Create a Unique Selling Proposition
by Abe Cherian,

Your USP is not supposed to be a sales pitch. It's not supposed to sound like you're selling somebody something. It's supposed to sound and create the impression that you have an offer that's irresistible.

It's very different, and it creates a situation where the people feel very comfortable in following through and coming to do business with you. When you are talking to people, are you swearing that you're not going to try to sell them anything? 

When you're following up with your leads, are you swearing that you are going to interview them and not try to shove anything at them?

Are you either directly, overtly, or covertly communicating that message that you aren't going to try and sell them anything, and that you're a consultant, a trusted advisor? 

These are all the things that you need to do. Now, let me give you a template of a bunch of ideas, any number of which can be Unique Selling Propositions.

This little speech is a sample of a way to communicate that he or she is not a product or service peddler, but an objective advisor. No matter what business you're in, or what you sell, you can plug in your own words and services where appropriate. The point is that this model will allow you to use any number of the statements in here as part of your ad headlines, your messages, copy in your ads or flyers or free ecourses, etc. 

"Listen Mr. John Doe, I understand that there are lots of people who will be glad to give you so-called stories of their size or experience, but let me explain a couple of things to you. One, I have a great deal of professional responsibility that I have to manage if you do business with me. I will be ethically required to review your situation as it relates to my product/service to help you look at all the related areas in your life, and to help you work out a plan that will lead you to the best chance of achieving your goals. Both now, and on an ongoing basis, so that we are working together to make sure we're on target regarding your desires and needs.

You see, Mr. John Doe, if I just simply look at one issue, all by itself, my response is this. If I just talk to you about part of your situation here, I could be committing a great sin for both you and me. It could, and often does turn out, that the issue cannot be dealt with in a vacuum. There may be other areas that could be affected and even made a problem if you move too quickly or in the wrong direction."

Another thing I've asked people to do is to come up with a list of things that they're doing to go the extra mile. Pretty interesting stuff. Are you doing all of those things? Are you doing any of those things? If not, what are you waiting for?

Going the extra mile is not something you can necessarily quantify, but you can sure identify it. For example, all of the things people are doing, are not what we've all been taught that people recognize as service. We're taught, like our Mr. John Doe, that having the "best" company somehow equates with having the best service. Or, that by doing what the client expect, we're going the extra mile. 

Going the extra mile consists of doing things that shock, surprise and amaze people. We hope you can see how a USP is not just a sales pitch. And that the speech above is not just a USP. It's also the truth.

People should have a total look at their situation before making decisions about investing money or buying products. By explaining the truth, and combining it with a candid, straightforward theme of evaluating, ethics, moral obligation, and professional duty, you'll come up with the best kind of USP you can. Why?

Because it sounds so different, and because it conveys such a feeling of COMPETENCE and CONFIDENCE that people are compelled to do business with you.

Do you really think that after that sort of a presentation and explanation, they'll be thinking about the analysis that every other business with some lame sales pitch about their being the "best"?

Do you see how all these USP's talk about the client only, not about you? You will be dealing with people based on their emotional needs, not your issues and interests! We hope that gives you some idea and some structure and some things you can use for your own USP. 

Do away with "our company has the best of everything."

"You will own your market, and be very rich. just by doing what you should be doing... since none of your competitors will do it. That makes you UNIQUE...and thus...rich."

You see we won't take that kind of risk like Mr. John Doe. You need to have an entire picture of what you've got, what you're doing and where you want to go, before we can sell you a product or give you any practical advice at all. If you think that is too much, or overkill, we can understand that, and that's fine. But, just so you understand, like a medical doctor, would never give you an idea of what you should do concerning prescriptions or procedures or treatments without having a diagnosis completed.

A simple, straight forward explanation contains many USP's that when marketed, generates more clients in a month for some of people than others get in a year.

The key is having enthusiastic clients who are so overwhelmed with the service they got, that you went so far down the road past the extra mile, they feel compelled, by a psychic obligation, to refer people to you. That is why satisfied clients don't refer. You will never create that WOW experience by just selling people products, or offering just "okay" or "adequate" service.

So the real bottom line here is that, if you go the extra mile and beyond to find a compelling and irresistible USP, people cannot help wanting to know more about it. You must leave people wanting to do business with you. And, when they find that your service is so overwhelming, and so fantastic, so far and above anything they ever expected, you will get unbelievable numbers of wildly enthusiastic unsolicited recommendations. But, you'll never get to the heights that you can get to in this business without generating this unbridled enthusiasm from clients.

None of this is in Mr. John Doe's rulebook, but we think you get the idea. Go the extra mile, and watch your business soar with the eagles!

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