The ABCs of Your USP
What is it that makes your company so special? What sets you apart from the competition? The easy answers are hard work, dedication, and quality. But these are not the most unique characteristics of a successful company. In fact they are the backbone of every successful company, and in a slow market many successful, quality companies are competing for the same jobs, wooing the same clients.
That means that contractor-seeking homeowners are likely bombarded with lines like, “We do quality work” or “I have years of experience” or “I am honest, I work for you!” Nowadays it takes more than a smile and a handshake to get work. It takes some creative selling. So the question becomes: What is your unique selling proposition? Your USP?
The USP is not new to marketing. Today a number of businesses and corporations search for and use their USP to the fullest extent. And in a highly competitive market it is vital that you realize and utilize your company’s unique selling point. A recent post from Qualified Remodeler offered some good advice for contractors seeking out their own USP.
That advice includes something that many of you are likely already doing — contacting past clients. But instead of contacting them simply to maintain a relationship and check on past work (an increasingly important approach in its own right), you can use them as a marketing research tool. Surely there is some reason that those past clients chose you in the first place; something about your company that somehow appealed to them more than your competition.
So the deal is to call some of your favorite, most successful clients past, of course check up on the finished project and offer any assistance needed, but also schedule a rendezvous (i.e., dinner, lunch, etc.) where you can probe them as to why they hired you. As Qualified Remodeler suggests, do this with about five of your favorite clients and look for a theme to arise, the odds are good that you will find one. This may very well by your company USP.
Of course you can also search within. Your competitive bids and quality of work will speak for themselves. Is there anything else you have to offer? Perhaps some specialized skill that you can capitalize on? It could be a unique work method that ensures fast work without sacrificing quality. In what ways are you inventive? How do you go about your work differently than the competition?
Your unique selling proposition lies below the surface and only you can know it. It may seem a bit difficult to come by at first, but once you’ve grasped it, it will be as easy as A-B-C. Just don’t forget to include past clients in the search. They will be your most informative and valuable resources during your search. Surely it is past clients who can best reveal exactly what it is about you that will appeal to future clients.
Tags: competitive market, generating business, leads, marketing, past clients, referrals, selling proposition, specialized skill, unique selling point, usp