Written by: Marisa Guthrie, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
How many times have you heard about your “USP” importance in business and how you have to find one?!
USPs or your Unique Selling Point (or Proposition), your ‘niche’ is supposed to be the holy grail of your business, the thing that everything else revolves around.
As someone who has been in business for over 25 years, I don’t really believe in USPs, or at least not in the way you think. And this is why; most of us are operating in very busy marketplaces, by which I mean that many people are doing the same thing that we do; architects, caterers, jewelry makers, web designers, business coaches!
So when we try and describe what we do in terms of uniqueness, it can be pretty hard to do IF we solely look at attributes and features. But yet this is the trap that we can fall into in our haste to define our USP. And this is the issue I have with the quest for the USP because it is something that business owners get really hung up on, and it distracts them from bringing their authenticity and who they are to their work, which is much more important.
Let’s look at this using me as an example. If you look at what I offer, on the surface, I’m not all that different from 1000 other business coaches out there, so how do I or any other business coach make any money?! And more importantly, how does anyone distinguish us from each other? How do prospects choose who to work with?
The myth I want to dispel is that people work with us because of what we DO, what features we offer in our work. It may be a factor, but it is not the whole picture.
In fact, the real reason people choose to work with us is because of who we are, and what our values are, the things that we are committed to, and what we embody in our business. They will be drawn to us because we resonate with them on some level. Our story connects with them and speaks to their experience. The important things to them are important to us, and we are on the same level.
The mistake that we all make (and hands up, I’ve done it too!) is that when we try and focus on purely selling the features, the nuts, and bolts of what we do, we are missing a vital opportunity to connect with our audience on a more meaningful level, and this is the danger of trying to find the USP and define our business around it.
The truth is people want to connect with us, not the attributes of what we offer.
Saying the Surprising Thing
When you land on my website, you will see a video where I talk about how business was something I was never interested in. Now I’m guessing that this is not what you were expecting to hear from a business coach! And that’s the thing; if I say what people expect a business coach to say, all the usual stuff around achieving your potential, reaching your goals, transforming your business, it’s going to be pretty hard for them to figure out whether they should invest their money working with me, as opposed to any other coach.
But, when I bring my unique and authentic story (it’s true, I wasn’t interested in business at all!), it gives them an insight into who I am. More than that, it actually tells them something about themselves, and this will make them feel heard and understood, which creates trust and connection.
When I tell my story and talk about my journey from being that person who wasn’t interested in business at all to being a business coach of 10+ years, they can see what led me to that point and, most importantly, why I do what I do, which is what they really want to know. And it is that not my USP that helps them decide whether to work with me or not.
So instead of getting bogged down in figuring out the features of your USP and what you think makes you different, tell your story because that is the unique thing about you.
Ask the following questions:
What are my values, and what does my business stand for
What is my story? What’s important to me?
Why did I choose to start this business?
Be honest and bring your authenticity to your marketing. As they say, “The one thing your competition cannot steal is your story.” But they can steal your USP.
I remember when I changed how I marketed myself and brought more story and authenticity to my work, a client came to me and said, “I wanted to work with you because I felt we shared the same values.” It meant everything to me because I knew I was on the right track, and I have never looked back.
“People buy people.”
Talk about your personal and professional journey, what has bought you to this place. Remember that in telling your story, you will be telling your audience something about themselves.
When we focus on selling our USP, we make the client do all the hard work figuring out our values. Who we really are. When we bring our authenticity, tell our unique story, and sell our values, we create an emotional connection that makes it easy for our clients and customers to understand who we are and why they should work with us.
Have the courage to share your story, and you will never worry about your USP ever again.
Marisa Guthrie, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Before setting up her coaching and mentoring business in 2008, Marisa was involved in running businesses for nearly 20 years. A serial entrepreneur, Marisa has set up several businesses and social enterprises, including a cross-party think tank and a business networking organization for women. She was also CEO for a health charity and a business policy advisor for the local and national government.
Marisa's work closely supports entrepreneurs in bringing their authentic selves to their work and help them feel comfortable in their professional identity and business brand. Her mission is for small business owners to do business differently.
