A Simple Way to Get Better Results With Your Unique Selling Proposition
(The Secret of an Effective Ice Breaker Opening)
By Thomas M. Reidy
Traditionally, the term “unique selling proposition” has been taught in basic sales school to mean answering the question: What makes you stand out, in a quality way, from your competition? The problem is that many sellers have the same answer as their competitors, thus turning “unique” into “mundane.” When you change the meaning of USP to: Understanding Special Problems; you will close more sales because you will be seen as an expert in solving problems (and that’s why we get paid the big bucks) from the buyer’s perspective, rather than the seller’s perspective.
I teach, in my business development seminars, the art of the icebreaker opening and USP. At the beginning of the seminar, I go around the room and ask each participant to give their USP. Even though they come from different backgrounds and industries, they sound alike. Their “uniqueness” is that they have: “unbeatable prices”…”best location”…”outstanding customer service” (most heavily used)…”wide selection”…”new breakthrough technology” (which isn’t bad, except they rarely explain, in a concise way, the benefits to the customer)…”best credentials”…”number of years in the business,” etc. etc., you get the picture.
A properly designed USP is most effective at the top of your marketing and sales funnels and when properly executed; it will actually open up more deals for you because you are arousing in your prospect the desire-to-acquire your product or service.
Here is why the new USP works better than the old: In the new USP you articulate the problems and pains of what clients typically experience and then offer the vision of pain relief through the benefits (not the features) of what you are selling. Your discussion with the prospect is about what that person is experiencing. The focus of the conversation is on client problems, issues and possible solutions.
In the old USP, the discussion is centered on you, your products, features, benefits, prices, etc. Often you are, inadvertently, justifying, defending and explaining what is so special about what you offer. Many times when using the old USP, you feel like you are spinning your wheels in frustration discovering that the other person isn’t qualified or even interested in what you have to say: They were just being polite.
You will close more sales when you can articulate your vision of pain relief to your prospects because you understand their special problems, as no one else does. The new USP transforms your relationship from being perceived as a salesperson to being an expert in your field. At the very least you won’t be wasting valuable time with people who aren’t qualified for your services.
Many USPs are so concise that they never arouse curiosity from the listener. A good USP is a conversation ice breaker and leads to a discussion about the prospect’s concerns. At this stage of the game it is important for the seller to qualify the prospect’s pains, instead of doing a monologue on features that the seller is promoting.
Here is an action exercise: Take a sheet of paper and list each product or service you offer. Next, list the features and benefits of each product. Then, list next to each benefit, the customer’s pain that the benefit addresses. From the pain statements that emerge, create your new USP. Remember, write your USP as though you are the customer searching for your services. Be conversational in your script and arouse curiosity.
Keep in mind when using your new USP, that you can vary its length to fit the occasion. It can be used in conversational snippets, guiding a conversation to a meaningful and enjoyable conclusion where a curious party is asking to take the next step in a follow up meeting. When you master the rules of the new USP, you will never chase your prospects again.
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Thomas Reidy developed a new sales team from scratch to number one in the nation (per capita earnings) in less than eighteen months. He is known as The Sales Whisperer for Entrepreneurs because he rehabilitates sales systems and coaches business leaders on how to profitably synchronize their sales and marketing funnels.
