U.S.P., in marketing, is the acronym for unique selling
proposition. This is asking, “What distinguishes you from
similar products or services, even businesses as a whole?”
After using the USP method to uncover the uniqueness of my
products and services, I continued to find them difficult to
name. Because of this, I developed a list of 50 easy-to-
answer questions to help me get through the process quickly.
[Please allow product and service to mean the same thing for
simplicity sake in this article.
First, select an equal playing competitor. If not equal,
choose one that is as closely matched as possible. Even if
you are selling apples, be careful on the choice of
characteristics. A Granny Smith apple is different from a
Winesap apple. Both are consumed by similar markets but
they have much different uses in cooking. Be mindfully
open, somewhere there is a similar apple — guaranteed.
Second, gather all their product information. Lay the
material before you, make a list of the features and
benefits. Read and compared line-by-line if needed. I like
to use the abbreviation’s S and D (similar/different). If
you didn’t come up with anything or your list is small, that
is okay, this happens to me a lot. Your mind isn’t seeing
them. The questions below will build on your list and
expand your view.
If you offer a new service, match target markets, and select
one that is less than two years ahead of your success. If
their product is too far ahead, you will suffer from
“measurement stress”. This will please your inner critic
but test your passion and sabotage your commitment.
After you have completed whatever list you could do, use
these questions to continue expanding:
1. Make a list of their product benefits?
2. What are the benefits your product offers?
3. Identify the features they have that you don’t have?
4. Identify the features that you have? Compare.
5. What features are better in their product.
6. What features are better in yours?
7. Why are they better (from a buyers perspective)?
8. What is their price?
9. What is your price?
10. Why is your price different?
11. What emotional needs/desires does your product meet?
12. What physical needs/desires does your product meet?
13. Does your product sell better at different times of the
year? And if so, why?
14. Are any of your competitors local? If so, where are
they?
15. What is the size of your competitor’s business?
16. Where is this competitor marketing? Find their ads,
always keep them in your file.
17. What age and gender are they marketing to? Is the same
as yours?
18. What income level are they marketing to? What are you
marketing to?
19. What type of customer care do they offer? Research and
find out.
20. What type of customer care are you going to offer?
What’s different about your customer care or how can it be?
21. Do you offer a special type of advice that they don’t?
If so, what?
22. If you offer confidentiality, in what ways do you offer
this?
23. How is your confidentiality different than your
competitors? Or is it the same?
24. How fast does your competitor fulfill orders?
25. What type of answers do they have for their product?
Do they offer a FAQ (frequently asked question page)?
26. How fast do they answer questions? Submit one and find
out.
27. Do they offer a range of payment methods or are they
limited? What will be yours?
28. What is their customer service policy? Write yours and
know the difference.
29. How many ways can people contact them?
30. What are their “availability” hours?
31. Do they offer product discounts? What are their break
points?
32. How do they ship? Is it fr*ee or discounted in some
way?
33. Do they offer value-added incentives? This could be in
the form of complimentary documentation or time,
newsletters, or other items. What can you offer that is
better?
34. Do they offer gifts? Are they special or common? What
do customers have to purchase to get them?
35. Create a list of unique, customer valued gifts, that
you might use make theirs eat dust?
36. What special skills do their employees offer? What are
yours?
37. Does their staff have some special type of training?
Do you or can you get?
38. What makes you excited about selling this product?
39. How long have they been in business? Where are they on
the product maturity line? Where are you?
40. If you haven’t been in business as long, can you
explain your quick success?
41. What do customers say about them? What do yours say?
Similar is good but unique statements help more.
42. What statistics do you have on your product that you
can use to show your uniqueness?
43. Do they have any celebrity endorsements? You can you
get that is already known by your customers?
44. How many ways does the product change people life
styles or mindset?
45. How long does their product last by the customer? And
yours?
46. Where is the product in the trend line with customers?
47. How frequently does your competitor introduce something
new in order to stay on the cutting edge? And you?
48. How fast can they get their product to their customers?
Can you do better?
49. Were they the first in developing this product? How
long ago was that? Do you have newness as an advantage?
50. Location can be a key. Where is your office or
distribution house located? Can you create more than one
location? Do they have other locations?
Always remember, everyone wants to eat at restaurants that
have the most cars in the parking lot? Customers trust that
if other people are eating there, they must have good food
and service. Your answers to these questions will help keep
your parking lot full.
About the Author
Catherine is a veteran entrepreneur and communications
master coach. Additional articles, newsletters, workshops,
and other information is available at:
blog:
