What Distinguishes
You From Your CompetitorsU.S.P., in marketing, is the acronym for
unique sellingproposition. This is asking, "What distinguishes you
fromsimilar products or services, even businesses as a whole.?"
Even after going through the regular method of finding outwhat was
unique about several of my products and services, Istill found it
difficult to name them. Because of this Ideveloped a list of 50
questions to help me in easy toanswer format.
Always compare apples to apples - at least as closely aspossible.
Open your mind to the fact that somewhere thereis a similar -
guaranteed. Find the similar, or as closelyrelated to, competitor's
product/service. Sit down withtheir product or service material and
review it line byline. Look for an apple with the same target market.
Narrow down to one. If a service, chose a successfulservice provider,
higher revenue generation, with the sametarget market.
Here are the 50 questions. Allow product and service tomean the same
for simplicity sake.
1. Make a list of their product benefits?
2. What are the benefits your product offers?
3. Identify the features they have that you don't have?
4. Identify the features that you have? Compare.
5. What features are better in their product.
6. What features are better in yours?
7. Why are they better (from a buyers perspective)?
8. What is their price?
9. What is your price?
10. Why is your price different?
11. What emotional needs/desires does your product meet?
12. What physical needs/desires does your product meet?
13. Does your product sell better at different times of theyear? And
if so, why?
14. Are any of your competitors local? If so, where arethey?
15. What is the size of your competitor's business?
16. Where is this competitor marketing? Find their ads,always keep
them in your file.
17. What age and gender are they marketing to? Is the sameas yours?
18. What income level are they marketing to? What are youmarketing
to?
19. What type of customer care do they offer? Research andfind out.
20. What type of customer care are you going to offer?What's
different about your customer care or how can it be?
21. Do you offer a special type of advice that they don't?If so,
what?
22. If you offer confidentiality, in what ways do you offerthis?
23. How is your confidentiality different than yourcompetitors? Or is
it the same?
24. How fast does your competitor fulfill orders?
25. What type of answers do they have for their product?Do they offer
a FAQ (frequently asked question page)?
26. How fast do they answer questions? Submit one and findout.
27. Do they offer a range of payment methods or are theylimited? What
will be yours?
28. What is their customer service policy? Write yours andknow the
difference.
29. How many ways can people contact them?
30. What are their "availability" hours?
31. Do they offer product discounts? What are their breakpoints?
32. How do they ship? Is it fr*ee or discounted in someway?
33. Do they offer value-added incentives? This could be inthe form of
complimentary documentation or time,newsletters, or other items. What
can you offer that isbetter?
34. Do they offer gifts? Are they special or common? Whatdo customers
have to purchase to get them?
35. Create a list of unique, customer valued gifts, thatyou might use
make theirs eat dust?
36. What special skills do their employees offer? What areyours?
37. Does their staff have some special type of training?Do you or can
you get?
38. What makes you excited about selling this product?
39. How long have they been in business? Where are they onthe product
maturity line? Where are you?
40. If you haven't been in business as long, can youexplain your
quick success?
41. What do customers say about them? What do yours say?Similar is
good but unique statements help more.
42. What statistics do you have on your product that youcan use to
show your uniqueness?
43. Do they have any celebrity endorsements? You can youget that is
already known by your customers?
44. How many ways does the product change people lifestyles or
mindset?
45. How long does their product last by the customer? Andyours?
46. Where is the product in the trend line with customers?
47. How frequently does your competitor introduce somethingnew in
order to stay on the cutting edge? And you?
48. How fast can they get their product to their customers?Can you do
better?
49. Were they the first in developing this product? Howlong ago was
that? Do you have newness as an advantage?
50. Location can be a key. Where is your office ordistribution house
located? Can you create more than onelocation? Do they have other
locations?
Everyone wants to eat at restaurants that have the most carsoutside?
They trust that if other people are eating there,they have to have
good food. What can you do to have themost cars in your parking lot?
bio = Catherine Franz, multibusiness owner, previous CPA, veteran
entrepreneur, speaker,
marketing expert, author: www.AbundanceCenter.com" target="
_blank">www.AbundanceCenter.com>
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