What’s better: chopped liver or filet mignon?

Most people answer “filet mignon.”

But filet mignon isn’t better than chopped liver.

Nor is chopped liver better than filet mignon.

Here’s the mistake most people make…

If you picked “filet mignon,” you SHOULD have said “I LIKE filet mignon better” and not “filet mignon IS better”.

One is not inherently superior to the other. It’s a matter of taste.

You like filet mignon. So to you, filet mignon is better.

But I like chopped liver…so to me, it’s not.

So…what does this have to do with your business?

Plenty.

Every business needs to have a Unique Selling Proposition, or “USP”…a reason why customers should buy from YOU instead of from your competitors.

Do you know what the weakest USP is?

It’s “we’re better”.

Better, you see, is non-specific…and it’s difficult to prove.

You say you’re better. I say I’m better.

It’s difficult to prove…and just SAYING it causes prospects to disbelieve you.

Also, better is such a general term, that it has little meaning.

Same thing with the overused “quality.”

So how do you create a unique selling proposition that actually gets people to want to buy your product instead of the competition?

There are many methods, but let me describe just three of them here.

The first is to focus on a feature of your product—one that is different or unique, AND that delivers an important benefit to the user.

Examples:

* Crispix cereal – the manufacturer didn’t say it “tasted better”. They said Crispix “stays crisp in milk”…a benefit consumers wanted.

* Wonder Bread – “helps build strong bodies 12 ways.” They didn’t say it was better tasting or more nutritious. They just said Wonder Bread built strong bodies in 12 ways.

The second way to create a USP with selling power is to narrow the target market—that is, to focus on a specific market niche.

For example, there are thousands of business consultants out there, all fighting for clients.

But my old high school chum, Gary Gerber, is a consultant who doesn’t fight for clients.

He has all he can handle…and potential clients waiting in line to hire him.

Why?

Because he is not just a business development consultant…

He is a business development consultant specializing in eye doctors.

It doesn’t hurt that, before becoming a business development consultant to eye doctors, he owned the largest and most successful optometry practice in New Jersey.

If you were an eye doctor looking to build your practice, who would you want to work with—Gary or a consultant who says he can help you but has never worked with an eye doctor before?

The third way to create a winning USP is with branding.

The branding approach usually takes a massive, costly advertising campaign that small businesses cannot afford, although there are ways to shortcut this, such as with a celebrity spokesperson.

A great example is the George Foreman grill…

This is clearly not the world’s best grill, nor do I recall the manufacturer making this claim in their commercials.

But it is the ONLY grill you can buy with the name “George Foreman” on it.

So if you want a grill that cooks good food, you can get it lots of places.

But if you want a “George Foreman” grill, you can ONLY get it from the George Foreman grill company.

You can’t confidently promote and sell yourself without a strong USP.

After all, if you don’t have the reason why someone should buy your product instead of competing products at the tip of your tongue…how will you persuade prospects to buy what you’re selling instead of going to your competitors?

When formulating a USP, start by asking yourself these questions:

* What is different about my product that delivers an important benefit to the user?

* Is there an industry, application, or other niche I can specialize in?

* Is there a way to brand my company or product in a unique fashion with appeal to consumers?

Action step: come up with a USP for your product or service this week.

Bob Bly is the author of “World’s Best Copywriting Secrets” and has written copy for more than 100 companies including IBM, Boardroom, Medical Economics and AT&T. He is the author of more than 75 books and a columnist for Target Marketing, Early To Rise and The Writer. McGraw-Hill calls him “America’s top copywriter”.

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