Increase Business with a Unique Selling Proposition

In order to succeed in this tough business environment, you need to stand out from the competition. One way you can do this, is to develop your own unique selling proposition.

A strong unique selling proposition can cut through the clutter. It can be used as an effective branding and sales tool that helps focus your marketing efforts and message. And ultimately, your unique selling proposition can help generate more sales for your business.

What is a Unique Selling Proposition?

A unique selling proposition is a concise statement that defines a key benefit your business provides customers. The statement should outline a single, unique benefit that only your business offers. A unique selling proposition helps potential customers understand your distinct value in an instant and how your business differs from the competition. Your unique selling proposition should be strong enough that it could serve as a headline in your advertising or communication efforts.

Determining if your Unique Selling Proposition is Appropriate
The best way to determine if your unique selling proposition will be successful is to identify a void in the market that your business can fill. Look for niches that appeal to customers and are a natural fit for your business model. Your unique selling proposition should be relevant to your customers.

Market research can help define areas your business can tap into when developing your unique selling proposition. Encourage customers to fill out a survey to better define some potential benefits your business might be able to fulfill. Research might also reveal a problem that many customers experience and therefore define a void your product or service can fulfill.

For instance, a running shoe store might discover through research that their customers would really like to be able to run a week in a new pair of running shoes and if they do not feel right, they can return them with no questions asked. With this new information, the business could develop a unique selling proposition based around a 14-day satisfaction guarantee.

Examples of Good Unique Selling Propositions

A strong unique selling proposition cuts through the clutter. Unique selling propositions such as Dominos Pizza used "Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or it's free," helped them stand out from other pizza delivery companies. An ice cream shop might cut through the clutter with a unique selling proposition of "Ice cream just like grandma's, made from scratch with the freshest, natural ingredients."

Deliver on the Promise of Your Unique Selling Proposition

In addition to capturing the unique benefits of your products or service, you need to make sure you can deliver upon the promise your unique selling proposition makes.