Discover the secret of your “Unique”-ness and how to communicate it effectively to become an army of one!

Want to know the secret to growing your business and boosting conversions fast? Read on…. So far over the last few weeks, we have covered the first two elements of our Strategy on a Page; the Vision and the Purpose. But now we move up to the second square on the top line of the diagram, which is split into three areas;

·      Unique Selling Proposition

·      Market Space

·      Company Promise

Although they have not been allocated a large amount of space on the diagram (see pic below), they are nevertheless incredibly powerful individual elements of the bigger picture and each serve an important purpose.

It’s a big world out there!

The subconscious brain has a lot to answer for. It very effectively filters the torrent of data that flows over us every day and bring to our attention only those items that we have told it we are interested in knowing about

It is a bit like the new generation of video recorders that record the programmes you don’t like and plays them back when you are out.

Seriously, if it wasn’t for our internal filter we would drown under information. The downside is that it can work against us as well. For example, if you hear an unusual name that you’ve not heard before, all of a sudden you become aware of that name popping up all over the place. In reality, it was there all along but your subconscious mind has now cleverly brought it to your attention.

This same process works in business as well. You have an idea for a business, go through all the processes and set it up and open the doors to customers. It is only then that your subconscious mind now brings to your attention all the other businesses doing exactly the same thing and all you can think of now is “the competition”.

Not a good focus to have.

Over the many years that I have been working with businesses of all sizes and at all stages in their life cycle, the one thing that I have learnt is that no two of them are exactly the same.

Each one has different present strengths and future strengths (note – I do not use the term weaknesses!). It is focussing on those positive differences that can give you an edge and carve you out a marketplace of your own, no matter how many other people are doing similar things.

The One and Only

The concept of a “Unique Selling Proposition” has been covered extensively over the years in books, on MBA programmes and by marketing experts of all shapes and sizes, but it is one of those phrases that could be easily dismissed as “marketing speak” by the SME business, without realising what a valuable tool it can be.

So how unique do you need to be?

The really exciting development in the world of business, that has only really come into its own since the “internet search engines” made it possible to quickly locate the smallest and most obscure product or service anywhere in the world at the click of a mouse, is the Niche Business.

Niche businesses can now thrive in a global marketplace.

All of a sudden, geographical location is not an issue. Having a retail shop in a prime position with high footfall is no longer necessary.

When searching for a product or service, it is no longer part of our criteria that they are located around the corner. We can now order anything and have the expectation that it will arrive at our door the following day.

The customer is king and will go wherever they can to get what they need, when they need it.

All of a sudden, it doesn’t matter what size of business you are, or where you are located.

The levelling factor is that every website is viewed on the same size of screen in the same frame. What you do in that space is up to you. You can now go head to head with any other business. Exciting times!

That is why it is really important to understand those things that make you special; the things that bring your customers back again and again; the reasons they choose you and not a similar business around the corner.

What is your USP?

Sometimes it can be such a tiny thing that it could be easily dismissed.

For example, it could be your positive attitude, the way you serve customers; how you make them feel and how you add value to your relationship with them by sharing your knowledge and advice. There are many occasions where you might not be the closest, the most convenient or even the cheapest, but your customers still choose to do business with you, rather than another business closer to them, because of something as small as that. Don’t underestimate this!

One of my clients, Robbie Williams (not the pop star!), of Impact Data Solutions, has successfully set up a rapidly growing data cabling company. He has achieved a turnover of near to £1 million in his first year and is on target to double that in year two with some impressive blue chip clients. What’s his USP? It’s him!

His attitude and his ethics in the industry, that’s what makes a hugely successful business. Never underestimate the difference you make.

It might be your connections, if you are an avid networker and that you know who to go to in order to get something done. It might be your knowledge and the advice that you provide to your customers.

Knowledge can be a great differentiator, especially if you package and leverage it.

By doing so, you demonstrate your status as an expert in your field, rather than just another supplier. People will also gravitate to where they get the most value.

Whatever the reason that people choose you, it is important that you know what it is.

Remember: People buy people before they buy products.

I’ve seen companies who are winning business purely because of the values that they lead with. It could be your proposition, it could be the way you’ve packaged your way in your industry, slightly different to competitors, looking at how you position yourself, or it might be your business model. Just take a look at all these different areas.

Be aware that if you are the main or only reason that people buy from your company, it is going to make an exit strategy a lot more difficult in the future, and will influence the strategy you choose in moving forward. Tomorrow I will launch into discovering your “USP”