Marketers bang on about

• Differentiation
• Your USP
• What makes you different

But, how many explain how to do it?

Finding your USP (unique selling proposition), to some, is a dark art, but it needn’t be! Having read this article you will have clarity and steps to sharpen your USP and, keep it sharp.

To differentiate is the something different you offer from the competitors. In a crowded market, you may feel that there isn’t room for another firm. And, you are right, if that firm is a clone of something already there. There is always room in the market for someone delivering their services through a different approach or combination. And, that is the reason for prospects becoming customers or clients.

So, with pen and paper, write down what you offer with regards to each of these:

1. Your approach
   This comes from the people within your business. If there is only you, then its you! It’s about how you interpret your learning and the impact that has on the way you deliver your services.
2. Services & Products
   Whilst you may have clear differences now, it is harder to maintain differentials purely on this level. Even the global brands continually innovate to stay in front and whether that is with the recipe, product placement or being seen with other cool brands, staying on top requires a hefty budget!
3. Experience of the market or your prospects
   If you have detail experience of a particular sector, then you can use this to your advantage by being able to address the market from a position of authority. As a general rule, people will happily buy from someone who is perceived as an expert or an authority in the market and subject area.

   Don’t fall into the trap of many professional service firms that “we work with everybody” Remember: Nobody is everybody! By saying you serve a particular market or subject gives your listener, reader, prospect an understanding of what you are about and whether that is for them.

4. Background
   Where you have come from informs where you are now. It informs your approach and how you process ideas, material, problems and dissolve distress. Even your accent plays a part in how you are perceived by people. And, in an increasingly global market, this isn’t limited to accents relating to class, but regionally too. Consider regionally to be Scottish, Southern States of America, East Coast, West Coast and an Aussie accent. These will all resonate with people differently. Make the most of those cues that increase the attractiveness for your firm.
5. Skills and Education
   Both of these inform your approach. And, these are the easiest ways of ensuring your approach is continually evolving which means your USP and differentiation evolves too. And, isn’t that what you want?

   Your skills and education aren’t limited to your area of expertise. Expanding your skills into other areas helps to sharpen and continually develop your differentiation. For instance, a lawyer with skills in NLP, coaching and marketing will approach clients differently to one without those skills. This can be applied to any professional service provider. And, yes, there is still pressure on maintaining your professional development, this is only part of what makes you the firm to work with.

Sometimes, people feel they have to deal with those who have extensive knowledge and experience in their field. And, this is tough when first starting out or shifting the sort of people you want to work with.

3 Steps to uncover your USP

You need a sure fire way to uncover your uniqueness and this works for start-ups as well as established firms.

1. Go through all the feedback you’ve received. This can be appraisals, testimonials, emails, comments on feedback forms and what your friends say.

1. Pick out the themes. There will be qualities running through and these form the first part of your USP or differentiator. Because you are working from existing feedback, you can ask the authors whether you can use their comments as testimonials. If, for whatever reason, you don’t feel comfortable with this at the moment, start to articulate how these qualities make a difference to a customer’s experience.
2. Practice these at your networking events to gauge reactions and encourage conversation. For, it is through these that more of your uniqueness will show through.

You’ll know when you’ve got a real handle on your USP when you start using the words effortlessly and unconsciously.

You’ll notice your marketing materials starts to sparkle.

You’ll notice more enquiries.

You’ll feel much more attractive with more sales.

But wait, don’t stop there. Marketing is not an event, but something continuous.

So each time you interact with prospects and clients ask for feedback using these questions:

1. What did you want to resolve?
2. How do you feel as a result?
3. What concept or element helps you most?
4. What specific results did you get?

Choose when to ask all or a combination. This means you have a steady stream of new feedback to help you maintain your differentiation. And, if you ask the permission, you can include these as testimonials.

Being  or feeling like a “me too” business will be a thing of the past!

Photo – creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgifford/2993595189/