Your unique selling proposition is the entire framework for your business. It’s how you define your target market, which provides the foundation for everything else to build from there.

In yesterday’s post, What Is Your Unique Selling Proposition, I mentioned 9 suggestions for developing your USP. I also said I would be discussing each of those suggestions in more detail. This is the first post in that series, so let’s get started.

Unique Selling Proposition Tip #1: What Are You Selling?

This question may sound pretty obvious, but it’s not. There’s a lot more to figuring out what you’re selling than what is on the surface.

Being able to accurately identify who you’re selling to will very likely be the difference between success and spinning your wheels in frustration.

To help clarify this point, I want to relay a short story from a friend of mine, Eric Walker, who’s pretty good at marketing. He was sharing where he took his wife for Valentine’s Day last year. Here’s what he said:

Rich owns an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood. It’s nothing special. I’ve had better and I’ve had worse. But… they got my business on Valentines day.

Why?

Because Rich is a smart man, and he knows that he’s not really selling pasta and meatballs. He’s selling a quiet place for romance; a place for reconnection.

You see, I got a letter in the mail from Rich. So did all my neighbors. It was exquisite. Red envelope, nice calligraphy. The letter was addressed to me (because he was targeting men). It was a well written letter about romance, and how to keep your lady happy.

And the solution was his restaurant for Valentines Day. I was so impressed by his marketing that I just HAD to try it. I wasn’t disappointed. More importantly, neither was my sweetheart.

Now, Rich doesn’t sell pasta and meatballs. I might have paid for that, but that’s not Rich’s business. His business is romance.

Do you see the difference here? Most people would look at Rich’s restaurant and think he was simply selling Italian food, and they’d be right–on the surface.

But in reality, what Rich is really selling is romance and the atmosphere of his restaurant.

And that’s what makes him stand out from the 10 other Italian restaurants in the area. 

That’s how he’s able to compete in a crowded marketplace.

He’s doing it by not competing directly against everyone else.

Go back and read that last statement again. It’s an important point for you to grasp when it comes to choosing your unique selling proposition.

How Does My Unique Selling Proposition Relate To What I’m Selling?

This one’s actually pretty simple. Once you know what you’re actually selling and who you’re targeting, your unique selling proposition is easily defined.

How can you get in front of, and speak and relate to, the audience you’re targeting. What do they need? What problems do they need solved? How can I solve them?

By answering these questions, you’ll hand yourself your unique selling proposition on a silver platter. It will become obvious to you what you’re USP is.

From there it’s simply a matter of effectively implementing it and reaching your audience.

What About You?

Are you having trouble identifying your unique selling proposition? If you have narrowed it down, how did you come about your decision? Do you see how important this part of the business development process really is? Leave a comment and let me know what you’re thinking. I’d really like to hear from you.

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