overnight

Boost Your Sales And Profits By Positioning Your
Company As The Best Choice In The Market

What makes you more unique, more
valuable, and more visible in the
market? You've heard the old saying
"Differentiate or Die" right? In our highly
competitive world, you have to be unique
and fill a special niche to be successful
in the marketplace. Yet one of the most
harmful mistakes small businesses make
is not being unique and positioning
themselves as the best choice in the
market. How do you show that your
product or service is the best?
Use a Unique Selling Proposition or "USP".
Having a USP will dramatically improve the positioning and
marketability of your company and products by
accomplishing 3 things for you:

Unique - It clearly sets you apart from your competition,
positioning you the more logical choice.

Selling - It persuades another to exchange money for a
product or service.

Proposition - It is a proposal or offer suggested for
acceptance.

The Force That Drives Your Business And Sales
Success


Your USP is the force that drives your business
and success. It can also be used as a "branding"
tool that deploys strategy with every tactical
marketing effort you use such as an ad, a
postcard, or web site. This allows you to build a
lasting reputation while you're making sales.
The Federal Express Example:
Federal Express (FedEx) dominated the package shipping
market with the following USP: "Federal Express: When it
absolutely, positively has to be there overnight." The deployment
of this USP allowed Federal Express to emerge as the dominant
leader in the industry, taking market share rapidly, and also
increasing its sales and profits.
In today's competitive market, your business cannot thrive if you
are using the same old "me too" marketing that everyone else is
using. Your small business absolutely positively has to have a
USP that "cuts through the clutter", separates you from the
competition, and positions you as the best choice... the ONLY
choice.
Building your USP takes some effort, but it is absolutely worth it
because of the added advantage you'll have in the market. Using
a powerful USP will make your job of marketing and selling much
easier, enabling you to more easily increase your sales and
profits for the same budget.

Winning USP Examples
The following are 6 powerful USPs that alleviate the
"pain" experienced by the consumers in their industries..
Example #1 - Package Shipping Industry
Pain - I have to get this package delivered quick!
USP - "When it absolutely, positively has to be there
overnight." (Federal Express)
Example #2 - Food Industry
Pain - The kids are starving, but Mom and Dad are too
tired to cook!
USP - "Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or it's free."
(Dominos Pizza)
(This USP is worth $1 BILLION to Dominos Pizza)
Example #3 - Real Estate Industry
Pain - People want to sell their house fast without loosing
money on the deal.
USP - "Our 20 Step Marketing System Will Sell Your
House In Less Than 45 Days At Full Market Value"

Example #4 - Dental Industry
Pain - Many people don't like to go to the dentist
because of the pain and long wait.
USP - "We guarantee that you will have a
comfortable experience and never have to wait more
than 15 minutes" or you will receive a free exam."
Example #5 - Cold Medicine Industry
Pain - You are sick, feel terrible, and can't sleep.
USP - "The nighttime, coughing, achy, sniffling, stuffy
head, fever, so you can rest medicine." (Nyquil)
Example #6 - Jewelry Industry
Pain - The market hates paying huge 300% mark-
ups for jewelry.
USP - "Don't pay 300% markups to a traditional
jeweler for inferior diamonds! We guarantee that your
loose diamond will appraise for at least 200% of the
purchase price, or we'll buy it back."

How To Develop Your Unique Selling
Proposition (USP)
Your USP is the very essence of what you
are offering. Your USP needs to be so
compelling that it can be used as a headline
that sells your product or service. Therefore,
since you want to optimize all your marketing
materials for maximum results, create it before
anything else (such as advertisements and
marketing copy).
Print this article and got down your ideas to
construct a "Unique Selling Proposition" (USP)
for your business. Follow this easy 7-step
process
Step 1: Use Your Biggest Benefits:

Clearly describe the 3 biggest benefits of
owning your product or service. Let me be
blunt. Your prospect doesn't care if you offer the
best quality, service, or price.
You have to explain exactly WHY that is
important to them. Think in terms of what your
business does for your customer and the end-
result they desire from a product or service like
yours.
So, what are the 3 biggest benefits you offer?
Write them down on a piece of paper...


Step 2: Be Unique:
The key here is to be unique. Basically, your USP separates
you from the competition, sets up a "buying criteria" that
illustrates your company is the most logical choice, and
makes your product or service the "gotta have" item. (Not
your competitor's.)
Write your USP so it creates desire and urgency. Your USP
can be stated in your product itself, in your offer, or in your
guarantee:

PRODUCT: "A unique baseball swing that will instantly force
you to hit like a pro."

OFFER: "You can learn this simple technique that makes you
hit like a pro in just 10 minutes of batting practice."

GUARANTEE: "If you don't hit like a pro baseball player the
first time you use this new swing, we'll refund your money."

Step 3: Solve An Industry Main Point" Or
"Performance Gap":
Identify which needs are going unfulfilled within
either your industry or your local market. The need or
"gap" that exists between the current situation and
the desired objectives is sometimes termed a
"performance gap". Many businesses that base their
USP on industry performance gaps are successful.
For example, Dominos Pizza used the "Pizza
delivered in 30 minutes or it's free" USP to become
wildly successful. This worked because of the need
or "gap" in the market - After a long day at work Mom
and Dad are too tired to cook. But the kids are
starving and don't want to wait an hour! They want
pizza NOW. Call Domino's.

Step 4: Be Specific And Offer Proof:
Consumers are skeptical of advertising claims
companies make. So alleviate their skepticism by being
specific and offering proof when possible.
Step 5: Condense Into One Clear And Concise
Sentence:
The most powerful USPs are so perfectly written,
you cannot change or move even a single word.
Each word earns you money by selling your product or
service. After you get your USP written, your
advertising and marketing copy will practically write
itself!
Now take all the details about your
product/service/offer from the steps above and sculpt
them into one clear and concise sentence with
compelling salesmanship fused into every single word.

Step 6: Integrate Your USP Into ALL Marketing Materials:
Variations of your USP will be included in the ALL your marketing
materials such as your...
Advertising and sales copy headlines;
Business cards, brochures, flyers, & signs;
Your "elevator pitch", phone, and sales scripts;
Letterhead, letters, & postcards;
Website & Internet marketing.
Step 7: Deliver On Your USP's Promise
Be bold when developing your USP but be careful to ensure
that you can deliver. Your USP should have promises and
guarantees that capture your audience's attention and compels
them to respond to you. Having a strong USP can make your
business a big success, or a big failure if you don't deliver on it
thereby ruining your reputation. In the beginning, it was a
challenge for Federal Express to absolutely, positively deliver
overnight, but they developed the system that allowed them to
deliver the promise consistently.
Target Market Selection
Target marketing tailors a marketing mix for
one or more segments identified by market
segmentation. Target marketing contrasts
with mass marketing, which offers a single
product to the entire market.
Two important factors to consider when
selecting a target market segment are the
attractiveness of the segment and the fit
between the segment and the firm's
objectives, resources, and capabilities.

Attractiveness of a Market Segment
The following are some examples of aspects that should
be considered when evaluating the attractiveness of a
market segment:
Size of the segment (number of customers and/or
number of units)
Growth rate of the segment
Competition in the segment
Brand loyalty of existing customers in the segment
Attainable market share given promotional budget and
competitors' expenditures
Required market share to break even
Sales potential for the firm in the segment
Expected profit margins in the segment

Suitability of Market Segments to the
Firm
Market segments also should be evaluated
according to how they fit the firm's objectives,
resources, and capabilities. Some aspects of fit
include:
Whether the firm can offer superior value to the
customers in the segment
The impact of serving the segment on the firm's
image
Access to distribution channels required to serve
the segment
The firm's resources vs. capital investment required
to serve the segment
The better the firm's fit to a market segment, and
the more attractive the market segment, the greater
the profit potential to the firm.

Target Market Strategies
There are several different target-market strategies that
may be followed. Targeting strategies usually can be
categorized as one of the following:
Single-segment strategy - also known as a
concentrated strategy. One market segment (not the
entire market) is served with one marketing mix. A
single-segment approach often is the strategy of choice
for smaller companies with limited resources.
Selective specialization- this is a multiple-segment
strategy, also known as a differentiated strategy.
Different marketing mixes are offered to different
segments. The product itself may or may not be
different - in many cases only the promotional message
or distribution channels vary.

Product specialization- the firm specializes
in a particular product and tailors it to
different market segments.
Market specialization- the firm specializes in
serving a particular market segment and
offers that segment an array of different
products.
Full market coverage - the firm attempts to
serve the entire market. This coverage can
be achieved by means of either a mass
market strategy in which a single
undifferentiated marketing mix is offered to
the entire market, or by a differentiated
strategy in which a separate marketing mix is
offered to each segment.

Positioning (marketing)
In marketing, positioning has come to mean the
process by which marketers try to create an image
or identity in the minds of their target market for its
product, brand, or organization.
Re-positioning involves changing the identity of a
product, relative to the identity of competing
products, in the collective minds of the target
market.
De-positioning involves attempting to change the
identity of competing products, relative to the
identity of your own product, in the collective minds
of the target market.

Brand positioning process
Generally, the brand positioning process involves:
Identifying the business's direct competition (could include
tertiary players that offer your product/service amongst a
larger portfolio of solutions)
Understanding how each competitor is positioning their
business today (e.g. claiming to be the fastest, cheapest,
largest, the #1 provider, etc.)
Documenting the provider's own positioning as it exists
today (may not exist if startup business)
Comparing the company's positioning to its competitors' to
identify viable areas for differentiation
Developing a distinctive, differentiating and value-based
brand positioning statement, key messages and customer
value propositions.

Identifying Your USP
Five Question You Should Ask Yourself
Will my perspective customers perceive this
as an advantage?
Is it significantly different from what my
competitors are offering?
Why my prospective customers actually
believe in this USP?
How will my customers benefit from this
USP?
Will this USP motivate customers
sufficiently to actually make a purchase?