Find Your USP. Find Your Consulting Goldmine

5 Ways To Find Or Create A Unique Selling Proposition

Your USP might be hiding in plain sight. You just need to polish it to a high shine and you're ready to go.

Or...

You may need to change your offer and create a USP.

Both are powerful and valid ways to stand out in a crowded market... and to make your ideal customer want to do business with you ONLY.

Here are the 5 ways to find or create a USP...

1. Who you serve
2. Speed of results
3. Guarantee
4. Exclusivity
5. Payment structure

Let's look at each of these in turn.

#1. Who You Serve

This could be the easiest way to find your USP.

Look at where you have the most experience. And then focus exclusively on that market.

I have the most experience helping training companies to grow. That's not the only work I've done. And that's where my experience stands out the most.

So...

I'm not a copywriter.

I'm not even a sales page copywriter, or a nurture sequence copywriter, or a webinar copywriter.

I'm a specialist copywriter for training companies.

Does this make me unique?

No!

But it takes me out of the category of general copywriter. It takes me out of brochure or website copywriter.

Yes, I can do those things.

And...

That's not where I am unique. That's not where I have the most experience. That's not where I have proven results.

So...

That's not where I want to compete.

Because I don't want to compete on price.

Last year, I spoke to a business coach about writing weekly blogs. Everything was going great until I mentioned the cost. At that point, she said that there were people that would write blogs for a tenth of the price I quoted.

My response was "if price is your only consideration then you should use them."

Why?

Because her perception is that blog copywriting is a low-value task that does not bring in the cash. And when it's done badly that is the case.

When your blog over-delivers. It becomes a tool that persuades people to hire you because of who you are.When people hire you because of who you are there is no price resistance and there is no competition. They don't want a copywriter. They want Roland Eva.

Or...

They want You.

It's a simple and not quick process to achieve. It means you must create an expert authority platform. That means you must show up consistently with valuable content. If you do that then you build an expert authority platform. A platform that persuades people to work with you.

I know that my blogs make sales because of conversations I've had with mentorship clients.

But I can't quantify it in terms of write 50 blogs and get a new client. I can't show a return on blog writing investment.

So...

I will never compete in this market.

When it comes to sales page copywriting for training companies. I have the proven results to show a mouth-watering return on investment.

And that's why I specialise in copywriting for training companies.

What experience do you have that can help you uncover your USP. It's okay if this does not make you unique. This is the starting point for your USP. And when you combine it with the other steps you'll create something irresistible.

The point is to look for where you have the most experience and proven results. A 10-year track record in a specific niche is going to make you unique... and if not you'll be able to count your competitors on one hand.

Remember a strong USP is one your ideal customer can see feel and believe. A 10-year track record in one industry ticks all those boxes.

Let's look at the next tool to find or create a unique selling proposition.

#2. Speed Of Results

Can you deliver results faster than your competition?

And...

Is that something your clients want?

If so, lead with this in your promotion.

This is what made FedEx the leading courier service.

What was their USP? Which was also their slogan for years.

"When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight"

That was their USP. Speed.

And that's what made them the world's largest courier service. That's how they added value in a way that their competitors didn't.

Think about Amazon Prime. You get next day delivery on all orders. This is something that I love and take for granted so much that when I buy from anywhere else and it takes more than a day... I want to refund the purchase.

This happened to me in John Lewis last week. My daughter had outgrown her car seat so we went to buy a new one.

John Lewis was great. My daughter could sit in each seat and tell us which one she wanted.

Decision made.

"Great. We'll take two."

That's when all the problems started.

They had to check if it would fit in our cars. And if the exact make and model wasn't listed on the Maxi Cosi website then John Lewis said it wouldn't fit.

I knew this wasn't the case and said, "if it doesn't fit for any strange reason can we bring it back."

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"If any of the tags are missing or the packaging is damaged then we will not give you a refund."

"Okay, we'll buy one"

So, they've already lost one sale by not offering a good service. This is how they lost the second sale...

"Can we take it away now?"

"No. We don't keep car seats in stock. We will deliver it to you with 3 to 5 working days."

I couldn't believe my ears. They might as well have said, now that you know what you want please buy it from Amazon because they will deliver the next day.

So, does the speed of results matter to your customers? If so add this into your USP mix.

When I was a photographer, I won jobs over my competition because I could deliver the pictures within 4 hours. This mattered to PR companies.

This even mattered to wedding clients. Obviously, I couldn't give them the pictures within 4 hours. My promise was that they would have the pictures when they go back from their honeymoon.

This was a big speed promise. It was twice as fast as my competition.

Obviously, it was the quality of the pictures that they were paying for. And this was something that sweetened the deal.

If you like the idea of creating your USP around speed but can't offer everything with a speed guarantee. Then take a page out of McDonald's playbook.

McDonald's changed the fast food industry by creating a unique system... with a limited menu.

They only sold a hamburger and fries. The drinks choice was milkshake or coke.

By limiting the menu choices they could create a speed USP.

This made them perfect for some customers.

And that's the point of your USP. It makes you irresistible for the right customer.

Now let's look at the third tool to create your unique selling proposition.

#3. Guarantee

Do you offer guaranteed results?

As a marketing or lead generation consultant, this will go a long way to persuading clients.

I hear many times from clients that they have been burned by consults that promise the world on a silver platter... and fail to deliver.

A guarantee is your way of putting your money where your mouth is.

This is how I got my first marketing consulting clients. I made an outrageous guarantee.

And...

With my first marketing consulting client I ended up giving back all the money. So, I worked for 9 months for free.

And...

It was worth every penny because I learned a ton.

It was a shaky start to a career I love. And it showed what I needed to do to make a client feel good about buying. I didn't have the track record that I do today so I created a USP.

If you're thinking that's great Roland but does a guarantee work to build a big brand? Then look no further than Dominos Pizza.

The headline that launched a global business was...

Fresh hot pizza in 30 minutes or less or it's free!

That's a simple promise that customers can see, feel and believe. A promise that Dominos honoured. A promise that they were forced to stop because so many of their delivery drivers ran red lights.

Dominos took a commodity product and made it unique with a bold guarantee.

I'm sure you noticed that Dominos combined 2 USP tools to create something more powerful. They combined speed and guaranteed results.

So please don't think of these tools in isolation. You can combine them to create a promise strong enough to launch a global brand.

Think about your service. Do you stand behind your promises enough to guarantee them? If so you can start using this as part of your USP tomorrow.

Now let's look at the fourth tool to create your unique selling proposition.

#4. Exclusivity

Does your client want market exclusivity?

And...

Are you in a position to give it?

If you can offer market exclusivity then do. This could be a way to lock a client into a longterm relationship.

That's what Bain Consulting did. They offered the same service as McKinsey. The only difference was they offered their clients market exclusivity in exchange for a long term contract. Something every constant wants.

This was a win-win for Bain and their clients. This was the tool that Bain used to grow fast.

Exclusivity is easy to offer when you are breaking into a new market. Because you don't have any other clients or experience in that market.

And...

Exclusivity is even more powerful if you've got a lot of experience in a market.

If you've got 3 small clients that give you work now and then and nothing that you can rely on. If you win a Whale consulting client that can offer you work every month. Exclusivity could be the tool to secure a longterm contract.

That's a win-win.

And a simple tool that you can start using immediately.

Let's look at the final tool to create a unique selling proposition.

#5. Payment Structure

Are you selling time? Or are you selling a result?

And...

When do you want the client to pay for it?

Let's face it, the client doesn't care how long it takes you to deliver the result you promise. They only care about getting the result they want at a price they are happy to pay.

They may care about the speed you can deliver the result, which is tool number 2. And they don't care how much effort it takes you.

So if you are a lead generation consultant do you charge your client a monthly management fee?

If so you are charging for time.

Yes, that also makes you like every other Facebook or Google ads consultant.

You could make yourself unique by charging per lead. In this way, you are selling a result. You are taking on the risk and you can enjoy a greater reward... if you deliver better results.

So if you sell leads at £10 each. The client knows exactly what they are paying for. The only question is how many leads they want per day.

If you are confident that you can generate leads for £6 to £8 then you make a profit on every lead you generate. And it's in your interest to try and get the cost per lead down as much as possible. So you work more to make more.

The client is happy because they get a guaranteed result. You are happy because you've got an uncapped earning opportunity.

What is everybody else selling? A setup fee and monthly management feel. In other words, they are selling time.

You are selling a result. That gives the client confidence in you. That can make the client choose you over everyone else or solving the problem themselves.

If the client has a marketing team that is generating leads for £12. Then you have answered why they should do business with you over doing it themselves. You have also answered why they should work with you over anyone else.

So, there is no reason why they wouldn't want to start working with you.

Another way to do this is to work on a commission only basis. You don't charge an upfront fee to work with clients. You only want a percentage of the sales you make.

This puts your money where your mouth is. And it gives you a powerful incentive to do everything you can to make the campaign as profitable as possible.

You share the risk and the reward with the client.

And when you choose the right client you can make a fortune. Much more than you would make if you charged a flat fee.

The copywriter Gary Bencivenga bought a house in the Hamptons with the royalties he made from ONE sales letter. No business would have given him that as a flat fee. And they were happy to pay him royalties as long as the sales letter continued to pull in customers.

This is a simple way to win clients and make a fortune if you are good. You just need the confidence to stand behind your promises.

So there are 5 ways to find or create your unique selling proposition. 5 ways to find your consulting goldmine. 5 ways to answer the question...

"Why should I do business with you over anyone else... solving the problem myself... or doing nothing."

And...

There's one final thing that I must mention about a USP.

A USP Is A Benefit Your Customers WANT

So far I've talked about ways to find or create a USP and it's been about ways you can change your offer.

And...

None of that matters unless it's something your customers want.

A USP must make your ideal customer want to do business with you over anyone else or doing it themselves.

That's why USPs with a guarantee or pay for results are so powerful. They give your customer what they want most. Safety and security.

The benefit for you is that because you are taking on more of the risk... you will enjoy more of the reward.

So once you've changed your offer to make it unique. Stop and ask yourself if this is something your customers want. Does it address a fear that they have? If so, you've just found your consulting goldmine.

If you'd like feedback on your USP then please email me at roland.eva@rolandeva.co.uk

Now It's Your Turn

You now know 5 ways to find or create a unique selling proposition.

5 ways to make your customers want to do business with you over anyone else... solving the problem themselves... or doing nothing.

Please use this to improve your offer... so that you can start getting new clients.

As you have seen, there are 2 USP tools that you can start using tomorrow. If you have the confidence to stand behind your promises with your money.

So, please don't nod in agreement and put this off until someday. Please decide to use this today and start chasing your ideal clients tomorrow.

If you've found this useful then please leave a comment below.

If this can help a consultant that you know then please share this with them.

Until next time...

Carpe diem

Roland Eva

P.S. If you would more about the simple process that I use to win consulting clients on demand. Then you need to download your free copy of my book Consulting Clients On Demand.

To download your free copy now click the link below.

http://rebrand.ly/ConsultingClientsOnDemand