Can a Unique Selling Proposition Be Just a Simple Difference?

Have you ever thought that for something to be a unique selling proposition it needed to be really significant, like the Craftsman Hand Tools Lifetime, Unlimited Warranty or owning a patent or having a guarantee like FedEx’s guaranteed next day delivery? I used to. Then I began to pay attention and discovered that unique selling propositions (USPs) only have to be distinctive and important to the prospect.

To give you an example of a business person doing a good job of developing his USP, I’m going to continue my analysis of restaurateur Scott Slater and Slater’s 50/50. If your uniqueness appeals to your target market, then you may have a unique selling proposition. The goal is to have some distinction that sets you apart from others so that patrons have a reason to come. Almost any branding campaign can create a unique selling proposition just by heavy and constant repetition of their brand name and tagline. The problem with such an approach is that small and mid-sized businesses lack the advertising budget to build a brand just on the repeating an advertising slogan over and over on TV. Scott Slater, on the other hand, takes the path of most small businesses. [...]

Unique Selling Propositions – A Quiz of Famous Marketing Lines

This article is about famous marketing lines often called taglines or slogans. This week I finished the 6th lesson that’s part of my opt-in bonus, an ecourse, 9 Steps to Finding Prospects Who Want What You Provide. This lesson, “How to Stand Out in a Cast of Thousands,” describes how to Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition.

Writing that article inspired this blog post. Here are some of my favorite taglines for you to match up in a little quiz. To keep it interesting, I researched a few movie taglines too. These slogans become brief statements of the company’s or movie’s unique selling proposition. Notice that some describe very minor differences between the company whose slogan it is and its competitors. The key point is that they are establishing their position in the minds of the public. Not all of these statements are taglines. Some will be identifiers I think you’ll recognize because the company’s branding is so [...]

To Win Over Cynical Prospects, Use Soft Sell Sales and Marketing to Approach Them

The world is changing faster than most of us can keep up. These changes affect the business world as much as any other aspect of life. And among these changes is the fact that the American consumer is cynical and distrustful of businesses. At least half a century of hard sell tactics has wounded the relationship between buyers and sellers. Self-centered salespeople have lied to prospects so often and so much, people don’t know who’s telling the truth. Ironically, they want to trust.

Soft sell marketing is starting to make a major impact on Internet marketing. From there, it is spreading to soft sell sales. These approaches are what customers want now because people want the marketer and the salesperson to build a relationship with them before asking for the order. Customers have always wanted to know, like, and trust their vendors.
When you figure out whom your ideal customers are and then present your unique selling proposition and soft sell marketing message to them, showing you understand their needs and wants, you will have begun what can be a beautiful, long-term business relationship. Use soft sell sales techniques and you will earn their trust. Together these approaches mean they will come to know, like and trust you. You will help customers buy resulting in sales that are fun and mutually rewarding for the customer, your rep, and your [...]

Focus Your Marketing on Your Ideal Customer

Everybody today is under pressure to perform, to do more with fewer people. So how do you get more sales with the time, effort and money available? The key today, and always, is to focus on your ideal customer’s profile.

Everything builds from there out. No matter how good your product, your ideal niche market is something less than the entire world poplulation. So look at your best customers to help determine where your niche really is right now. One rule of thumb is that 20% of your customers account for 80% of you sales.

Your marketing campaign flows from your ideal customer description to your unique selling proposition to your benefit statements and finally to creating your marketing [...]