Our prospects are more skeptical than ever. Every year, hundreds of thousands of marketing messages are sent to them, all of which promise more than the last. How can you overcome their doubt?
A study in the Harvard Business Review gives us some help.
First, DON’T overindulge in benefits. You would think that the more benefits, the better. However, in reality, adding more benefits actually lessens their overall impact.
Instead, figure out what makes you stand out from the rest of the competition and what you do better. You can do this by thinking like a client. This is the question you need to answer:
“What is the MOST important thing to keep in mind about what you are proposing?”
By focusing on this question, you’ll be able to create a much more effective Unique Selling Proposition because…
- It will put a laser-like focus on the one or two things that make you different from your competition.
- It will prove you understand the client’s real pain.
- And it recognizes that people don’t have time to do a lot of research… they just want the bottom line.
To construct your answer to this question, think about structuring it around three points:
- How are you similar to your competitors? By doing this, you eliminate any arguments that your competitors might have about why they are better or different than you. You make the point, “Yeah, we do that too.”
- Make a point of how YOU ARE different. Which one, two or three things do you offer, that none of your competitors do?
- Make a point about how you view the client experience differently than all your competitors.
You must get to the point where the client no longer thinks, “Yeah, my guy does that too.”
And instead says, “Wow, nobody does that! I need that!”
If you do not put in the time and effort necessary to really lock this down, you will forever be just another voice in the crowd of voices, screaming for your prospects money.