Best Practice Advice & Sales & Marketing for Professional Services & Sales Tips & Strategic Issues
3 questions you must answer to define your Uniqueness
May 1, 2012
by Tony Vidler.The difference between a good (but not spectacular) salesperson, and a truly magnificent salesperson is the ability to succinctly articulate what makes them special. This is often referred to as having a “Unique Selling Proposition”, or USP.
A good USP is the thing that in a moment makes a potential customer think: “Aha! – I am interested in talking to YOU”.
A good USP is the thing that in a moment makes a potential customer think: “Aha! – I am interested in talking to YOU”.That moment can be the difference between merely making a living, or making a mint.
So how does one go about defining their USP?
Well, it’s hard work. You have to think honestly about what makes you different, and how you deliver value, and then be able to capture that in a simple statement that people can get, or get intrigued by, in moments….it is not a 5 minute job to work out for most people. In fact it is something that you might be constantly thinking about and working on for many many months.
To get on track with defining your own USP there are just a few questions that you need to be able to answer. So here are the questions you have to answer in order to distill the essence of what makes you special, and why somebody should deal with you.
1. What do I really do?
(Note: not what are the mechanics or functions of my job, but what things do I achieve for others)
2. What am I genuinely passionate about?
(Note: “passionate” is an over-used word, but think about what you would do for no financial reward (if you could), because you genuinely love doing it)
3. How does what I do, and what I am passionate about, combine to make a fantastic difference to another person?
(Note: This is the toughest one to work out – and is the essence of a great USP)
Some good (but not GREAT) examples:
“what makes me unique is my ability to grasp complex technical information REALLY quickly, and provide practical simple solutions straight away that clients can benefit from.”
“what makes me unique is my ability to positively influence people to change their thinking on how their financial future can be, and then help them make it happen the way they want it to.”
“I am great at being able to to stay focused on the end goal for my clients, and to be able to adapt their plan for them as the world changes so they are always on track to achieve their big goals.”
There is a common structure here in articulating the USP. Identifying immediately that you are able to describe something different about you in comparison to others, focusing then on the key function that you perform better than others, and then translating that into the core benefit for the client.
Simplistically, the formula for a great USP could be described as:
My brilliance + my passion = Your gain
a final example….
“I am the best in the business at taking complex financial problems onboard, and delivering simple solutions that work for my clients. I make their financial issues easy for them to fix.”
It can be very hard work distilling all that you know, and all that you can do, into a simple sound-bite that people can grab, and understand, in moments. If you are able to though, you will find that more prospective clients engage you.
Like this? Then share it with others…or visit www.strictlybiz.co.nz for loads more useful and interesting information.
For more great ideas on how Strictly Business can help your professional advice business perform better and grow, visit www.strictlybiz.co.nz
© 2012 Tony Vidler. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this web site not otherwise subject to copyright of other parties are subject to the ownership rights of Tony Vidler. Tony Vidler authorises you to make a single copy of the content herein for your own personal, non-commercial, use while visiting the site. You agree that any copy made must include the Tony Vidler copyright notice in full. No other permission is granted to you to print, copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, upload, download, store, display in public, alter, or modify the content contained on this web site.
0
Comments (0)