The Power of

Unique Selling
Propositions

Why Your USP Should Be #1 In

Your Business

By:

Burton M Clement
Founder / Director

Senior Brick & Mortar / Internet

Business Strategist / Marketing Consultant

The16Steps.com

1
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Copyright © 2008-2009. All rights reserved.

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No part of this work may be reproduced or
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storage or retrieval system, without the
written permission of the copyright owner.

Printed and bound in the United States of

America.

Every precaution has been taken to ensure that

the information presented in this book is
accurate. However, neither the author nor BC
Specialties shall have any liability to any
person or entity with respect to any loss or
damage caused or alleged to be caused directly
or indirectly by the information contained
within this work. The information is presented
on an “as is” basis, there is no warranty.

The information contained within this manual is

not legal advice. Please consult an attorney
for legal advice.

Contact information: www.The16Steps.com

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Table of Contents

How to Stand Out from the Crowd 5

The Proof 18

The USP Phenomenon 26

The Classics 38

The Rules 49

Tactics for Positioning 56

Guarantees: Tricks and Tips 71

The Price Factor 85

What to do with Your USP? 95

Establishing Credibility 112

What’s in a Name? 122

Analysis of USP’s 133

Conclusion 150

How to Stand Out from the Crowd

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 “If you ever have the good fortune to
create a great advertising campaign, you
will soon see another agency steal it. This
is irritating, but don't let it worry you;
nobody has ever built a brand by imitating
somebody else's advertising.”

--David Ogilvy

What is a Niche Concept?

No matter what business you are in, you
must learn that the most successful businesses
don’t try to be something for everyone.
Instead they focus in on a narrow subject area
– a niche. No matter what you are selling
(whether it be a product or a professional
service), you need to hone in on your niche.

At first glance, it may seem like offering

a product or service that is appealing to
everyone will generate more sales than one
geared toward a small group of people. But the
fact is this concept rarely ever pans out. So
it’s in your best interest to try not to be
lulled by the thought. Instead, what works
better is to focus on solving a specific
problem. Usually the more specific the better.

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 Marketing is all about being at the right
place, at the right time, with the right
message. If you try to be there for everyone,
your message will become diluted. And if you
dilute it enough, it won’t be the right
message, at the right time, for anyone. Just
remember that – it’s a golden rule of
marketing.

I’m sure you realize it’s impossible to

meet everyone’s needs. It will work in your
favor to select a target audience and attempt
to appeal to them and them alone.

 Cater your product or service to solve

their needs…

 Adjust your marketing to fit with their

interests…

 Write your advertising to be compelling

to them…

This may seem simple at first glance.

But, take it to heart; it really is a sure-fire
way to increase your sales.

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 I’m sure you get the idea. Just focus in
on one specific area. It is impossible for one
product or service to fill everyone’s needs.
Even just within a single market.

After reviewing this course on

positioning, you may need to adjust your
product or service, your advertising, your
website, or your target audience a little. In
fact, it is quite possible you may need to
adjust them all. Fortunately, none of these
are set in stone and can usually be changed
quite easily.

You may be a little skeptical. If this is

the right way to do business, why don’t more
(or any) of your competitors do it? It’s a
good question, and here are a few answers.

1. Your competitors are probably greedy, so

they don’t want to take a definitive
stance. They want all the customers they
can get. Their business is plain vanilla.
There is nothing unique about them.

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 By targeting a select audience, it does
seem like you will have to turn away some
clients. But the reality is you can’t
appeal to everyone anyway. By trying to
appeal to everyone, it is likely that you
won’t appeal too much of anyone.
Differentiating is the key to success in
business.

As Jack Trout put it in “The 22 Immutable

Laws of Marketing”, “When you try to be
all things to all people, you inevitably
wind up in trouble.”

2. Many businesses are afraid to set

themselves apart. This is due in part to
being afraid to step aside from the pack.
Different scares them. Unique is risky.
They have the “follow the herd” mentality.

3. It can take some effort to come up with a

well articulated message. And, if it
doesn’t work, they will have to revise it.
So this takes even more effort.

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 4. Some of the best messages include a
promise. Promises are risky. Therefore,
most people won’t make them.

The truth is you stand a better chance of

becoming an acknowledged leader in a more
targeted niche than in a larger, broad one. If
you look around at your competition, it is
likely that no one has segmented the market.
That means there is a prime opportunity for you
if you give this a try.

The Concept of a USP

What’s that, you ask? Well, a USP is a
Unique Selling Proposition. You may have heard
it expressed before as a unique buying
advantage, unique value proposition or any
other number of ways…

But basically, a USP is an attempt to

express the uniqueness of your business in a
single statement. It can be a promise no one
else makes. It can also be a unique benefit
that applies only to your product or service.
Either way, it serves to differentiate you from
your competition.

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 To sum it up, it’s a one to two sentence
phrase (or it can be a concept that you apply
to all your marketing efforts) that clearly
lets your customers know why they should buy
your product over your competitor’s products.

Sounds obvious, but think about it. Why

should your customers buy from you and not
someone else? You need a good reason;
otherwise, your lack of one will indicate that
you are merely jumping around shouting “buy
mine”, “buy mine” just like virtually everyone
else out there (no wonder very few businesses
ever make it to their 7th year).

Your USP should spell out exactly what

your major benefit is. What will your product
or service do for the prospect if he or she
buys?

Whatever you are selling, think of its

best benefit. Turn that into a phrase and you
will have your USP. If you can twist the
phrase in a way that makes you appear different
than your competitors that’s even better.
Remember, you want to focus on your unique
appeal.

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 You want to cement that benefit or promise
to your product or service. And you want this
benefit to be important enough to get consumers
clamoring to buy from you. You need to find
your most marketable point and then create an
irresistible message from it.

Here are the basics to a profit pulling USP:

 Your USP should set you apart favorably.

 Your aim is to try to fill an obvious void

in the marketplace.

 Your positioning should set you apart from

your competition.

In the process, it should get prospective

customers excited about your product or
service.

Having a USP helps make you look like you

are on the customer’s side and not just out to
prey on unsuspecting passer bys. Instead of
raving how you’re number 1 (like everyone
else), you can appeal to their benefits.

Prospective customers really don’t care

how great your company is (especially if that’s

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coming from you) or how long you’ve been in
business. They want to know what’s in it for
them. What benefits will they get if they buy
from you instead of your competition? That’s
your USP. So start thinking about what sets
you apart from your competition.

When people think of what you sell or have

to offer, you want them to think of you. You
want to create an awareness for your business
so that when an individual needs what you have,
they choose you immediately. You don’t want to
just exist in the marketplace; you want to be
the company of choice!

The best part of all this is a USP is a

free marketing tool.

You will need to put on your thinking cap

to create one, but it isn’t something that
needs to cost you an arm and a leg to come up
with. Sure you can go to an ad agency and
spend thousands of dollars crafting it. But,
the fact is, even if you go to a high priced
marketing agency and they do their job right,
the USP will still ultimately come from you.
You know your business and the promises you can
fulfill much better than anyone else.

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How am I Going to Come Up with One?
If you’ve been in business for a while,
you will simply need to do a little research
about the position you may have in the eyes of
your clients and prospective customers.

 How do prospective customers and clients

already view your company’s products and
services?

 How is your company currently seen?

And if you’re just starting out, you will

have to find the answer to this question…

 How do you want prospective customers to

view your products and services?

Now, you may have to add a twist to your

product or service to create the unique
quality. One of the easiest ways to
differentiate yourself is to be the first at
something. The first is implied as the best
because they are perceived as the leader.

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 So be the first in a niche that you
create.

The Power of a Focused Campaign

It is important not to overcomplicate your
USP. It should ultimately be narrowed down to
one or two concepts at the most. If you
confuse people and claim too many benefits
right up front it’s likely they won’t buy.
Customers will only hold a certain number of
messages in their head for a certain topic.
The idea of a USP is to help break through the
clutter. So you need to be as succinct as
possible, not add to it.

Try to put yourself in your prospective

customers mind. Chances are, if you come
across unfocused advertising from a single
company, one of the following will happen…

 You may not remember the previous ad/ads.

 You may not connect that the ads are

coming from the same business.

 If you do remember, you may be confused

about the message they are sending you.

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  Worse yet, you may remember and you may
not believe a word of what they are
saying.

This will be especially true if in some of

the ads, they present their business as an
exclusive one and in the next they present it
as a discount provider. The two positions do
not seem plausible as a match. If you are
exclusive, you generally are anything but
cheap. If you are a cheap, discount supplier
the last thing you are is exclusive. This is
an obvious example, but even those that are
more subtle can have the same effect.

Your marketing must match in order for you

to get the most out of it.

Here’s an example. Think about any Ford

vehicle and contrast it with any Mercedes.

Do you see how these car companies take

virtually opposite positions in the car
industry? One caters to the average consumer,
who expects a decent car for a low price. The
other caters to luxury vehicle owners who are
willing to spend more on a car and have much
higher expectations.

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 All of the advertising you will ever see
from either Ford or Mercedes will reflect their
respective positions in the marketplace.

We will cover many more examples later on.

Don’t be one of those business owners, who

when asked about their business, don’t have a
clear, articulate answer.

For any given industry, there will be

several (dozens or even more) of competitors.
You need to be able to clearly and concisely
give a reason why the consumer should choose
you. There is usually room for improvement in
any product or service. Your business, no
matter how ordinary it is can be
differentiated. Sometimes it can be as simple
as telling your prospective customers what you
do, even if it’s what your competitors do.

Alternately, you can find the gap between

your competitors and develop a business that
doesn’t have any direct competitors.

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 Remember, someone else may brand the USP
concept differently. But ultimately, this is
about finding a unique quality in your business
and conveying it clearly. The last thing you
want is to try to get customers just by saying
“buy from me”, or “we’re better”.

I think of a USP as a theme.

After reading this book you will become an

expert at USP’s and will hopefully take the
time to craft your own. So let’s get started…

The Proof

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“The consumer tends to remember just one thing
from advertising – one strong claim, or one
strong concept.”

--Rosser Reeves

So Why Should You Spend all this

Time Coming Up with a USP?
Isn’t there always more than one way to do
something?

You’re right, there usually is. But the

concept of a unique selling proposition has
been shown to be a highly effective means for
advertising. Top advertising companies use the
USP technique for their clients, as do many
successful small business and service
professionals.

Not only that, but Jay Abraham recommends

using a USP. You’re probably wondering why
this should be important to you?

Well, Jay Abraham is the founder and CEO

of Abraham Group, Inc. He has increased
revenues and profits for over 10,000 clients
(many of which you would instantly recognize,
like Century 21, Holiday Inn, and Taco Bell) in

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more than 400 industries around the globe. Jay
is respected by CEO’s, entrepreneurs, marketing
experts and best selling authors alike.

He is undoubtedly America’s highest paid

marketing consultant, and he recommends
creating a USP. He recommends it whether you
are a small business with revenues of less than
$100,000 a year or a giant corporation.

So if you want to argue with Jay Abraham,

go ahead, but those of us interested in making
a profit will stick by the fact that he’s a
marketing genius. Virtually any advice he
gives is paramount to success!

To provide you with more proof, a research

paper by R.G. Cooper and E.J. Kleinschmidt
studied 203 new industrial products. They were
determined to find the factors that affected
the product success rate the most. What they
found was that having a uniquely superior
product with significant points of difference
from its competitors, was most important.

A best-selling Marketing textbook, (by

Eric Berkowitz) states that “The greatest
single factor in a new product’s failure is the

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lack of significant ‘points of difference’ that
set it apart from competitors’ substitutes.”

And the long list of research showing the

benefit of using USP’s goes on and on.

In addition, the USP is a popular tool

used by many current businesses in their
marketing campaigns. Some of the more popular
USP’s have been used for decades. I’m sure
you’ll recognize these…

» “Wonder Bread helps build strong bodies in eight

ways.”

» “Certs breath mints with a magic drop of retsyn.”

» “Colgate cleans your breath while it cleans your

teeth.”

» “How do you spell relief? R-O-L-A-I-D-S.”

» “Only Viceroy gives you 20,000 filter traps in

every filter.”

» “Anacin, the pain reliever that doctors

recommended most.”

Recognize these? Did you know that some

of them were created as long as fifty years
ago? Do you know who helped come up with the
USP’s responsible for these slogans?

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 Well, it was none other than the founder
of the USP, the great advertising man, Rosser
Reeves. He wrote about the USP technique in
“The Reality of Advertising” in 1961.

Biography at a glance…

1910.1984 Rosser Reeves is one of the great

influences in advertising. He
eventually became chairman of the
board for Ted Bates and Company, a
high profile advertising company. His
advertising, specifically, the use of
the USP helped bring the Bates agency
from 16 million to 130 million.

Reeves was the first to coin the term

unique selling proposition. Here are the
criteria of the USP as Reeves laid out in his
book…

1. “Each advertisement must make a proposition

to the consumer. Not just words, not just
product puffery, not just show-window
advertising. Each advertisement must say to
each reader: Buy this product and you will
get this specific benefit.”

2. “The proposition must be one that the

competition either cannot, or does not,
offer. It must be unique - either a
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 uniqueness of the brand or a claim not
otherwise made in that particular field of
advertising.”

3. “The proposition must be so strong that it

can move the mass millions; i.e., pull over
new customers to your product.”

Reeves felt the product or service should

be different from the competition, but the
advertising should stay the same throughout the
life of the product. He believed the
advertising should have the same theme. That
means the exact sales copy, brochures, ads,
etc… could vary, but he felt the main message
in each ad should always stay the same.

There is a benefit to having a common

theme run through all your advertising. Can
you guess what it is?

Simply put, it will help cement your

product or service in a prospective customer’s
mind. If you change it often, consumers will
get confused. Also, if you constantly alter
your advertising to appeal to different
audiences, it is likely to turn consumers off
to you. It will seem as though you think your
product fits every need imaginable -- and of
course logic defies this. Therefore, you will
not be believed.
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 Consistency is the key. You must pick
something to focus on and then focus on it in
different ways throughout the life of the
products’ advertising.

So create and then stick with a winning

USP.

More Facts on Market Testing

Lets’ talk for a minute about a couple of
marketing terms; penetration and usage pull.

Market penetration is a measure of how

many people can recall a given advertising
campaign. Let’s say we put 100 people in a
room, show them some ads and then ask them
questions. If 50 people remembered what
product a particular ad sold, then that ad
would have a penetration of 50%.

The other term, usage pull is a little

more complicated. The usage pull is the
difference between people who buy the product
in the penetrated and un-penetrated groups. So
let’s say 10% of the people in the un-
penetrated group (the people who couldn’t

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remember the product from the ad) bought the
product. From the penetrated group, 20% of the
people buy the product. In this example, 10%
is the difference between both groups. So the
usage pull is 10%.

But all these numbers don’t really matter

…

…what does matter is that more of the

people who remembered the ad bought the
product. This suggests that the advertising is
working. And USP’s have been shown to increase
the usage pull of many advertisements.

So that’s how big companies with big

budgets might measure their advertising. Now,
you don’t need to get a group of people and run
tests on them like this (you can if you want,
but if you’re a small business it might not be
feasible). I just wanted you to understand the
basis of some of these ideas.

They work, there is proof and I’d like you

to try positioning your business and watch how
it increases your profits!

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 The USP Phenomenon

“It takes a big idea to attract the

attention of consumers and get them to buy

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 your product. Unless your advertising
contains a big idea, it will pass like a
ship in the night. I doubt if more than one
campaign in a hundred contains a big idea.”

--David Ogilvy

The Shocking Truth

First of all, what I’m going to say may
shock you. But it’s true. There is something
special about your business. It doesn’t matter
if you are a dentist, a graphic designer,
hairdresser, publisher, consultant, etc…

Whether you are selling a “How to Start a

Business Online” kit, carpet cleaning services,
or even a new line of clothing…

Somewhere under the surface is something

special just waiting to be noticed. And
together, we will find it, hone it into a USP
and test it to determine how it fits. It will
be up to you to fine tune it to determine just
how much more money your advertising can bring
you.

Trust me, no matter what business you are

in or how ordinary you think your business may
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be we are going to find something unique about
it and transform it.

Here is what a profit pulling USP will allow

you to do…

» Find a niche and position yourself as

the ONLY choice for that niche.

» Place your product or service on a

different level than your competition,
catapult you to higher plane of business
and enable you to sell in a vacuum (i.e.
No direct competition).

» Protect you from market fluctuations.

» Break free from mindless advertising and

get your product or service remembered
more than any other in your market.

» Grant a stronger preference for your

company’s products and services so you can
charge more and customers will gladly pay
your higher price.

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 Think of your USP as a marketing strategy.
Without a well thought out strategy, your
advertising will send out random messages that
don’t have a common theme. This will prevent
it from being as effective as it would have
been if you had a strategy in place.

It’d be like a basketball team with no

game plan. With no strategy, the players will
scramble around on the court, aimlessly, and
their game will surely suffer. Even if they
are the top players in the world, without a
coherent game plan, they probably won’t stand a
chance against opponents with a well thought
out plan.

So in this analogy, the opponents are your

competitors, and the game is your business.
You are the coach, so your job is to put
together a strategy that will ensure a victory
over your competition!

You must come up with your USP first

before you do anything else. This is
imperative. If you’ve already started
marketing your products or services, you may
want to try to wipe the slate clean. Target in
on a USP now and then re-write your marketing

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campaigns so that the new theme is the primary
message.

The nice thing is, unless you’re already a

multi-million dollar company with a huge
advertising budget … unless you’ve already
spread the word about your products and
services on national television, you can
probably get away with a major shift in your
marketing campaigns right now.

But take note, a USP is not something you

should just whip out in a matter of a couple of
hours. It may even take you more than a
couple of days.

I’m not suggesting that you dwell on it

forever and wind up doing nothing at all. But
don’t take this step lightly; it is the
foundation for all your other marketing.
Crafting a profit pulling USP will bring a
great amount of focus and clarity to all the
marketing you will do in the future. In fact,
it will actually cut down on the time it takes
you to create all your future advertising
pieces.

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 Everything else hinges on it. Like the
foundation of a house or the sketch of a
fabulous painting, if you don’t spend time
crafting your USP, everything else will be that
much more difficult and less effective.

Once you’ve created your USP, you will

present it to prospective customers through
your marketing media; such as your web sites,
advertisements, brochures, sales presentations,
etc…

You will repeat the same themed message

(your USP) across all of these media types.
Chances are you will tire of it. But that does
not matter. What matters is how it works on
your target audience.

Fortunately, you will tire of it long

before your market ever will. Or to put it in
better words, long before the effectiveness of
it is diminished.

So What Are the Keys to a Good USP?

Your USP should get at the heart of one of
the following two questions…

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 1. If you are a professional, why should a
client hire you over another professional?

2. If you own a small business, why should

customers do business with you and not
another business?

The answer to these questions will be your

key to developing a successful USP.

One way to create your USP is to

differentiate your product or service so that
it caters to a select segment of the market (a
niche).

You then need to find a special message

that will appeal to that particular niche. The
more exact the fit, the better. You must
include the optimal selling points for a
specific target audience very clearly in your
message and put that right up front.

Here’s an example of what I mean…

If I say, “Attention”, does that make you

stop what you’re doing and take note? Maybe,
maybe not.

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 But what if I take it further and say,
“Attention all homeowners”? If you own a home,
now do I have your attention?

What if I say “Attention all homeowners

interested in refinancing”? Let’s pretend for
a moment you own a home and want to refinance.

Even further yet, “Attention all new

homeowners interested in refinancing”. Now, I
only have the people who just bought a home
(and have not paid much on their loan) who are
already thinking about refinancing it.

Do you see how if you fit in this group,

you might be more prone to listen, whereas if I
just kept the statement general, you might
easily miss it?

OK, I have one more, “Attention all new

homeowners interested in refinancing for less
than $1,500”.

In this example, the niche or market

segment is new homeowners interested in
refinancing. The USP might just be a general

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concept statement like; “We cater to those
interested in refinancing new homes for an
inexpensive, flat fee.”

The world of loan mortgages is huge. I

get several pieces of home loan information in
the mail every week as I’m sure you do as well.
Newspapers are filled with ads on mortgages and
refinancing them. So you need something to
help you stand out. Consumers are literally
pelted with ads on this subject – chances are,
if you break away from the mold, people will
notice.

As advertisers, we need a way to break out

from all the random messages consumers get all
day long, each and every day. Let’s say you
run a classified ad in your cities main
newspaper with this as the headline, “Attention
all new homeowners interested in refinancing
for less than $1,500.”

The body of the ad reads something like

this…

“If you have a home worth $300,000 or

less, we’ll refinance it for you for less
than $1,500. One flat-rate. No extra

33
 fees. Save yourself up to $452.00 a month
on your mortgage with a simple phone call.
Call Jane Seymour at 303-555-1234 and get
more information today!”

So now what? You ran one ad…

Should you run more?

Yes. Run several. In addition, include

this message in your website, your brochures,
your business cards and pamphlets.

But the trick is, don’t change your

message. I’m not saying you must run an
identical copy down to each and every word
(although you can), but you want the same
message to shine through. Chances are, the
first time someone sees your tiny little ad in
the sea of ads in the paper, they’ll pass it
right by. But keep playing that same message
and they’ll come to remember you (Jane Seymour)
as the “$1,500 new home refinancer”.

The key here is they’ll remember you!

Even if they aren’t interested in refinancing
their home, they may remember your name when

34
one of their friends has an interest in
refinancing.

It may take 7 or more exposures to the

same message before it clicks. But it will
click. They will come to associate your name
along with “$1,500 new home refinancing”.

Now, if you start changing up your

message, and put out several more ads that are
completely different, like this…

“Refinance your home for 1.9%”,

“Specializing in refinancing your home

quickly and easily”,

… you’ve just completely missed the boat

on the power of offering a consistent message.

Think of it as the sum of the parts

equals less than the whole. Let me repeat that
because this is the key … the sum of the parts
equals less than the whole.

It’s an interesting phenomenon, but if you

run 7 consistent messages, it truly will be

35
worth more than 7 completely different
messages.

When you present a consistent message you

appear more believable and your marketing is
more likely to stick.

As you can see, powerful product

positioning can help get your message through.

Where Are We Going With All This?

No one will remember all your benefits,
features, and every point you make in your
sales materials. But they will remember your
USP if you craft it right. They will hopefully
read the rest of your advertising as well, but
the take home point for your ads will be the
USP and perhaps a few other facts. That is why
you want your USP to be powerful enough to sway
your prospective customers to buy.

Use your USP as a tool to help people

figure out why they should buy from you.
Remember, if you don’t know why they should buy
from you, they won’t know why either. It’s not
really a slogan per say, but a tool that you
should apply to all your marketing campaigns.

36
 It brings clarity to everything you will
do.

As you can imagine, the failure to

differentiate your product or service creates
confusion in the marketplace. So what’s the
benefit customers really want?

The Classics

“Many a small thing has been made large by the

right kind of advertising.”

--Mark Twain

37
Longstanding USP’s
First of all, you’re going to recognize
these positioning statements right away -
unless you’ve been living under a rock. In
fact, you may have heard them thousands upon
thousands of times. They may seem as familiar
as your back porch.

It’s easy to gloss right over the power of

these USP’s because we are so familiar with
them. But within each of them is the key to
multi-million dollar advertising campaigns.

While a multi-million dollar campaign is

probably not what you’re after, pointing out
what makes these timeless USP’s tick is still
very important. For some of the marketing
campaigns we’ll cover, the USP’s are more like
concepts, for others they are slogans that have
been practically etched into our minds.

If you look closely at the advertising

material put out by most of these companies,
you may see these USP’s presented in slightly
different ways. But the theme is always the
same. It’s the selling point the company feels
is the best match for their target audience.
38
 So let’s give it a go and start with ….

Head & Shoulders –

“Healthy, beautiful, dandruff free

hair.”
If you’ve ever been to the shampoo aisle
at the supermarket, you’ve seen it. And there
are literally hundreds of shampoos to choose
from. So when Head & Shoulders came out, who
would’ve noticed, right?

Wrong. Everybody noticed because Head &

Shoulders targets people with dry, flaky
scalps. People with dandruff. And this made
all the difference to their campaign.

Without its dandruff fighting power, Head

& Shoulders would just be another shampoo.

Can you see the power in selecting a

target audience; a niche?

Of course, people who don’t have dandruff

aren’t going to be as interested. But they
practically have a monopoly on the dandruff

39
crowd -- and have for decades. They were the
first (to my knowledge) to cater toward people
with dry scalps and they are still going strong
today.

It’s a unique concept and although it seems

obvious now, it was highly creative at the
time.

M & M’s –

“They melt in your mouth, not in

your hands.”
Obviously, M & M’s are candy. Can you
imagine what it would have been like to try to
come up with a profit pulling USP for candy?
Pretty much all candy is sweet and packed full
of calories, so what’s unique about it?

Well, leave it to the marketing guru’s to

capitalize off the fact that M & M’s have a
unique hard candy coating on the outside and
smooth, creamy chocolate on the inside. They
came up with a catchy, memorable way to express
this to consumers.

Wonderbread –

40
“Helps build strong bodies in 8 ways”
Wonderbread is not just average bread.
Rather, its advertising campaign was created to
target kids. And since kids aren’t going to go
out and buy themselves bread, Wonderbread’s
advertising campaign had to appeal to the
parents. So what would appeal to them?

Obviously, parents want to feed their kids

something healthy. They want to feel like
they’re doing the right thing. Never mind they
may slather peanut butter and jelly on the
bread and load the kids down with processed
sugars galore (complete with a bag of M & M’s),
they want some reassurance that they’re doing
the right thing. So Wonderbread appeals to the
emotions of the parents.

Could any parent buy the “no-name” brand

next to the Wonderbread and not feel at least a
little guilty? Now, I’m not an expert on
breads, but I’m guessing the no-name brand has
the same healthy qualities as Wonderbread.
It’s just that Wonderbread has expressed it so
clearly it works like magic on us.

Imagine what would have happened if they

just said “Wonderbread is better tasting and

41
more nutritious than other brands”. Would that
have gotten the same reaction?

I don’t think so.

Crispix Cereal –

“Stays crisp in milk.”

Here again, they could have just said
“Crispix is better tasting than other brands”.
Instead, they polled customers and found out
what they really wanted… cereal that didn’t get
soggy in the milk after 2 and a half minutes.

It’s so simple and subtle, yet do you see

how they carved out a niche for themselves in
the never-ending sea of cereals? And I’m sure
there are other cereals that also stay crispy
in milk. But Crispix has the monopoly on it
now due to their early positioning tactics.

Oil of Olay –

“Younger-looking skin.”
It’s not just soap; it has a unique
quality that will appeal to women concerned
about aging (and what woman isn’t?). This
gives Oil of Olay the right to easily charge

42
double or triple what other soap brands charge.
Every Oil of Olay ad sends the message that it
will help make you look more beautiful by
keeping your skin looking younger.

Domino’s Pizza –

“Fresh, hot pizza delivered to your

door in 30 minutes or less.”
It’s very direct. Domino’s doesn’t just
make pizza; they bring it right to you, right
away. And it will be hot and fresh when it
arrives.

They had the corner on the pizza delivery

market for years (and may still have it).
Domino’s was the first to target people who
don’t just want pizza, but want pizza delivered
to them (the lazy crowd!).

Federal Express –

“When your package absolutely,

positively has to be there
overnight.”
FedEx doesn’t just deliver the package;
they get it where it needs to be overnight.
That’s reliability for you. Their USP is that
43
you can count on them. It’s specific. Instead
of just saying “we’re dependable”, they used an
example that appeals to the consumer.

Clariol –

“If you use Clariol, people won't

even notice that you dyed your hair.”
Clariol took the time to find out what
bothered consumers (specifically women) who
used hair coloring. They found that women did
not want friends and colleagues to notice they
had colored their hair. What these women
really wanted was for their hair to stay
natural looking.

So there was a market for natural looking

hair coloring, especially for women with grey
hair who wanted to cover it up. So Clariol has
targeted this audience and set themselves apart
very successfully.

Avis Rent a Car –

“We’re number two. We try harder.”

Hertz is the number one car rental
company. Instead of trying to beat them, Avis
Car Rental outright states they’re number 2

44
which is why they work harder. What a unique
and brave concept.

Papa John’s –

“Better ingredients. Better pizza.

Papa John’s.”
Papa John’s is owned by John Schnatter.
His pizzeria would have just been a local pizza
joint if not for his unique positioning in the
marketplace. He wanted to stand out, and he
did.

He follows through on the promise and has

succeeded tremendously. Who would have thought
having the best pizza ingredients would have
been such a key to pizza success?

Do you also notice how this USP implies

that other pizza restaurants are not using the
freshest ingredients? This packs in an extra
powerful punch.

Here are just a few more successful USP’s.

Hopefully this will help you think about the
marketing behind these brands.

45
 Bounty – “The Quicker Picker –Upper.”

Colgate – “Colgate cleans your breath

while it cleans your teeth.”

Geico – “Save 15 % or more on your car

insurance.”

State Farm – “Like a good neighbor, State

Farm is there.”

Burger King – “Have it your way.”

Enterprise –“Pick Enterprise. We’ll pick

you up.”

So, as we’ve shown, a USP can help you

break through the advertising clutter even in
the most saturated market. Your USP can help
you become a leader in your industry.

Notice how any of these companies could

have chosen to say “we’re better”, or “ours is
a higher quality”, but they didn’t. Instead,
they took it further. If you don’t get
anything else out of this chapter (or this
entire manual), at the very least please
46
remember to never be vague. Find a specific
benefit to your product or service (or create
one) and then focus on it and express it as
clearly as possible.

You will need to discover what emotional

responses drive your target audience. Your USP
must be sincere and fill a void that your
customers can relate to.

Also keep in mind that these USP’s were

created by highly paid advertising geniuses.
You don’t even need to be quite this creative.
You can create a very straightforward USP and
still come out far ahead of your competition
(especially since they probably will not take
the time to come up with one of their own).

You don’t need to launch a million dollar

ad campaign to reap the benefits of a good USP.
You don’t need to brand your image nationwide.
Stand out locally or within your niche.

Hopefully, you are starting to see the

power of a USP. You don’t want to be just
another dentist, mechanic, Laundromat, or just
another marketer. You don’t want to offer just
another set of tools, another “how to” book, or

47
another cleaning detergent. You want to stand
out!

The Rules

“No, sir, I'm not saying that charming, witty

and warm copy won't sell. I'm just saying I've
seen thousands of charming, witty campaigns
that didn't sell.”

-- Rosser Reeves

Your USP should be straightforward. You

should not strive to create a cute slogan.
Notice that all the USP’s from the previous
chapter were straightforward phrases or
sentences.

48
 The last thing you want is for a
prospective customer to read your USP or any ad
that incorporates it and wonder what you have
to offer them. They’ll probably just walk
away. So when you do get ready to create your
USP, try to create something meaningful.

Some of the best USP’s describe what the

company does. This can include the problems
they solve. If you go back through the USP’s
in the last chapter, you’ll notice that’s
really what all of them do. Take “Younger
Looking Skin” for example. That’s hardly a
cute slogan. It’s a statement. That is the
benefit a user of Oil of Olay will get when
they use their products.

Most of the time, business owners try too

hard to come up with something cute when
really, simple is the best. Try to keep that
in mind when you’re working through the
Exercises in the USP Action Manual.

The creative side to a USP comes into play

when you consider what a successful USP is
truly about … and that is…

49
 How do you want your customers and clients
to think of you?

Your USP needs to help prospective

customers understand how you can help them.
You need to take a solid position. Remember,
what specific problem are you going to solve
for them?

The other part to a well crafted USP is

that it has the power to prompt more questions
from consumers. You might go through the USP’s
in the last chapter again and see how they
might make you wonder, especially if you try
looking at them with fresh eyes.

“Wow, younger looking skin? I wonder how

it does that.” If you can create a USP that
elicits a question, that is a great start.

Here are a few things to steer clear of

when developing your USP:

1. Don’t be generic.

Remember this. If you don’t remember

anything else I’ve taught you, please at least
remember this. If you are an auto mechanic,

50
you don’t want to just say, “We fix cars”.
Almost anything you can say would be better
than this! What type of cars? Do you want to
specialize in a type of car problem? Do you
want to offer some sort of extra value? We
will get into the details of what you can do in
later chapters, but just remember, don’t settle
for being the same as everyone else.

2. Don’t label yourself.

You don’t want to really talk about

yourself in your USP. You want to focus on the
benefit for the client. If you’re a dentist
you don’t really want to make that the focus of
your USP.

 “Brian Greene, dentist”.

You used a label. A much better start to

a USP would be…

 “Helping you get a nicer smile and live

a healthier life.”

You see, you want to focus on your

customers, not on yourself. People respond
well to those that want to help them. So try

51
not to use a label, talk about the benefit
instead.

3. Don’t be self serving.

Although you’re probably in business to

make money, you should also hopefully want to
help people in the process. Focus on them.
What will your product or service do for them?
If you were a prospective customer thinking
about buying your product or service, what
benefit would you want? Here’s an example of
what not to do…

 “The number 1 dentist in Springfield”.

That’s just outright bragging. Although

that’s a very typical marketing message, it
won’t give you the results that a message
revolving around a benefit will give.

What would you want in a dentist? You

might be looking for relief from tooth pain, or
tooth whitening. You might be scared to death
of dentists. So, you want to incorporate those
benefits into your USP.

 “Your toothache fixed pain free.”

52
 4. Don’t make it too long.

You want your USP to be easy to remember.

If you make it a long paragraph, no one will
remember it! Also, if you put too many
benefits in it, it won’t seem so believable.

5. Don’t make it too short.

It has to be long enough to convey a

benefit that people will understand. Here is a
bad example…

 “Solving your problems by the end of

the day”.

This is no good because that could mean

anything. Does it relate to car problems, back
problems, business problems, etc…? A reader
would have no idea. You want to target your
audience in a manner so that they know what you
have to offer. Just inserting a word makes the
previous example a much better start to a USP…

 “Solving your copier problems by the

end of the day”.

6. Don’t be too broad.

53
 Good advertising is specific. Vague
statements like “Save time”, “Save money”, or
“Quick results” aren’t really going to get you
as far as if you were more specific. Numbers
are specific. If you can save someone time or
get the results done quickly, state it. And if
you can use a number that’s even better. For
example…

 “Solving your copier problems in 24

hours or less”.

To find your USP, you will probably have

to sift through layers and layers of features
and ideas that won’t really appeal to
consumers. You will have to search hard for
the real truth to your business.

This is why most companies don’t bother

with it. But although it might be easy to wave
it off, creating a USP is one of the most
crucial elements of your marketing and costs
the least to fix.

When you finish your USP, it will

ultimately aid in helping prospects understand
how you can help them. This will grab their
interest and hold it much better than any cute

54
slogan or self serving ad. If you craft your
USP right, your advertising will cut right
through the clutter. And it will get consumers
asking more questions about you.

Tactics for Positioning

“A brand for a company is like a reputation for

a person. You earn a reputation by trying to
do hard things well.”

--Jeff Bezos

Some Basics
Hopefully you are beginning to see how it
is absolutely imperative for you to educate
your customers about your unique advantages.
Even the little things you don’t think are
important may make all the difference to them.

55
 People like to shop around. People want
to be acknowledged. They like to think their
needs are different than others; therefore,
they will gravitate toward something they
perceive is different. They will usually
gravitate toward something that appears to be
made just for them.

Remember, if you can’t state it clearly

and succinctly, your prospective customers will
not see it.

A custom fit is always better (and people

will always pay more for it). Does your
business custom fit anyone in particular? If
so, who?

Just for reference, here is a list of some

of the common positioning tactics used in many
businesses and professional services. Please
keep in mind that many of them overlap (the
four general categories are bolded). You may
want to refer back to these when you’re working
through the exercises later on. This list is
not exhaustive by any means – you can surely
come up with many more depending on your
specific market…

56
 Service

 Convenience

 Advice/consulting

 Instant availability

 Warranty

 Guarantee

 Customer support

 Installation

 Exclusivity

 Handcrafted

 Limited edition

 By recommendation only

 Unique engineering

 Manufacture (what is it made from?)

 Value

 Easy to use

 Widest range

 Short delivery time to benefit

 More capable

 Size

 Technology

57
  Active

 Theoretical (does it have the latest

technology?)

 Practical

 Focused

 Weekly, Monthly (or another time

period)

 Short, quick read

 Colorful (or any other visual stimuli)

 Nutritious

 Strength

 Price

 Discounts

 Special Offer

Now, let’s go through and tackle some of

the broad categories one-by-one…

The Keys to Differentiating on

Service
You can always offer service related
benefits whether you sell a service or a
product. For example, you could offer
exceptional customer support such as…
58
  “On call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”

 “We will get there within an hour or the

service call is free”

Either of these would work well for

plumbers, mechanics or any other type of repair
service.

If you take clients by appointment, one of

their complaints probably has to do with
wasting their time in the waiting room. This
is especially true if you are in the medical
profession (dentists, chiropractors and
physicians). So what about working something
like the following into your USP?

 “You will not wait more than 10

minutes in our waiting room or your
visit is free.”

Another service positioning tactic is to

differentiate yourself by catering to the non-
standard crowd. Here’s an example…

Do you own a printing store? What about

accepting files created in non-standard

59
 programs? You could call it “no hassle
printing”. I’ve tried to get my Microsoft
Publisher files printed with great
difficulty. Most printers will only
accept .PDF and Word files or another
standard format.

This same concept could be applied to many

other small businesses. For example…

 “We stock foreign car parts at our

shop so you can be on your way as
quickly as possible.”

Another tactic is to use a warranty of

some sort. Why not offer the longest warranty
possible? Your warranty may range from 1 year
to a lifetime. Remember, the bigger the
promise you can make, the more appealing your
product or service will appear to your
prospective customers.

Adding Exclusivity to Your Business

With a little imagination, you can create
an exclusive environment of your own. If you
are offering a product, just limit the number
that will be sold. Alternately, you can offer
a limited first edition with more benefits than
60
later editions. This will really help you
launch your product with a bang. I’ve seen
this tactic successfully incorporated in the
launch of many information products (from how
to’s to regular books).

If you sell merchandise, you may really

only have a small number of particular
products. In this case, make sure you state
the limited quantity prominently. If you are
offering a limited number, you must have a
reason why. Even if it isn’t the most creative
reason, any reason at all will help it seem
more believable.

And if you are offering a book of any

sort, you can have them personally signed to
add tremendously to creating an exclusive feel
to your offer.

With virtually any type of product or

service you can gain recognition and an air of
exclusivity if a celebrity (even a local one)
uses it. In addition, if there is anything
special about the way a particular product was
crafted or made, by all means, point that out.
Remember to educate your customers about your
product or service explicitly.

61
 For services, you can accept clients by
recommendation only. Obviously, this works
exceptionally well to create exclusivity to
most any type of premium service.

Everyone wants to belong to something. So

set up a community of some sort. This adds to
the exclusivity and value of your offer if only
clients are allowed in this community. A
monthly party is a good example as is a monthly
teleseminar or a membership to a private forum
on the internet where their questions are
answered.

Value is a Hot Trigger

Value is the combination of price and
quality. If the quality of your product or
service is greater than that of your
competitors, then prospective customers will
gladly pay a higher price.

You can easily offer a service along with

your product or existing service to add value.
One idea for a bonus is to offer complete
training on how to best use the item. If your
product (or even some services) is of any
complexity, many people will probably have
62
trouble using it. If you can include a manual,
instructional videos or even better yet, one-
on-one training, it will go a long way in
adding extra value.

No matter what you are selling, there are

usually items that will fit well with it. The
client will always be interested in other
related products (or bonuses). These related
products are perfect examples of value
enhancers. For example, if you create web
graphics for your clients, you could also offer
web hosting, a complete web site overhaul, or
even tips on how to get traffic to their
website. The list can go on and on.

Extended warranties are also a great way

to add value and they don’t need to cost you
anything (we’ll get into guarantees more in the
next chapter).

Another way to add value without

increasing your expense is to contact
businesses with clients who are similar to
yours and work out a trade with them. For
example, realtors can seek out furniture shops
in the neighborhoods they frequently sell homes
in. People who just purchased a home are very
likely to need new furniture. A furniture
63
store may agree to allow the realtor to offer a
discount of 10% off for all their clients.
This way, the furniture store will gain more
business. The realtor will have a fantastic
bonus to offer their clients as incentive to
use when shopping for a new home.

Get creative and I’m sure you can find

dozens of ways to add value to your product or
service. But just be sure to give them bonuses
that mean something to them. That’s why it is
so important to spend time discovering who your
clients are. Then be sure to build up the
value for your bonuses in the same detailed
manner that you do for your product or service.

You should strive to under promise and

over deliver. As I’m sure you’re aware, this
is the exact opposite of what most businesses
do. Everyone is tired of hearing the promises
and then not having their basic expectations
filled. You can under promise and over deliver
any step of the way. For example, you can over
deliver with customer support, client follow-
up, the product or service itself or the
delivery of the product. You can even over
deliver with the sales process by offering
prospective customers free educational
material.

64
 Do more than what is expected of you and
you will gain quite a following and possibly
generate more referrals than you can handle.

One way to add value is to bring what may

be assumed right out in the open. Make it
absolutely clear that this assumed feature is
part of the package. You can even turn the
assumed into a core benefit just by educating
your prospective customers. In addition, this
will also work with aspects of your product or
service that may just be normal ways of doing
business in your market. If your prospective
customer doesn’t know about it, but it can add
value to your presentation, you will only
position yourself better in their minds if you
go out of your way to explain it to them.

For example, a dentist should describe

exactly what they are checking during a check-
up and why. Adding a name to this routine
check-up will only add more value. For
example, “the 12-point gum check-up”. Expand
on the fact that gum disease can lead to other,
more serious health problems. Be the first to
educate them about this and offer a gum disease
prevention plan. Even if all dentists do
this, your prospective clients don’t know about

65
it. It will seem as though you offer something
extra and your services will appear more
valuable.

Jay Abraham calls this preemptive

advertising. It is a powerful tool that will
truly help the target market associate an
important benefit with your product or service.

So be sure you educate your prospective

customers on as many details as possible about
your product or service.

• What do you do to make your product?

• How do you select your products?

• How do you service your clients?

Niche Your Way to Differentiation

Find a segment of your market to target.
Once you’ve identified this segment, you should
then cater your product or service to them and
them alone and forget the rest.

Think Head & Shoulders…

66
 If dandruff wasn’t such a common condition
of the scalp, Head & Shoulders might not have
made such a mint over the decades, but it is.

Just think about the possibilities. Here

are a few examples that would apply well in the
weight loss niche.

 Target women who just had a baby. Get

their body back to how it was before
they were pregnant!

 Target men only. Men and women are

different. We have different body
physiologies, different emotions, and
different rationales. Why couldn’t you
cater a weight loss program for men?
Men who want to lose weight would be
thrilled.

 Target people over a certain amount of

weight. You could target people who
are 100 pounds overweight only. Or
people who want to lose 10 lbs by
summer. People who want to lose the
holiday gain. Or even college students
suffering from the “freshman 15”.

67
 If you take your Mercedes to a mechanic
specializing in Mercedes, don’t you think you
will get greater knowledge and better servicing
than if you take it to any mechanic?
Specialization in this case increases the
product or services value. The Mercedes
mechanic can charge much more than a regular
automotive mechanic. He is perceived to be an
expert in Mercedes repair.

Another example of specialization is a

used car salesperson that specializes in first
time car buyers. And yet another is an
accountant specializing in taxes for small
businesses.

I hope you’re realizing that specializing

is a great positioning tactic. New business
and referral business alike can get a real
boost by using this tactic. Specializing is
perfect for the small business/professional
service. By specializing, you will be in a
less competitive area and imply greater
expertise.

General businesses are broad and don’t

cater to a customer’s unique concerns. A broad
solution to a problem is never worth as much as
a specialized one.
68
 Specialize and with laser-like focus, you
will etch your product or service into your
prospects’ minds.

Sum it Up
We’ve covered services, exclusivity, value
and niches in this chapter as well as a few
other USP categories. You can use more than
one of the above examples in combination. Just
remember not to overdo your USP.

For one thing, make sure it matches and

makes sense. It’s not too often that a product
or service can be both exclusive and low
priced. Obviously, these categories clash.
And remember, your USP is like a theme. A
theme is usually fairly simple and not composed
of too many components. For example, have you
ever been to a “Haunted Disco Diva Pool Party
BBQ”?

I’m guessing not, but you may have been to

a “Pool Party”. Or a “Disco Party”. Wouldn’t
you be a little confused about the “Haunted
Disco Diva Pool Party BBQ”? What would you
even expect (let alone wear to such an event)?

69
 So keep it fairly simple.

We’ll talk about using guarantees in the

next chapter.

Guarantees: Tricks and Tips

“And while the law of competition may be

sometimes hard for the individual, it is
best for the race, because it ensures the
survival of the fittest in every
department.”

--Andrew Carnegie

Positioning with a Guarantee

You most definitely want to offer a
guarantee for your product or service if
possible (some industries do not allow
guarantees – such as the medical industry). If
you promise a benefit in your USP, you will
ultimately need to back it up with a guarantee.

Money back guarantees work because people

are more likely to purchase from you if they
perceive the purchase to be risk free. First
off, most of your prospects will already be
skeptical of buying whatever you sell. A money
70
back guarantee goes a long way toward removing
their risk. Secondly, a guarantee will help
overcome frequent objections many prospects
face before making a purchase.

Prospects want to know that you will “put

your money where your mouth is.” The
confidence you have in your own product will
help your customers feel at ease, leading to
more sales. For this reason, offering less
risk can definitely increase the perceived
value of a product or service. Risk reversal
is of the utmost importance to the small
business.

If you can’t stand behind your product

with a guarantee of some sort, most people will
question your offer. Even worse, they will
purchase from a company who does. Don’t line
your competitors’ pockets by forgetting this
crucial piece of the puzzle.

When using a guarantee, it is best to

position your guarantee as an extension of the
offer. Specify the details of it as though it
is another product or service that adds value
to your offer. Make sure your prospective
customers understand the value of the
guarantee.
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 Another important tip to remember is to
make sure the prospective customer realizes
there is a person behind the guarantee. You
may want to consider making it a “personal
pledge” or a “personal promise” written to the
consumer.

More is Better with a Guarantee

Here’s another tip, if you can, you should
offer a better than money back guarantee. Let
your customers keep something even if they
decide to return the product. A very
inexpensive item will also do the trick (for
example, offer a 20% off discount on something
they would find valuable, etc).

Another idea is to offer consulting as a

bonus that clients can keep even if they ask
for a refund. Then make sure you spell out how
much consulting (in a dollar amount) they could
get for free just for trying you out.

With a better than money back guarantee,

your customers will realize that making a
purchase from you really is risk free for them.
Even better, you’re the one with all the risk.
As a result, more orders will surely follow.
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Clearly, you solidly stand behind your product
or service.

Now, you should realize that you will

always have some refunds. That’s just how it
works. It doesn’t indicate that your product
or service is awful (well, if everyone wants
their money back it might).

Remember this; your refund rate isn’t

something you need to be embarrassed of. Just
make sure you offer a quality product or
service and present it accurately in the sales
letter (don’t make any outrageous claims). If
you can make a profit even though you are
getting a 15% return rate, you are in business.
Just think, once you establish your refund rate
(even if it’s high) that’s really the worst it
will ever be.

Once you’ve established your refund rate,

you can then take measures to reduce it. Add
even more value to your product or service.
Survey your clients to find out how you can
make your product or service better. Your
refund rate will only diminish if you keep
polishing and re-working your product or
service to cater it toward what your clients

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need and want. Don’t give up just because you
receive a few refunds.

No matter what you do, you can still

expect refunds from time to time. It is a
simple fact that customers frequently change
their minds. Believe it or not, some people
won’t even bother to read your sales materials
at all! You may want to be prepared for a 2-5%
return rate even on a quality offer.

When a customer asks for a refund make

sure it is prompt and courteous. Take care of
your refunds before you do anything else –
consider them a priority. Remember that it is
better to refund the money than to have an
unsatisfied customer. Unsatisfied customers
will typically tell more people about you than
a satisfied, happy customer. Some people love
to complain.

Longer guarantees are perceived better.

The ultimate in guarantees is where the
prospective customer only sends in the payment
after the product has been reviewed. I’m sure
you’ve seen the “try before you buy” types of
risk reversal guarantees before.

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Tips for Guarantees
You must spell out your guarantee in
plain, simple English. Make sure you state it
is a “no questions asked money back guarantee”
to help put your customers at ease.

Thirty-day guarantees are perfectly

acceptable. If you’re selling a product you
may want to simply state, “You have 30-days
from the day your package arrives at your door-
step to check the materials over”, or something
similar. This is a very common guarantee.
Depending on your niche, it probably won’t do
anything to make you unique, but is more likely
a prerequisite.

Remember to be specific. If it warrants

it, you may want to work your guarantee into
your headline, into your sales copy, and on
your order form. Gently reassure your
prospects that they are making a no risk
purchase.

In this day and age, it seems like a

guarantee is mandatory (and actually, I believe
if you’re selling something that will be
delivered by mail, you must offer a 30-day
guarantee according to the FTC here in the

75
U.S.). Your guarantee is far from trivial, but
having one as the center of your marketing
strategy (especially when everyone else in your
field offers one) isn’t going to win you any
points in the eyes of most consumers.

Often times, I’ll notice businesses with

no real USP. Instead their message seems to
be, “If it doesn’t work for you we’ll refund
your money.” This statement looks like it’s a
little overused in many markets. If you want,
your USP can be just a guarantee, but that
really isn’t always that unique. So as far as
a positioning strategy, it isn’t always the
best.

Let’s say you’re promising significant

weight loss with a special program. If you
claim, “Lose 25 pounds in 8 weeks or your money
back”, you’re probably going to appeal to some
people. But what if another company just comes
along and says, “Lose 25 pounds in 6 weeks or
your money back”?

If you look at SAT test prep materials

using your favorite search engine on the
internet you’ll see what I mean. Virtually
every company has a pass guarantee. They talk
about raising your score X amount of points or
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they’ll give you your money back. The trouble
is; everyone does it. So it’s not really
unique.

It’s a bit comical to see so many ads that

say virtually the same thing. It’s even
funnier when they all just try to “one-up” the
other. “We’ll raise your score 80-200 points”,
while another offers “to boost your SAT exam
score by 190 pts”, and yet another by “200
points”. It’s all just come to be expected by
now.

Since the people taking the SAT are taking

it to get into college, couldn’t a company
offer more value by giving away a free report
on “How to get into the college of your
choice”? Or they could offer help writing
entrance essays. Or even better yet, they
could offer personal one-on-one tutoring to
raise their clients’ scores.

Don’t people studying want something easy

and step-by-step? They want to take the
frustration out of learning something new.
They want it to be quick and painless. They
want you to hold their hand. And yes, they do
want to pass the test, or increase their score,

77
but when everyone throws that out there, it
isn’t unique.

My point is, when they’re all doing it, it

isn’t something you can use to differentiate
yourself. And a guarantee is fairly easy to
duplicate. So offer a guarantee, make it known
in your sales material, but consider that it
might really pay off to come up with something
a little more creative for your USP.

Here’s another thought that applies to the

“self help/education” crowd. These people
really want to lose that 40 lbs or pass a test
so they can start college or a new career.
They really don’t want to just try out a new
program and get their money back if it doesn’t
work. Someone who wants to lose 40 pounds by
summer truly wants an effective weight loss
program.

They don’t really want to try something

out and get a refund, only to have the cycle
repeated.

This is commonplace in the weight loss

industry, but not what your consumers want.
It’s the same for taking an exam and getting

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into college. The individual really needs to
get a good score. Their entire future depends
on it. The last thing they want is to take the
exam, do poorly and then have to wait another 6
-12 months to apply for college again. This is
serious business.

It’s not just, “Try our program and if you

don’t get what I’ve promised you, then oh well,
you get your money back”. Although no company
will come out and say it like this, it can be
inferred this way. Especially to those who’ve
already tried one program and failed at it.

Imagine, here’s a niche in and of itself

just waiting to be tapped. If you’re in the
“self help/education” market, you could target
people who’ve already tried everything else. A
very in-depth, one-on-one program like this
(which is what it would take) could easily
command the highest price tag in the
marketplace.

Definitely, definitely put in a risk

reversal guarantee, but do a little more
homework. Do you think the #1 benefit people
are looking for when shopping for your
particular product or service is to get their
money back if it doesn’t work? Can you see how
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that statement makes it look utterly
ridiculous?

Your customers want something to happen as

a result of buying your product or service. So
help make it happen for them. Focus on that
benefit. Then stand behind that with your
guarantee!

And if you’re going to use a guarantee as

the focus of your marketing message, make the
guarantee more unique than that of your
competition. Don’t just offer them their money
back if it doesn’t work, offer them whatever
result they wanted (if possible)!

For example, a car repair shop that will

fix your car, even if it takes 5 trips back to
the shop will really stand out from the crowd.
“You pay once and we guarantee it will be
fixed.” – No or your money back needed. The
problem is solved for you if you use this
repair shop.

This contrasts with the way most car

mechanics do things. First, it’s the
alternator, then a few days later, the battery.

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Next week, you need your transmission flushed.
All because the car won’t start.

You see, if you are able to offer a “we

absolutely guarantee to fix it”, type of
guarantee, a customer knows you’re going to be
accountable for getting the job done right the
first time (because if they don’t, you will pay
the price). Contrast this with the way the
typical mechanic (of virtually any type) does
business.

Here’s another example along the same

lines dealing with computer repair. “We
diagnose the problem and fix it. If any other
problem with your computer arises in 90-days,
bring it to us and we will fix it for no
charge.” You can rest assured your computer
problem will be solved if you use this company.

I know I’d pay a premium price for either

of these services. For one thing, it can be an
inconvenience to keep bringing in your car or
your computer. Anytime you have to bring
something in for maintenance, it is usually a
major inconvenience for consumers.

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 Which brings up another point…If you’re in
this type of business, you could offer a loaner
car or loaner computer (or anything else that
may make sense) to help add value to your
services.

A weak money back guarantee isn’t nearly

as powerful as the statements I’ve shown you in
the examples above.

Fulfilling on Your Promise

I am always shocked when I hear from
business owners who say they have a no
questions asked refund policy, and then when
they get a refund, they don’t want to give it!
Never, ever take this stance – or your business
will surely suffer. You will have an upset
customer (one who has every right to consider
you in the wrong), and you can get in trouble
with the FTC. If you have a guarantee, you
must make good on it. You simply must.

Even if you know a customer just used your

product and now wants a refund, give them their
money back. One thing to remember is that not
many people will take advantage of you like
that. Those few that do are not people you
need to continue to do business with. Just

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give them their money back and resist the
temptation to argue with them.

You have better things to do, like advance

your business. Don’t get wrapped up in things
that will only bring you down.

You absolutely must honor your policies.

If your USP states a bold claim, you must stand
by it. Just imagine if a consumer ordered a
pizza from a company that promised a “fresh,
hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes” and they got
a cold, stale one that took well over an hour
to deliver.

Now what? Do you think Domino’s owes that

customer a refund or free pizza? I’d say yes.

If your promise or your guarantee isn’t

working for you, then you should change it … or
change your product or service.

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 The Price Factor

“Save a little money each month and at the end

of the month, you’ll be surprised at how little
you have”

--Ernest Haskins

Is There a Prize for Last Place?

If you’re going to choose price as a means
for positioning yourself, then you may want to
come up with a good reason why you can offer a
lower price than your competitors. Otherwise,
prospective customers will likely assume your
product or service is less valuable than that
of your higher priced competitors.

The trick is to never offer a discount

without a reason. You need a “reason why” you
can charge less. Statements such as these will
help…

 “We can give you a lower price because we

don’t have as much overhead as other
companies do.”

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  “We operate out of a warehouse so our
costs are much less and we can pass the
savings onto you.”

 “Our product is downloadable from the

internet which means there are no printing
or shipping costs and we can give it to
you for a much lower price.”

The problem is that cheaper is not always

best. In fact, in many cases, people perceive
a lower priced item or service poorly. Some
products and services lend themselves better to
low prices. But there are many that don’t.

For example, “budget rental cars” works,

but “budget root canals” obviously does not.

There are hundreds of big name companies

that do make a lower price USP work, but it can
be very dangerous for a small business or
service professional to travel down the “lowest
price” road. The next few pages will hopefully
help you see why this is true.

It’s All About Perceived Value

85
 Competing on price alone is risky. If
your unique benefit is price, then you really
aren’t offering much in the way of a benefit.
If anything, your competitor may be perceived
as having more advantages than you. And if you
think that by charging less you will make
yourself stand out, know this, there is always
someone who can do it cheaper than you. Stay
in business long enough and you’ll experience
this.

With a lower price, your prospective

customers may not view your products or
services as having much in the way of value.
Do you want people to buy from you because you
are cheap?

Small businesses often think that the

product or service they sell can’t be
differentiated and that price is all their
prospective customers care about. But, this
isn’t the great depression. Think about what
has been differentiated already… Chiquita
bananas. Internet service providers (Earthlink
and Comcast). Cereal brands (Crispix). If
they can take something so unbelievably generic
and differentiate it, can’t you differentiate
your product or service as well?

86
 Sometimes when the customer says they want
a lower price, they may mean they want help
making the best purchase decision. If you
educate them about the benefits of doing
business with you, then you may become the
obvious choice.

One of the biggest problems with competing

on price alone is that you’ve just made it
really easy for your prospective customers to
compare you with your competitors. In fact, it
couldn’t be easier because you just flat out
gave them a number.

In addition, when you choose to sell at a

low price, the only way to increase your income
is to lower your price even more. That can put
you in a difficult bind.

So, if you’re debating between offering a

discount or adding in value, by all means,
choose adding value.

Lowering your price can be addicting. It

solves a short-term cash flow problem, but you
may find that you have to keep doing it in
order to stay in business. If you are after a
short-term moneymaker, lowering your prices may

87
work, but this is not the strategy to take if
you want to build a stable long-term business.

The Low Price Cycle

Small businesses and service professionals
seem to commonly underestimate the value of
their time and their expertise. It is very
common for many of these individuals to charge
less for their products and services and sell
themselves short. They just don’t feel
confident the consumer will pay a high price.
And they believe if they place their product or
service on sale for less than their
competitors, they will get a higher volume of
orders and make up for the difference.

But in reality, low prices usually mean

narrow profit margins, which translates to less
cash. With less cash, you may be tempted to
decrease your marketing. If you decrease your
marketing and advertising, then you will most
certainly have fewer customers. This means you
are not going to make up the difference in
volume. Do you see the vicious cycle here?

If you think about it, you and your

competition are in a race. You don’t want to
be ranked in the lowest price position because

88
many people will perceive that you also have
the lowest quality. This is not the best place
to be. Unless you can get far more customers
than your higher priced competitors, you’re
going to be in last place as far as your
profits and also probably in your longevity in
the market.

People do not always respond well to

what’s cheaper. I’m not sure at this point in
my life I would go for a budget haircut and
especially not for a budget lawyer. Some
people might, but probably not many. So with
the lower price USP, you will be targeting a
small group of people and getting the lowest
price for your product or service. It’s just
not a good, long term way to build a business.

One way to incorporate a low price into

your marketing strategy is to price your
product or service low initially. If no one
has heard of you and you have no case studies,
no testimonials and no proof that your product
or service works, you’ll have a tough time
getting clients. People aren’t likely to pick
you over another more established company.

A New Launch

89
 Let’s say you’re a graphic designer brand
new to the marketplace. You’re just starting
out with zero business. You may need to offer
a special rate to entice people to try your
services. Find out the average rate that
graphic designers charge and cut it in half.

But the key is, you don’t need to be known

as the budget graphic designer. Just offer an
introductory rate for your new business to
attract new clients. Remember, that doesn’t
need to be your USP. You don’t need to place
your low price at the center of your marketing
strategy. Why not come up with something more
creative? That way you can start out with a
low price (if you feel you need to) and then
easily increase it after you get some case
studies and a bigger portfolio.

Your USP could be more along the lines of

the types of designs you create or for whom you
create them. You could specialize in abstract
graphics, in logos, in websites for
professional service providers, in websites
just for lawyers, etc. The possibilities for a
more creative USP are endless.

Another option is to start at a low price,

but use a justification such as this…
90
  “We will increase the price after x
clients or x date.”

That way prospective customers almost feel

like they’re getting a discount. But really,
they just don’t want to miss out on the initial
low price.

There can only be one price leader in any

market, but if you choose to differentiate,
then you’ve just carved out your own unique
niche. Differentiating is tough for many
businesses because it takes some imagination.
If you just spend a little time developing your
own unique take on the marketplace, your
competition won’t know what hit them.

If you’ve been positioning yourself based

on price, you need to look at your audience,
your product and your presentation. You can
turn yourself around rather quickly. The best
way is to simply increase the value of your
product or service. This increases its
perceived value and will justify a price
increase.

91
 If you have a competitor who
differentiates on price, then it’s likely
you’re involved in a price war. Here are a few
tips on how to fight a price war:

 Lead instead of follow. First’s mean a

lot.

 Increase your price. People will be

intrigued.

 Create convenience. Save them time.

 Sell in a niche. Customization and

flexibility

 Educate and consult with your

customers. Help them realize the value
of your product or service for
themselves.

You see, you don’t have to sell yourself

short and lower your price. In all honesty,
that’s the least creative way to get around
your competitors. Create your own USP and
launch yourself light years ahead of your
competition!

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 What to do with Your USP

“On the average, five times as many people

read the headline as read the body copy.
When you have written your headline, you
have spent eight cents out of your dollar.”

--David Ogilvy

93
Where to Show it Off
With the help of our exercises, you’ve
hopefully created your winning USP (or soon
will). So now what? Well, you definitely want
to incorporate your USP into all your
advertising. This includes…

• Radio

• Press releases

• Sound bites

• Elevator speeches

• Signature file

• Letterhead

• Business cards

• Office or store

• Sales material

• Websites

• Brochures

Your USP must be conveyed in everything

you do. From your marketing down to your basic
operations. The reason why your company exists
is your USP. This cannot be stated enough!

94
 In most marketing situations, you only
have a brief moment to catch the attention of
your consumer. This is one of the main reasons
why it is imperative for you to pay attention
to your USP. That short message must pack a
powerful punch. So you should try to
incorporate your USP into your headlines since
you already know that your USP includes the
main selling point for the majority of your
clients.

Now, the USP can be put in your headline,

but it doesn’t necessarily have to be your
headline. It works best to reel them in with a
headline expressing your USP, but then expand
on other benefits in your ad copy. Any ad you
run should have a headline (not having a
headline is considered a foolish move by many
marketing geniuses). Obviously, a headline is
much too short for you to hit on all your
selling points. So work in your USP to attract
the most people. Then begin uncovering other
benefits and features in your copy.

For example, if your USP is something

along the lines of …

 “A Quick, At-Home Tooth Whitening

Solution”
95
 … then your headline could read “Finally,
an at Home Solution for a Sparkling Smile in
Less than a Week!”

Writing sales copy is out of the scope of

this course. But one thing to remember is that
you need to learn how to help people make a
decision. You can do this easily by educating
your prospective customers. Give all the
details of your product or service. In
addition, let prospective customers hear how
your product or service worked for someone
else.

When was the last time you ever bought

something and felt like you knew too much about
it? It’s rare. Usually, we walk away wanting
to know more about whatever it is we’re buying.

In addition to print material, you should

also integrate your USP into sales calls and
all your follow up materials with clients.
Your USP should be there whenever you are in
contact with customers.

The Four P’s of Marketing

96
 Now let’s move on to the value of your
marketing mix. The four P’s of marketing are
the parameters that you can control in your
business. So let’s start by breaking them down.

1. Product (or service)

When we say product, this includes

everything about your product or service from
the guarantee to the follow-up. Will you help
clients with customer service issues such as
how to use it or how to install it? Will there
be any manuals, FAQs or accessories? What
about a warranty? How will the product be
packaged?

2. Price

This one is self-explanatory. The pricing

includes the normal prices, introductory prices
and discounts.

3. Promotion or advertising

Your promotions include your media

selection (where you will be advertising) as
well as the promotional material itself…
copywriting, brochures, sales material,
websites, etc…

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 Place (distribution)

By place we mean how is your product or

service distributed to your clients? Can
prospective customers buy it at a store or on
the internet? Do you sell through a middleman?
How is it shipped and fulfilled?

The importance of looking at your

marketing mix is to make sure each of the four
P’s match.

For example, if you have a product that is

catered toward senior citizens, make sure your
product is something that is needed by senior
citizens. You may also need to take into
consideration that many seniors are on a fixed
income. So keep the price fairly low (unless
of course your product or service caters to
seniors with money). You will also need to
make sure your advertising is geared toward
seniors and present it in such a way that it is
obvious your product is the solution to their
problem. And lastly, you will have to
distribute your product where it will be seen
by seniors.

You must take a stand and follow through

with it entirely.

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 I’d like to go through two in-depth
examples on matching your USP with your
marketing mix. One is for web hosting, the
other for teeth whitening. We will look at
actual case studies and determine how the
businesses present themselves and their
products (or services) to the consumer online.

Web Hosting Marketing Mix

If you’ve ever thought about putting your
business on the internet, you’ll be able to
relate to this rather well. There are an
outrageous number of companies you can choose
from to host your website. These services
range from just a few dollars per month all the
way up to hundreds of dollars per month. The
average web host charges somewhere between $10-
20 per month for general services. I’d guess
that there are 1,000’s of web hosts in this
price range.

So how can an individual decide who to

use? Well, let’s just take a peek at some of
the hosting providers encountered in a random
search through google.com and what their main
message to the buyer (you) was.

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 Let’s begin our journey by simply typing
“web hosting” into google.

The first thing I saw was an ad stating

“Top 5 Web Hosting List”. This sounded
interesting to me. Let’s see how the top 5 web
hosts (well, at least the top 5 as stated by
this particular company) stack up with their
marketing messages and websites.

#1 Powerful Solution
The first one on this top 5 list has a
distinct headline right on the site…

“$7.95/month free setup - Introducing the

most powerful hosting solution”.

So, their hosting is cheap, yet powerful.

These are things I’m interested in and I like
the fact that they provide me with a clear
message. However, I’m not too impressed with
the statement, “the most powerful hosting
solution”. It just sounds like bragging. It’s
also awfully vague. A more specific statement
like, “Our tools are so easy to use, you can
have your website up and running in less than 1
hour” might be better.

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 Nonetheless, this is a decent message that
they made it easy to see right on the web page.
I give it a 3 on my USP to marketing mix scale.
They at least have a main message on the site.

#2 Mixed Marketing for Sure

Let’s try the next one on the list. When
I go to their web page, I see clutter. There
are icons everywhere and images. I’m not
exactly sure what the message is as I see so
many.

There is a big, yellow “$7.50 a month”

somewhere toward the middle. That’s probably
what most people will take away from this.
There are tons of details like “5000 MEGS” etc…

Details like this are not going to mean

anything to most of the visitors. Most of us
don’t know what a MEG is. I rank this one a 1
on my USP scale. I do not see anything even
vaguely resembling a USP.

Since web hosting companies primarily

advertise on the internet, this company is
really selling themselves short by not having a

101
USP and not expressing a marketing message on
their site.

#3 The Hidden Benefits

The third one is really poor. There is no
headline, but quite a number of images. My eye
is first drawn to a paragraph that starts in
the middle of the web page (again no heading).
The paragraph reads… “Choose xxx and
immediately realize the benefits of having your
websites hosted on Virtual Dedicated Server
(VDS) technology.”

Well that’s nice. Next! I have no idea

what that even means so I’m not real interested
or impressed. I suppose if you are looking for
VDS Technology, you might respond to this one.
But they state you will “immediately realize
the benefits…” But what are the benefits? Is
it faster, easier, better looking? They would
be better off explaining what the benefit is
rather than expecting you to try it and figure
it out for yourself.

This one also gets a 1 on my scale.

#4 It’s Fast

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 Moving right along, I’m visiting #4 on the
list. This one takes me to a very simple
webpage where I see the words “Build Your Web
Site in Minutes! It’s Fast! It’s Easy! It’s
Powerful!”

OK, I like the sound of this. So would

virtually anyone else looking for web hosting.

This company did a great job hitting home

the benefits most people would be interested
in. There are some true web geeks out there
who will be more excited about the 5000 MEGS,
but most of us want a fast and easy hosting
provider. They’ve also thrown in the word
“powerful” so the web geeks might be sucked in
as well.

I also like how they say you can “build

your website in minutes!” instead of just
quickly. Minutes conveys that you can do it in
less than an hour. Whereas quickly is vague.

I also notice there is a big “$6” further

down the webpage. So this looks inexpensive as
well. I bet they don’t have too many problems
getting customers. I like it and I believe a
lot of prospective customers would respond to

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it. I give this one a 7, so far the reigning
champion of the bunch. They appear to have a
USP and their website appears to match it.

#5 The Next Level

The fifth one takes me to a page with the
following headline, “We Focus on Customer
Service”. That’s pretty good. We know they
are service oriented and of course, we like
that. But, there are only a couple of
sentences explaining how they are service
oriented. This is where they fizzle out in my
opinion. It’s very bland.

“XX is dedicated to taking your web

hosting needs to the next level. Because our
focus is foremost on providing you with high
quality service and accountability, you can
depend on us to always be there for you.”

Well that sounds like typical advertising

babble to me. Next level? How about something
concrete? Like, “we return all support
questions within 1 hour”. “Toll free support
line free and answered by live and
knowledgeable operators.”

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 It’s nice that they bring up service, but
they didn’t follow through very well. It just
sounds like a blanket statement with little
backup. I don’t really believe it. But, I’ll
give them a 4.

So basically, I’m not real impressed with

any of the hosting messages I saw other than
#4.

However, I’m sure all of these companies

make a decent amount of money. (I’m not really
a web hosting geek, but I’ve heard of most of
them before). But they could probably use a
little help fine tuning their websites. I’m
guessing they would make even more money with a
finely tuned USP that they presented well in
the sales copy on their websites.

Even with something as bland as web

hosting, you can find a unique way to set your
company apart. I’d imagine that service and
ease of use would be my best guesses for what
customers are looking for. But, if you’re in
the web hosting field, you could easily learn
from your customers and target a niche.

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 Perhaps you could take the opposite tactic
and try to appeal to the true software geeks.
Offer special features just for them. Not just
your standard web hosting. In advertising of
this sort, you could go into detail about the
features the rest of us no nothing about.

And what about home business based

hosting? This is a very big market, it seems
everyone wants their own internet business
these days. Ebooks are the latest rage. Why
not offer a hosting solution for people selling
ebooks? You could add in value by giving them
a script to deliver the ebooks once they are
purchased. You could also offer a deal with a
proofreader. Or you could set up hosting and
website packages for professionals like
dentists, physicians and lawyers.

The possibilities are endless for a

hosting company to set themselves apart.
Obviously, one of the best places to promote
hosting is on the internet and to allow people
to purchase right while they are online. But
trying to appeal to a specific niche could
easily broaden their horizons. A hosting
company specializing in home based business
websites could advertise in Entrepreneur
Magazine. One specializing in hosting for the

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medical community could advertise in magazines
for this community as well as seminars that
attract physicians.

Teeth Whitening
Next stop; let’s look at some teeth
whitening products and services…

Again, I just went to the search engines.

This time I typed in “teeth whitening Colorado”
into yahoo. I’m looking at the small Yahoo
sponsor ads that show up to the right.

#1 Just One Hour

The first ad states, “One Hour
Professional Teeth Whitening”. So we can infer
that it’s quick and will be performed by
professionals. That’s good. If that’s their
USP, it’s decent. But then, in their headline,
they could spruce it up…

They could elaborate more with a short

headline like “During the Span of Your Lunch
Break, Stop in and get a Brand New, Sparkling
White Smile” or something like that.

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 So this business does a fairly reasonable
job. The name of the company conveys the
benefit and they seem to match their ads with
their USP.

#2 Top 1%
The next ad draws me in. “Gain a winning
smile from doctors in the top 1% of cosmetic
dentists in the U.S.” Although they are
bragging, at least they include a benefit at
all. I’d want a winning smile and even better
yet, they have a number in their ad. Numbers
work wonders. Top 1% means these are exclusive
dentists. Not just Joe Schmo who may
accidentally stain my teeth yellow.

This website follows up on their

advertising with images of people with nice,
bright smiles and before and after photos.
It’s OK.

They repeat how they are “ranked among the

top one percent of all cosmetic dentists in the
United States which makes them a top choice…”
Then they go on to share their specialties.
Specialties help set them apart. Anyone who is
looking for one of the areas they specialize in

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will get excited about this and will probably
pick them.

Here’s a side note. It’s obvious this

company is catering to clients who are
interested in exclusivity. They state their
dentists are in the top 1% and they cater to
specialties. So now, next month if they switch
to discount tooth whitening, wouldn’t you be
confused? All their marketing material
hopefully relates to their exclusiveness for
the biggest impact.

If they want to try to get people on a

budget, they can set up a smaller office and
cater to those individuals.

The point is to send a clear message.

Have a theme.

#3 Typical Advertising
The next small ad reads “Professional
teeth whitening. 25,000 clients – online since
1997. Save 70%.” This is pure rambling
advertising for the most part. It builds some
credibility, but I’m not sure most people will

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care. It’s a little bit like bragging. The
part about saving 70% is good, if you’re
looking for a budget tooth whitener.

Remember to pick one benefit, one promise,

or one specialty. Then use that as the major
focus for the headline in your advertising.

Establishing Credibility

“It’s far more impressive when others discover

your good qualities without your help.”

-- Judith S. Marin

Testimonials have been shown to work

wonders in the world of selling.

You see, there is an inherent problem with

selling anything. It’s that people need to
understand that your product or service has
better qualities, but if you come right out and
say it’s better, virtually no one will believe
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you. The typical consumer knows that you, of
all people, are going to say your product or
service is great. Therefore, they won’t
believe it. Even worse, it’s like bragging.
And you don’t want to be caught bragging about
yourself.

So, any boasting you do about yourself

will be lost to the wind, and your prospects
will likely never believe it. In fact, you may
manage to turn them off from your product or
service completely. But there is a solution.
If Joe White from Arkansas says your product
really works then that’s a whole different
ballgame. Your prospects will start to think
there just may be something to what you’re
saying. It’s even better if they can identify
with Joe White from Arkansas.

Your prospective customer is much more

likely to believe what someone else says about
your product or service than what you say.
It’s just a fact of human nature.

Whenever you are selling anything, the

first thing you have to do is get people to
believe you. Get them to believe that what you
say may have any truth at all.

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 But once you can get past that hurdle,
there is another one. That next hurdle is to
get them to believe that your product or
service can actually work for them.

The best way to overcome either of these

hurdles is to get outside reviewers to review
your product or service. These reviewers can
be regular people who have purchased your
product or service and have gotten great
results. These reviews are commonly called
testimonials.

Please note that some businesses (those

offering investment services and products for
example) are excluded from using testimonials.
You may need to check with your attorney before
using any testimonials in your sales material.

So the beauty of using a testimonial is

that it can allow you to imply superiority
without just coming out and stating it.

One thing to note is that we are all

influenced by outside peer groups. All of us.
No matter how sophisticated we’d like to
believe we are.
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 Now, if you recognize that what I’ve just
said is true, then you realize that your most
influential group is your peer group. This is
the same for your prospective customers as
well.

Your prospective customers will respond

better if they see that someone like them was
able to achieve results with your product or
service. They want to see themselves in the
people who had success with your product.

So if you’re selling a “stop smoking

product”, and your average customer is a 40 –
year old male who has smoked a pack a day for
the last two decades, you need quite a few
testimonials from 40-year old males who smoked
a pack a day for the last two decades.

This is one reason why it’s so important

for you to work through the demographics
exercises in the USP Action Plan. You need to
understand who your clients are.

Testimonials will help you establish

credibility. And they help prove to the
prospective customer that your system works on
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people who are like them. Your job with
marketing is to create an environment where
people see the proof.

You can do this by adding relevant

information into your testimonials. For
example, age may or may not be a crucial piece
of information. Chances are, if you are
selling a product or service to help reverse
wrinkles, then age surely matters. Geographic
info and occupation may also be useful points
of information. Where do your clients live?
What do they do?

Specific information like this will help

your customer identify with the person giving
the testimonials. It will also help the
testimonials to seem more believable. In
addition, photographs and a full name are also
important for establishing credibility. You
can even go so far as to record an audio or
video clip of the person giving the testimonial
and put it into your marketing material. All
these will help add credibility.

Just remember, you want whoever reads your

sales letter to be able to relate to the people
providing the testimonials. If they can see a
little of themselves in the people who’ve
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gotten results from your product or services,
your sales are bound to jump up.

How to Get Testimonials

If your product or service is any good
(which it should be), you will get unsolicited
testimonials from time to time. It’s best if
you ask permission from the clients who send
these in. It is my understanding that
regardless of whether permission has been
granted or not, you may still use the
testimonial as long as you do not disclose the
identity of anyone who has not granted you
permission.

In addition to getting unsolicited

testimonials, you should also try to actively
seek out feedback from your clients. You will
most certainly have many clients who value your
product or service, but won’t let you know this
until you prompt them. Don’t let the chance
for soliciting testimonials (or even just
feedback) from these individuals slip away.

You can easily systemize your responses by

sending out a letter requesting feedback to all
your clients a few months after they purchase.
Send this letter (or survey) in a self-

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addressed, stamped envelope to make it easy for
them to respond.

Now, the trick is to try to get something

concrete and specific from your clients. Most
of them, if left on their own, will simply
provide you with a vague, “It’s great!”, or “I
love the weight loss pills. I take one
everyday!”

These vague testimonials lack credibility.

What you really need are specifics. You want
your testimonials to be more like a case study
than a vague quotation. Case studies are
powerful. They are essentially a review of
your product or service from everyday users of
it.

So prompt them by asking them the right

questions. If you are selling a weight loss
program then you need to find out how much
weight they lost and how long it took.

Surveys or feedback forms can also be used

for evaluating your product or service. You
can constantly improve your business by asking
your clients questions. I’d suggest turning

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seeking feedback from your clients into a long-
term ongoing project.

Here are a few general questions you may

want to ask (you should customize these for
your product or service and add in additional
questions)…

 Did you achieve the benefit of our

product or service?

 How long did it take to achieve the

benefit?

 Overall, how do you feel our product or

service followed through on its
promise?

 With respect to the product or service

itself, what could be improved?

 Was there anything else you wished we

offered in our product or service?

If you want to offer additional products

or services, ask them to rank how interested
they would be in your new ideas. This way you
will already have a good idea of what may or
may not sell.

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 Chances are good; you will hear bad
feedback from time to time. This can be
difficult, but think of it as a means for
improving your business. Nothing is ever
perfect… don’t believe that for a second. You
should strive to keep your clients happy as
best as possible.

Chances are you will also receive some

unsolicited complaints. Make sure to keep
records of what your clients spontaneously
complain about. This will be a good way to
improve on your product or service in the
future as well.

After sending out a customer feedback form

if you still get a vague “It’s wonderful”
comment, you may try to rewrite it and show it
to the client. Ask them if its an accurate
description of how they feel about your product
or service. Ask them if they would they allow
you use it instead. If you can get them to
sign a form with a statement like this, you can
use it. Most clients will be happy to do this
if you put down an accurate statement about the
results they achieved.

Save your original letters (or your

feedback forms) and store them in a safe place.
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If you receive feedback in email form, be sure
to print the emails out and store them as well.

And What about the USP?

Your testimonials don’t need to follow
along exactly with your USP. In fact, it is
best if they express different benefits of your
product or service. If all your testimonials
say the same thing, it isn’t going to seem as
believable to readers.

It’s also best if your product name is not

in the testimonial. You don’t want your case
studies to sound made-up. If anything about
them seems unrealistic you may lose
credibility. Another tip is to avoid using
really long testimonials. They just won’t seem
as believable.

Remember, if people see success, they will

be more likely to try it out for themselves.
So show them your success stories every chance
you get.

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 What’s in a Name?

“You now have to decide what ‘image’ you want

for your brand. Image means personality.
Products, like people, have personalities, and
they can make or break them in the market
place.”

-- David Ogilvy

The Added Benefit

Now, if you’ve gotten this far and you
work through the exercises in the USP Action
Plan, you will be well on your way to creating
a successful USP. Your target audience will
flock to you. Your ads will break right
through the clutter of most other advertising.

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 Is there another benefit? Well yes, there
is.

If you craft your USP just right, it will

help prevent your competitors from copying you.

You will stand out. You see, the product

or service you’re offering will become
secondary to the position you maintain in the
marketplace. You will increase the barrier to
entry. And all this is just another way of
saying you will make it harder for your
competitors to copy your product or service and
start selling their own version.

Once you’ve decided on your USP, you may

want to take the idea of standing apart from
your competition even further.

Let’s say you’re selling a product of some

sort …

I’m sure you realize you do not want a

nameless product. As you can probably guess, a
nameless product will most likely go unnoticed
to your prospects and, worse yet, your clients.

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If they don’t remember your name, you will miss
out on referrals, which is one of the best
sources of advertising (and it’s free).

Names can be one of the most powerful

marketing tools at your disposal. So, take the
time to brainstorm for the perfect name for
your goods. Think about some of the brand
names you are familiar with.

Many names do not describe the specific

goods they represent. KODAK® and NIKE® are two
examples. Alternately, you can choose a name
that relates to your product or indicates how
you differ from the competition.

The right name can help your goods appear

superior over others without having to flaunt
it. A name can add an aura of exclusivity as
well.

Company or product names (services can

also have names) should be memorable. People
are bombarded with ad after ad after ad. The
name of your product or service should convey
its main benefit or feature. For example…

• “Band-Aid”
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 • “Angel Soft”

• “Chap-Stick”

In each of these instances, the name of

the product gives you a sense of the product’s
main benefit. This can be a great technique to
use.

Make sure your name is easy to pronounce.

If you can’t change the name at this point,
come up with a tagline that has these memorable
qualities. A tagline is a short phrase that
follows a name. Communicate your USP in your
tagline.

For example, “The Real Thing” is the

tagline for “Coca-Cola”. The name let’s you
know it’s a cola (soft drink), but the tagline
infers that it was the first cola. That makes
it different (and remember, people infer the
first as the best).

When coming up with a name, mnemonics are

good. Mnemonics are simply a device, such as a
formula or a rhyme that can be useful to aid in
remembering. Studies have shown that rhyming
may increase value and credibility. So your
name can be singsong in fashion, with similar
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sounds in the words. Or they can simply repeat
similar syllables. Our brains have been shown
to love repetition (therefore, this will get
your name remembered). Here are a few
examples…

• “Hamburger Helper”

• “Ronald McDonald”

• “Coca-Cola”

• “Barbie”

If possible, your name should be a

reflection of your unique advantage. It can be
an even better for you if your name implies
your USP.

Here’s an example I’m sure you’ll

recognize…

• “Jiffy Lube” – Fast oil changes.

Notice how their name implies their oil

change service?

If you are going to seek opinions before

deciding on a name (which is a great idea),

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simply show people a list of the names you’ve
brainstormed. Ask them what they like. Then
wait a day or two and ask them which one they
remember (the one they remember is the one you
want).

But why stop at just naming your goods or

services? When you come up with the right
brand name, you may want to trademark it. This
will provide you with several advantages. For
one, competitors cannot copy your trademark.
Your specific product or service really will
become exclusive to you and you alone. This
exclusivity will help set you apart and provide
uniqueness to your goods.

Secondly, if your trademark implies a

better or unique kind of product or service,
people will be more likely to choose it. For
example, if you sell shoes made from a
comfortable, patented material, you may want to
brainstorm for a name that conveys the unique
comfort of your shoes. You would want to take
this one step further by following through with
the same message (usually your product’s
biggest benefit) in your advertising as well.

So start creating an image and build its

value. With trademarks, you can customize a
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run-of-the-mill service in such a way that it
appears unique and new. Get creative with your
trademark and you can package the mundane in an
entirely new way to gain a powerful,
competitive advantage.

Trademarks can be a word, phrase, design,

sound, symbol, or a combination used to
identify and distinguish your goods from those
of your competitors. You may also use a mark
to identify a particular service; in this case
the marks are referred to as service marks.

Trademarks and service marks serve the

consumer by allowing them to easily distinguish
the companies, products, and services they like
and trust from others. In this way, the
consumer can search for familiar brand names,
thereby ensuring a familiar buying experience.
Alternately, consumers can easily avoid buying
from brands they do not like.

Trademarks can help you build an identity

and a solid reputation with consumers.
Therefore, trademarks are a valuable asset that
can be vital to the growth of your company.
The right name can help you set your goods
apart from your competitors, allowing your
unique and superior qualities to shine through.
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Tips for Using a Trademark Properly
Please remember that this is not legal
advice. Seek out an attorney when looking for
legal advice.

You must provide the public with notice of

your registered trademark. If proper notice is
not given, potential infringers may claim they
were unaware of the mark. Furthermore, if you
are involved in an infringement lawsuit, you
may not be granted as much (or any)
infringement damages as you would if you had
posted notice of your trademark.

If you are doing business in the U.S.,

registering your trademark or service mark with
the United States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) can provide you with several
advantages. For one, your trademark can easily
be searched for in the USPTO’s database.
Registered marks also grant you legal

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presumption and the ability to bring action in
a federal court.

If you choose to officially register your

trademark with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) and they accept your
application, then you should use the federal
registration symbol “®”. You may only use this
symbol after the USPTO registers the mark. You
may not use the “®” while the application is
pending. While your mark is pending, you may
use “TM” (for trademark) or “SM” (for service
mark) if you wish. You may use the “TM” and
“SM” marks regardless of whether an application
has been filed with the USPTO.

You must take care to maintain your

trademark. When you use it, how you use it,
and what you put it on are of the utmost
importance. Keep in mind, a trademark can be
considered abandoned if the owner intentionally
stops using it and does not intend to resume
its use.

It is best to use your mark as an

adjective. Never use it as a noun, a verb,
pluralize it, or use it in the possessive form
or your mark may become generic. A generic
mark is one that is used by the public as the
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name for all goods like yours. For example,
the word “aspirin” is commonly used to describe
certain types of pain medication, not just the
actual aspirin tablets created by Bayer. The
trademark itself has become generic.

To help keep your trademark from becoming

generic, follow it up with the word “brand” or
the type of item it conveys. For example, you
may state “YourTrademark® soft drink” or
“YourTrademark® brand soft drinks”. This will
ensure that your mark is used as an adjective
and will help prevent it from becoming generic.

Notice in the examples above the

fictitious trademark name is italicized. When
you are using your mark in print (whether in
sales or promotional materials, on a website,
etc…) it is best to differentiate it from
generic terms. You may use italics, quotation
marks, bold type, all capital letters, or
underlining to set your trademark apart. Not
only does this help prevent it from becoming
generic, but it helps implant your mark in the
minds of consumers.

Finally, you must take care to affix your

mark to a specific product or service. When
you refer to that particular product or
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service, be sure to use your trademark and the
proper symbol. Put it on the packaging and in
advertisements. Remember that the mark may
only be used in connection with the goods
and/or services listed in the federal trademark
registration. Do not affix it to other
products or use it in combination with other
services your company offers.

A registered mark must be maintained and

watched. If you ever suspect infringement, you
must enforce the exclusivity of your trademark.
All authorized third-party uses must be
licensed and enforced. If you notice an
unauthorized use of your mark and you do not
enforce it, you face losing your trademark
altogether. Trademark rights are granted to
protect consumers from confusion between the
products and services offered by you and your
competitors. Therefore, it is your duty to
enforce the validity of your trademark.

As you can see, it is vital that you watch

your trademark. If you find that a company is
infringing on your mark, you can take them to
court. If found guilty, they will need to stop
using the trademark and may be fined monetary
damages.

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 Analysis of USP’s for Service
Professionals

“Advertising is, actually, a simple phenomenon

in terms of economics. It is merely a
substitute for a personal sales force – an
extension, if you will, of the merchant who
cries aloud his wares.”

-- Rosser Reeves

Real breakthroughs are generated when you

look at your marketing problem (or any problem
for that matter) from different vantage points.
Even if you do not offer anything similar to
the services we’re going to discuss, you may be
able to adopt something to your marketing
message.

Problems can arise when competitors never

look outside their marketplace for ideas (the
SAT test prep market seems to be a good example
of this). In instances like these, the
advertising usually winds up being the same.

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 The point is, please don’t discount this
section just because your business is different
than what I’ve listed here. The real
breakthroughs will come by viewing your
business differently and possibly adopting
ideas from others outside your market.

USP’s for Attorneys

For a recent project I had the pleasure of
looking through a number of websites for patent
attorneys. Patent attorneys specialize in
helping people get copyrights, trademarks and
patents. Wouldn’t you know, every (and I mean
every one) of the websites I visited for patent
attorneys across the nation had a statement
like this … “at XYZ we specialize in
copyrights, trademarks and patents”.

And this was out of dozens and dozens of

websites!

None of them had a reason why a

prospective customer should pick them over
anyone else. Not a single reason (let alone a
good one). This is a problem. Can you just
imagine the dilemma of an inventor or author

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searching for someone to help them patent or
copyright their work? What would you do?

Now I know that a lot of the business a

patent attorney generates comes from referrals
(so hopefully these businesses have read up on
referrals and have a system in place to collect
them).

But, this is a highly specialized field.

It’s not like looking for a dentist (everyone,
well most everyone goes to a dentist, but
hardly anyone goes to a patent attorney). So
there are likely to be a number of people who
need to protect their intellectual property,
but don’t know anyone else in their boat. They
would have no one to supply them with a quality
referral. So how do they pick?

I imagine most would use the internet and

type in “patent attorney” and their state or
city. Then they’d visit the web pages of the
patent attorneys who came up and start calling.
Alternately, they may head for the phone book.
Since virtually all patent attorneys say the
same thing, they would have no real way to
“pick a favorite” before calling them up. They
would probably go right down the line.

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 So there exists a substantial opportunity
for marketing friendly patent attorneys to
sidestep their competition. At least when it
comes to getting the isolated individuals who
won’t know who to turn to when it comes time to
protect their intellectual property.

So what could they say other than the

obvious, “at … we specialize in copyrights,
trademarks and patents”? Well how about, “We
specialize in helping inventors and small
businesses”.

It’s so simple, but virtually no one does

this in the field! That at least gives
inventors an idea of whether or not they are
welcome. Some patent attorneys probably only
accept corporate multi-million dollar clients.
The lone inventor or author isn’t going to feel
comfortable calling them up, let only make an
appointment with them.

And an inventor would probably want to

know if the first appointment is free, won’t
they? So we can add something about that in.
“If you’re ready to protect your intellectual

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property, come in for a free 30 minute
consultation and we’ll discuss your needs”.

That’s inviting, friendly and

professional. Yet, virtually no one does this
either!

Off the top of my head, here are a couple

of things I would imagine an individual
inventor or small business owner would be
concerned about when speaking with an attorney
about protecting his or her intellectual
property…

1. Price – we all associate large amounts of

money with attorneys. That really scares
most of us. The thought of going in and
spending an hour or two with an attorney
and then getting a rather large bill in
the mail frightens us all. Put us at ease
about that and we’ll probably choose you.

2. Quality – We don’t want to get scammed.

The more savvy individuals will be
concerned about this. They’ll want to
know that their copyright, patent or
trademark will stand up in court and give

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 them rock-solid protection for their
intellectual property.

But that is just my opinion (and my

opinion isn’t the one that matters, it’s the
opinion of prospective customers that is
important). And there’s an easy way to find
out what they want. A marketing savvy patent
attorney seeking to get more small company
business would do the following. He would go
to an inventor’s club meeting, a publisher’s
club meeting and a writer’s club meeting.
Virtually every city or state has these and
they are usually held monthly. The smart
patent attorney would call up the club and ask
if he could give a short talk about IP rights
and how they relate to (insert inventors,
publishers or writers).

Can you imagine how thrilled the club

organizer would be? A real patent attorney was
going to take the time to speak at their next
meeting! I bet they’d go out of their way to
get as many people as possible to show up.

Next, the smart patent attorney would

create a short survey for the members. He’d
ask them questions about what their concerns
are on selecting a patent attorney (i.e. price,
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quality, etc…). What would they like to learn
about? He’d sit and think about this survey
before printing it out as it could lead to
highly valuable market research about his
prospective consumers.

He would also come up with a nice little

pamphlet, newsletter, letter, something, for
them to take home with them. He would make
sure to include his name, his firm’s name and
contact information right on top.

Then he would show up and give a real

brief talk about intellectual property rights
(15 minutes would probably be fine) and let
them ask about 15 minutes worth of questions.
Either before or after the talk, the surveys
would be passed out and collected before he
left. He would also be sure to pass out the
letter, etc… before he was finished.

Just with that simple little act, I bet he

would make new clients (who may then refer him
more clients later) and gain some valuable
marketing research. More importantly, he’d
also learn how to appeal to these prospective
clients and others just like them. This could
lead to a very valuable message (we won’t even
call it advertising since attorneys don’t
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typically like the thought of advertising).
And that message could really separate him from
the rest of the competition. Remember, no one
else even had a message so this guy could
really stand out and shine.

Can you relate some of this to your

specific area of business? If you can’t go to
a seminar, then put on a tele-seminar or simply
give away a free report with a feedback form in
it.

Moving right along, let’s really switch

things up and talk about…

USP’s for Hairdressers

Many people find a hairdresser by
referrals, but it’s a mistake to assume that
everyone finds a hairdresser this way. My
hairdresser won’t do much advertising as he
thinks no one will come to him without a
referral. He’s always asking for referrals
from me.

But think of all the opportunity he’s

missing out on. For starters, he could send a
letter out to people who just moved into the
neighborhood. These people aren’t likely to
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get referrals since they don’t really know
anyone.

He could get a list of new people and send

them a letter in the mail. Give them a
discount on their first haircut. How easy is
that? If it’s too expensive for him to mail
out letters to these people, he could go to a
few other businesses near him and ask if they’d
like to share in the mailing costs.

Imagine how much business he could get

from this! If he sent these letters out even
just a couple times a year, it would bring in a
steady stream of customers all year long.

So back to the focus of this book. What

type of USP could you come up with if you’re a
hairdresser?

Well an exclusive salon definitely comes

to mind. If you’re exclusive, you can
obviously charge much more. Really, the more
you charge, the more exclusive you are.

If you’re in a tourist town, you might be

able to make a substantial living from affluent
travelers. They may need a hair style for a
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memorable night out on the vacation of their
dreams.

Of course, there’s the wedding hair salon

(although you wouldn’t have to limit yourself
to weddings only, but it would be a great way
to gain new business). Think of all the people
involved in a single wedding. The bride and
all her bridesmaids, the groom, family members,
people from out-of-town… any of these people
may start to use your services on a regular
basis.

What about a business essentials salon?

Or one catering to hip, stylish cuts?

An even more creative idea is to open a

salon that attracts new clients based on fixing
bad hair do’s.

Or one focused on new looks for its

clients. Many people are bored and want to try
something new, they’d flock to this salon. You
could work in a hair/face analysis before you
do the cut. I can see the headline now …

“Taking You from Boring to Stylish in 90

Minutes”.
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 People who get their hair cut, especially
women, are interested in beauty. So we want a
nice soothing salon. We want quality. If
you’re next to a day spa and can work something
out with them that’s a real treat. If you can
give us something else beauty-wise as a gift
we’ll be thrilled. That’s exclusive.

USP’s for Graphic Designers

What do people searching for graphics
want? Well, usually they want to use the
graphics to help create a professional image
for their business. They want to increase
their profits.

People want stunning designs, unique to

them. Fast. Guaranteed. They want to know if
you will re-do it if they don’t like it.

Logos
If you’re a graphics designer, you could
focus on creating just one type of graphic, for
example, logos. Remember, if you specialize in
logos, then people interested in getting a logo
would likely choose you over a more general

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graphic designer. Here’s an option that would
put you under the exclusive USP category…

You could offer a full blown specialty

service where you personally speak with the
person who needs the design and determine the
best look for their new logo. Then you could
print out the top 3 logos you’ve come up with
in different styles and on different media
(business cards, on the web, on letterhead) so
they know how it looks. Next you would have
another consultation getting feedback from your
client. Spend quality time with them on what
they like and dislike about the logos. Then
create a new one. Let them review that one and
have another consultation. Finally, finish the
product.

Obviously, for this type of logo creation,

you would charge a fairly substantial chunk of
change. Let’s say this logo package goes for
$10,000. Hey, this is not run of the mill.
You would target corporations with money.
There would be nothing generic about the logos
you create for your clients. They would be
completely personalized and catered toward
their business and their marketing strategy.

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 On the other hand, there are logo
businesses that cater toward creating less
expensive logos. There isn’t anything wrong
with this. Many people aren’t going to spend
thousands of dollars on a logo when they first
start out with a business. So targeting them
is an equally good strategy as the one I’ve
presented above (as long as you aren’t
competing on price alone). The time spent with
each customer is dramatically less in this
model. You would probably still need to let
the client review it or provide them with at
least 3 logos to choose from.

You might provide your clients with an

information sheet where they tell you a little
about what colors they like and what style
works best for their company. Then you would
provide them with a unique logo, one review
where they tell you if anything needs changed
and then the final product. It’s a take it or
leave it after the one review. This service
may run $250.

Now, where it gets scary is when you see

designers’ starting price wars. My logo
service is $200, mine is $150, and mine is
$100. They just cut down the price. If one of
them got smart, left the price at $250 and

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added in some other services they’d do fairly
well. Maybe they could shorten the turn-around
time. “Your logo in 5 days”. Or “We cater to
the online image”, or “Your unique,
professional service logo …”

Please note that this isn’t just

applicable to those in the graphic design
industry. This same principle can easily apply
to virtually any product or service you offer.

Real Estate Agents

Real estate is a big market. As a
realtor, it can be tough to stand out. So it
is even more important for realtors to target a
small group of people who could really value
from their services rather than just
“everyone”.

First of all, if you are a realtor, you

need to remember that you are a consultant.
Forget about selling, you are there to consult
people throughout an important process.

You could choose to work with certain

types of people. For example, people with a
certain career choice, interests, income or

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their phase in life (families, recent
graduates, seniors, etc)

You could also choose to work with people

in a certain geographic area. Like
neighborhood etc…

For real estate agents, a good selling

point might be that you are a native of the
area (well, only if you are). That way, you
could push the fact that you know the area
really well.

Alternately, you could target people

seeking real estate in mountain areas. Why not
specialize in cabins or on the opposite side of
the spectrum, luxury mountain homes? Ski
in/ski out or on the golf course.

Here are a few other ideas to get your

brain flowing:

• Multi-million dollar estates.

• Town homes or condominiums

• Land, 20 acres or more

• Military relocations

• Corporate relocations
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 • Commercial and investment properties

For people seeking a new home, you should

add some value to your services as a real
estate consultant.

Could you work out a deal with a furniture

store in the area? People who move usually
wind up buying new furniture and would
appreciate a discount. The same could go for a
landscaper, or window treatments.

This is especially important and easy if

you are selecting a niche based on geographical
area. You could easily find vendors in that
area who would be willing to give even just a
small discount to your clients. You would not
ask for a commission in this case since you
would be adding value to your services.

If you are selling their home you could

offer a guarantee. Sell it within 6 months or
there is no commission (or less commission).

For people looking to buy real estate for

investment purposes, you could set up a course
or seminar. If you can’t do that (it seems
most realtors know quite a bit about real
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estate as an investment), you could partner up
with someone who can. Offer that free of
charge if they use you when purchasing their
investments.

Conclusion

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 To conclude, we have presented you with
strong evidence as to why you should craft your
marketing around a unique selling proposition.
We’ve even provided you with example after
example and specific explanations.

The next step is to create your own profit

pulling Unique Selling Proposition!

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