Your unique selling proposition can be difficult to determine at times, especially for new people. I know. I struggled with mine for quite a long time. As a matter of fact, I blogged here for over a year before I realized that I needed to do a better job of defining my unique selling proposition.

Even from that point it’s been a work-in-progress. I’ve gone from redefining my unique selling proposition to narrowing it’s focus. 

And I think I’ve gotten it right this time. Time will tell, but I have a much more tightly knit focus than I’ve ever had on this blog, so I’m excited to see how it turns out.

Anyways, we’re digging into a series on suggestions to help you determine your USP. So let’s get going.

Unique Selling Proposition #2: What Do You Dislike About The “Other Guy?”

One of the ways to determine what you want your unique selling proposition to be is to decide what basic, broad area you want to focus on. From there take a look at your competition. What is it that you don’t like about him or her, or even them?

Where are the holes in that industry or niche that aren’t being addressed? Is there anything about your main competitors that they’re doing wrong and has caused unrest in the marketplace?

You simply have to pay attention and do a little research. If there’s something in your industry that’s going on and you don’t like it, there’s a good chance that others are upset by it too. Do some research and see if your initial thoughts are right.

Once you’ve done that, then figure out how you can address those areas and solve the problem.

See, that’s the big thing about picking a unique selling proposition. You have to solve a problem that’s not being addressed right now (or at least not addressed properly). If you can do that in a niche that has some decent traction, with some work you’ve got an excellent chance of building a following.

And the neat thing is, if you’ve done your research and have found a topic that’s not being handled properly by somebody else, you’ve got a ready made audience. They’re just waiting for somebody to come in and solve their problem for them.

They’re looking for solution and can’t find it.

All you have to do is provide them with the solution.

And it doesn’t have to be complex. It simply has to solve their problem.

And remember, you’re not trying to attract everybody. You only want the people that have the problem that you have a solution for.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to select their unique selling proposition is that they choose too broad of a topic. That’s exactly what I did when I started out.

It causes you to have too large of a focus. You also end up competing with big names in your industry that have already established themselves.

It’s very hard building a business when you have to battle against somebody that’s established and already know’s what they’re doing.

Plus, when you have too broad of a focus, people don’t feel like you’re speaking to them directly, even if they’re your target customer.

People want to feel like you’re solving their problem individually, like you’re talking directly to them. If you can develop a narrow enough focus and address your target market in a manner where they feel like you’re talking to them directly, you’re engagement will go through the roof. And then you’ll be off and running.

What About You?

Are there any competitors in your niche that you really dislike because of how they’re doing things? Can you solve the problem that they’re causing? Or are they missing the problem altogether? If you can identify these things, you’ll have your unique selling proposition sitting right there in front of you.

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