The Unique Selling Proposition

One of the key things that must be identified for effective marketing and sales is your USP or Unique Selling Proposition.

The USP is the thing that sets you, your products and services or your business apart from every other competitor in a favorable way.

Amazon.com has "The Earth's Biggest Bookstore" for example. A USP positions your offering as being different from, and consequently more valuable than, your competitors offering.

In a world that is flooded with marketing messages it gives your prospect specific and compelling reasons to buy from you instead of your competitors.

One way to develop a USP is by starting with the words, "Unlike most of our competitors...," then filling in the blanks about what differentiates you.

Another way to develop a USP is to highlight a feature or benefit that only your product or service contains or features.

The possibilities for crafting a USP are endless. The key is to adopt a USP that fills a void in the marketplace that you or your product can genuinely fill.