Who You Are and Why Anybody Should Care?
So should anybody care?
UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION: Who You Are?
Wikipedia descibes it as the following: A value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered and a belief from the customer of value that will be experienced. A value proposition can apply to an entire organization, or parts thereof, or customer accounts, or products or services.
Creating a value proposition is a part of business strategy. “Kaplan and Norton” say “Strategy is based on a differentiated customer value proposition. Satisfying customers is the source of sustainable value creation.
Your UVP is simply who you are as either a company or an individual. Your UVP is all you are, it is your identity, your strength and your personality. Your UVP tells you what you are all about. If you have a team, it also tells them what you and them are about!
It will help you with decision making and act as a guide into the future helping you get through and around all the changes, challenges and to help you take advantage of any opportunities that come your way.
A lot of times, if you have a clear understanding of your UVP, many things get easier, hiring and firing of staff, acquiring new software for the office, getting an office makeover so the decor all fits in nicely.
What about you? How would you describe yourself as a company, who are you? Can you tell me what your Unique Value Proposition is? As soon as you do, it is time to move on to your USP!
USP
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Why Should Anybody Care?
What you have with your USP is a method of taking your UVP and moulding it into a format that is an instant hit with your target market! If you think about it, your UVP tells everybody who you are and your USP then tels them why they should care.
You have probably all heard the acronym: WIIFM – “Whats In It For Me?”, this is what a USP does, it tells your target market exactly this. But in order to tell them this, you first need to understand who your customer really is, what makes them tick, so to speak.
A good USP will create a craving within your customers, an almost insatiable appetite to go and check out your products and services. You will more than likely have a different USP for each product and service that you offer.
A Good Example of a really Successful USP!
When it Absolutely, Positively, has To Be There Overnight!
Anybody heard that statement before? I bet you have, because this is the famous USP that launched FedEx. What it did was build up FedEx’s credibility and added some doubt into the mix as to whether you wanted to gamble with your parcel getting to it’s destination or not? It implied, if you do not use FedEx, your parcel might not get there!
At the end of the day, as a business owner and marketer, your job is to truly understand who you are, who your customer is and what they want? If you do this, you will become a completely unstoppable force. Please keep in mind that this is true irrespective of whether you are building a legacy for your children, a long lasting brand or whether you are looking to move the next hot product for as long as it is hot in the market place.
Get your UVP and USP right and the skies truly have no limits.
UPDATE: 02.06.2012
I will be doing a follow up to this post shortly to show you the steps that you need to take in order to develop your own UVP! Stay tuned.
Alan
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Excellent information Alan. This is key to having a credible and successful business. Many do not do this step, and they flounder around wondering why things aren’t going as they hoped. Thanks for pointing this message out.
Val
Val Heisey recently posted..Viral marketing: the key to your online empire
You know something Val, this is still something I myself am working on perfecting!
Hi Alan,
I believe it is imperative to have a UVP and USP in order to have long term success. One may have short term success with the next hot product as you mentioned, but once that product isn’t hot anymore, what’s left if you don’t have a UVP or USP?
I haven’t heard these terms before, but am certainly familiar with the concepts. Thanks for defining them for me.
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No problem Jamella, anytime.
Alan recently posted..Exactly How Committed To This Business Are You?
This is a great article, full of value, because most of us in business do not know how to offer others unique value, and they therefore cannot offer a USP. I just had someone call me today and ask me if I am interested in looking at a company, and he proceeded to tell me fourteen different reasons why I need to take a look at his company. He used words like “…very, very special,” and “…definitely something I am taking a keep interest to,” without once really asking me what I am looking for or why the company might be of interest to someone like me.
Sorry to write so long on this, but it touches an important nerve. We will NEVER learn to effectively team build or motivate others to change or achieve massive growth without both a USV and a USP. This is a GREAT article. Thanks so much for sharing. I am posting it on my wall.
Christi Johnson recently posted..What To Do When Someone In The Network Marketing Industry Dislikes You
Hi Alan – Great post once again! Defining exactly who you are, what you bring to the table, and WHY your prospects/customers should come to YOU (rather than your competition) is what will set you apart from the vast sea of other distributors. Unfortunately this isn’t standard teaching in most MLM’s. It definitely should be taught on a much larger scale..
Thanks for sharing! Definitely worth the quick read : )
Cezar
Cezar, thanks for the kind words.
Alan recently posted..Exactly How Committed To This Business Are You?
Great point your bring up Alan. USP is important. In this industry as you would know, people buy you and not your products.
John Moussan recently posted..Do You Believe That The Economy Is Getting Better? Think Again… Must See Documentary Reveals The Truth
Alan, thanks for this. I think UVP is definitely something that many folks fail to develop. So many in sales stick with the used car salesman “all USP all day” approach. You outline both of them very well here.
Kevin recently posted..Commit to the Process Let Go of the Outcome
Great post Alan, as usual! I wish I had read something like this years ago when I first started. It’s amazing how when you learn the powerful info you described here about UVP and USP you can get laser-targeted with attracting business.
Thanks!!
Amy
“The Marketing Lioness”
Amy Jo Neal recently posted..Work For Stay at Home Moms | 2 Tips That Answer the Question “How Can I Work From Home?”
Amy, I wish I read as much as I do now back when I was a teenager. Now that is not to say i did not read, but I read stories, which were great, but I should have been reading motivational and self improvement books and who knows where I would be right now!!!
Alan recently posted..Exactly How Committed To This Business Are You?
Great marketing lesson Alan!
I have never heard of UVP. It really makes sense in today’s world of social media.
I would be interested in knowing your USP and UVP. Would you mind sharing them?
I like learning from people who are smarter than me.
Thanks for your leadership and time.
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Terry, you crack me up, coming from you I take that as a compliment, thank you.
I do not profess to be smarter than anybody, I just think that some stuff is more important to share than other stuff and as a home business owner, I think this stuff is important to share.
And I will be honest with you, I am still working on both of these, and I will share the outcome in a future blog post, but one thing it has done is got me thinking about what this blog is about and what I am about and what my mission is? I didn’t really have a clue before I started learning about these two concepts.
The basis of my UVP so far is: “Helping Independent Business Owners / Entrepreneurs Realise Their Full Potential” Not yet final so this may go through a re-work a couple of times.
I see that you actually already have one on your website? Now who is the smartest hey?
Quite agree Alan having your own USP is important, and now you have got me thinking. I sort of know what my unique selling proposition is, but I just need to clarify it a bit more.
Dave
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Dave, as I said above to Val, I am still learning and still perfecting my own. I don’t feel that it is something you do once and put aside, I think it is an ever evolving process!
Alan recently posted..Exactly How Committed To This Business Are You?
It is all about our value in the market place. The higher our personal value, the more people will be attracted to us! great article Alan.
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Perig, you are absolutely right. Increase our personal value to the market place and people will be attracted to you!
Thanks for visiting.
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Alan,
That’s fantastic information. I like being a UVP and having a USP. Isn’t Internet Network Marketing fun? I love it!
Thank you for broadening my view of myself and the world, =)
Juli
Juli Becker recently posted..Home Network Marketing Business Building Strategy
Hi Alan,
Well that was a great post, fantastic information and very very clear.
I remember struggling with all of this back in the day not quite understanding my true value. I think the majority of us undervalue ourselves when we aren’t sure of what exactly we have to offer that can stand out among the rest.
Once you figure this all out, the sky is the limit right!
Thanks for sharing this with us all Alan and I do hope you have a wonderful week.
~Adrienne
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