| |
| |
|
Sales Information |
|
|
|
Unique Selling Propositions
If you have competitors, then you should have at least one Unique Selling Proposition (USP). The more REAL ones you have, the better - for your Branding, your business recognition, and your sales! We all have competitors, and the more you have, the more important it is that you have a Unique Selling Proposition (at least one). Allow me to explain. Let's use a recent example of a company that sells laser toner cartridges... Do you think they have competition online? You bet they do, another category that is swamped with resellers. Sound like yours? The task of coming up with a USP can sometimes be tough. But every company needs this, it sets you apart from your competitors. Let me stress this again, it is one or more reasons why prospects should work with you, or buy from you, or do business with you, instead of your competitors, period. Let me narrow this a little further, it used to be if you had the best price, - you got the business. Although still a minor USP, price alone should not be the only consideration, it's not really that unique... Yes, you still need to be competitive, but I don't want to be the cheapest guy... we're in this to make a profit, right? So don't make price your 'only' USP. Combine it with more value, something your competition doesn't do, or doesn't offer. O.K., back to our example. This company needed more than price, their product pricing is right inline with everyone else, so now what? First of all, you need to know what your competitors do offer. This is not a new concept. You can't compete if you don't know what you're up against. So take a little time and check out what they have. Do some research, you'd be surprised what you might find - or not. Special offers, free shipping, a contest, great customer support? Take a step back, imagine you are the customer and you do buy toner from someone a few times a year. If they do not get great service or it's just average, then chances are you can sway them your way. This references "customer loyalty" another chapter, but it follows first getting the customer. So, let's get the prospect as a customer first. Now, what do we do to sway these prospects? We offer them what the competition doesn't. This can be discovered with your competitive research. Oh, and if you still haven't found a USP or a few - then Hyperformance Media can help you with this as well. Write down every idea that you and your team come up with. Please don't worry about how silly they might seem (at the time), just brainstorm with the data you have gained. The reason I say to include the silly ones, and others is because sometimes those little ideas that you laughed at can actually be morphed to create your USP. No idea is too far fetched at this point, and usually the ideas you laughed at are, in fact, some things your competitors don't offer. That's where we go next. On the toner company we came up with all kinds, some were already offered by competitors, some were not. The idea is to initially come up with as many as possible. Here are some of what we narrowed the field to (we started with about two dozen);
We are getting more competitive immediately by implementing some simple offerings. Let's take each one in this example and see how we can use it or discard it to our advantage.
So, what did this company find? In a nutshell - Their products are priced well to compete. In this case, we discarded free shipping as not really cost effective. We stressed Satisfied Customers in all of our marketing materials with testimonials and real-life examples. We are also developing a contest to further set us apart from our competitors. We could not find a free gift we thought would add any value to the customer (but continue to look). They are considering a Referral Program as well. The real USP in combination with the others was our unique E-mail Reminder System. At that time, no other competitor was offering anything like this! This IS a Unique Selling Proposition and was perfect for our example. Put all these together, and this company has numerous 'edges' on their competition. Once customers are aware of these differences that set you apart from all the rest - growth is almost certain! That company is in a much better position to 'own' their market online, or at a minimum increase their market share. The more you get the word out, the more you're sure to benefit from these type ideas. I understand this was a pretty broad example but you should get the idea. You won't always come up with an idea that no competitor has or offers, but if only 3-6 competitors offer that same USP, you are still in the top tier of your competition instead of lost somewhere un-noticed while buyers continue to purchase through your competition. You decide. Use this article for your training, website, or newsletter by simply adding the following footer; Written by and Copyright © 2003 About The Author Scott is the Founder and Sr. Project Manager for Hyperformance Media.com, a Technology Marketing Company serving online businesses since 1996. His 23+ years of experience in the computer industry will help you succeed. Their website offers free education & resources that will assist any business in successfully marketing their company online.
MORE RESOURCES:
Sales - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How Improve Conversion Rates Do you know your conversion rates? Conversion rate is the number of visitors to your site that take the desired action against the total number of visitors in a particular period or time. Research has shown that 60% of websites do not know their conversion rates. How To Sell Your Products or Services on Value And Stop Selling On Price Alone Have you ever met with, or talked to a prospect that wasn't ready to buy what you had to offer? What did you do with that prospects? Most sales gurus of the 1980's and 90's wrote books that told you to move on to the next prospect who is ready to buy now, and not waste your time on those that aren't ready yet.Here's the wrong assumption to make in that situation. Telling the Value Story You arrived on time and completed your calculations. You worked up a presentation of all the things you're going to do and items included, going over each item carefully. Dont Let Rattlesnakes Scare You Recently I was out trail running along the South Fork of the Yuba River. The Yuba River is in a beautiful canyon running east-west through the middle of Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Sales Brochures - 9 Steps to Success Even in this day of websites, many customers want to look at a brochure or other form of hard copy. It's important therefore that your brochure tells the customer all they need to know. Use Pain To Get Commitments Whenever I speak with new salesreps and entrepreneurs, I hear a similar frustration: "I call a lot of prospects each week, most of which are really hard to get a hold of. When I do get someone on the line, I am thrilled just to talk to them. 6 Ways To Get More From Your Promotions 1. Settle On The Right Way ForwardThe purpose of your promotions is to get more sales, not to soley enhance the image of you or your company. Five Things More Important to Buyers than WHAT Youre Selling - I Article I of a two-part series.No matter what customers say they want, what they're really looking for is "something special. To Sell Successfully, You Have to Be Willing to Be Different We are complex. We confidently assert that we are independent thinkers but then we can feel uncomfortable -- even embarrassed - if we break out of "the norm. Do Your Words Betray You? What do the words that you use say about you? What is your basic message? Do your words support that basic message? As a business owner, entrepreneur or sales professional, part of your message must be of confidence and authority. You always want your prospect or your customer to see you as an expert in your field, as someone who is credible and someone who is knowledgeable. How To Bully Your Prospects Into Buying Your Product or Service Selling is a tough job, and sometimes you may need to appear tough in order to get the sale.As a salesperson (whether in person or in print) you don't have to appear to the customer as being needy of the sale. Your Profit is in Your Follow-up: A System for Increased Sales Conversion No matter what you sell--products, services, or causes--one of the key ingredients to your success will be the attention you give your sales lead follow-up system.Notice that I used the word system to describe your follow-up program. Top Seven Ways to Write An Order-Pulling Sales Letter Ready to put your Web pages up? Ready to sell a lot more products and services? If you're not getting the sales, you want you may want to think "makeover." Whether you're just starting or doing a web makeover, you need to Power Write your sales letters. The Answers (1 - 5) Are Here !!! - Challenge Yourself - Evaluate Your Selling Skills "THE ANSWERS (1 - 5) ARE HERE!!!"Question 1) List the top five most important steps in the selling process?Answer: 1. Rapport. 60 Ways to Increase Your Mail Order Catalog Sales This article is meant to inform. Please don't construe this as legal advice. Youve Got a Great Business, but Nobody Cares! I would like to share a disturbing little secret with you. Almost 70% of the people you do face-to-face business, with will never speak to you again!It's not that they didn't like you or get value from your services, but they just don't care. 15 Ways To Get Really Motivated First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Before You Sell Do The Math This is an important and potentially profitable piece of advice. It goes like this - before you ever attempt to sell any products and services - do the math. Future Business Key Element In Sales A challenge facing many businesses is how to maintain a constant stream of customers in order to provide a regular cash flow.One method is to choose a location that ensures a steady flow of traffic past the door, creating a constant awareness of the business. Referrals: Getting Good Business By Doing Good Business Whether you're a conventional sales person, a professional - such as a dentist or lawyer or doctor - or a business owner, you've got to have clients to stay in business. There are several ways to do this: either continue to find new customers, keep all of the customers you've ever had, get old clients to return, or get customers to send in referrals.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
