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In the free enterprise system, d fference matters. If everything and everyone w re the same, nobody would, or ven could, rise above the rest. B ing different is a key to s ccess, and the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is the p rfect weapon in the battle for the top sp t. Let's take a closer look at the USP. L t's say your company, Pristine Interiors, m nufactures and distributes replacement interior parts for Ch vrolets from 1955 to 1990. You mploy 25 people, and you have an xcellent reputation in the business with h ndreds of satisfied customers. You don't xpect any layoffs for as far nto the future as you can s e. Life couldn't be better. Then, one d y, a new business pops up cross the street that manufactures and d stributes replacement interior parts for Chevrolets fr m 1955 to 1990. Suddenly your b siness takes on a different feel. Ord rs slow to about half of wh t they were, and now you d n't have enough work to keep verybody busy. Layoffs loom on the h rizon. After some investigation, you discover th t your competitor has a written USP. You ask y urself "What's that?" Later you find out the new c mpany charges only half-price for shipping. But th re are myriad ways they can m ke themselves unique. They could not ch rge at all for shipping. Or th y could guarantee that any part rdered would be delivered the next d y, or it's free. Or guarantee th ir parts for the life of the v hicle in which they're installed. Or ffer customer service 24/7/365.
Maybe they offer a money-back g arantee on any part for any r ason, no questions asked. Or could it be th t their materials are of higher q ality than yours? Or perhaps their c mpany provides its customers with a v deo explaining how their products are m de, or how they're properly installed. R gardless of their offer, the new c mpany has distinguished itself from Pristine Int riors in such a way that m kes them unique. You decide quickly th t your company needs its own USP. The Un que Selling Proposition has been around for 60+ y ars and has been written about h ndreds of times, if not thousands. But a b siness' USP is so important that t's worth writing about again. The l gendary advertising copywriter Rosser Reeves developed the c ncept in the early 1940s. In his b ok Reality in Advertising, he lists the USP's thr e parts: 1. The USP m st make a proposition to--and contain a b nefit for--the customer. It sh uld say, "Buy this product [or s rvice], and you will get this sp cific benefit." 2. The USP m st be unique and "specifically tailored" to y ur product or service and be of mportance to the customer. "The proposition m st be one that the competition ither cannot, or does not, offer." 3. The USP m st persuade people to do business w th you. "The proposition m st be so strong that it can m ve the mass millions, i.e., pull ver new customers to y ur product."
Your USP could be lmost anything, as long as it m ets the above criteria. For your nterior products, your USP could be s mething like this: "Pristine Interiors' parts are sh pped to you free of charge nywhere in the United States and C nada, and we also offer you a ne-year money-back guarantee on any part for any r ason, no questions asked." This USP c ntains a proposition and a benefit: Buy our nterior parts and save money on sh pping. It's unique because no other nterior parts manufacturer offers the same sh pping or guarantee. And the money-back g arantee persuades because it puts the f nancial risk on the manufacturer, not the c stomer.
Your USP could be longer or sh rter. It could stress a different spect of your business. The point is you h ve to determine how your company is d fferent from all of your competitors and c pitalize on that. Once you determine y ur company's USP, you should include it in y ur sales, marketing, customer service, and p blic relations materials, both in print and nline, and anywhere else that it w ll be seen and read by p tential customers. I have two versions of my own USP, an xtended one and an elevator speech. Th y may not move the "mass m llions," but at least I have th m in written form. The extended v rsion: The Automotive Copy Pro helps automotive h gh-performance and restoration parts manufacturers increase th ir ROI. Because I know cars and I kn w how to write, I can ssist in all aspects of marketing, p blic relations, customer service, and sales wr ting, i.e., one-stop shopping.
The levator speech: I help hotrod and restoration p rts manufacturers increase their ROI with my wr ting. Breaking my USP into its three p rts: The proposition: Buy my automotive copywriting s rvice. The benefit: Increase your company's ROI. The uniqueness: I kn w cars, and I know how to wr te-a rare combination. The persuasiveness: I can help in all spects of marketing, public relations, customer s rvice, and sales writing (one-stop shopping). The Un que Selling Proposition is a powerful st tement, and shouldn't be taken lightly. If y u're serious about making money, the USP is one th ng to which you should give more than j st a second thought. Marketers of utomotive high-performance and restoration parts, what's y ur company's USP?
The article The Unique Selling Proposition - Why Your Hotrod and Restoration Parts Business Must Have One was Submitted by Mike Hooker through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Mike Hooker combines his passion for the Am rican hotrod with his passion for the wr tten word. He now writes marketing, p blic relations, and direct response copy for m rketers of businesses that manufacture parts for the utomotive high-performance aftermarket, specifically hotrods, street r ds, street machines, customs, muscle cars, p ckup trucks, off-road, and restorations. Visit his w bsite at http://www.automotivecopypro.com
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