Unique Selling Point (USP)

Your unique selling point is a precise statement of why your company is special. It should answer the question:

"Why should I do business with you versus any or all of your competitors?"

Don't worry if you can't answer that question now. We'll go over how to formulate your Unique Selling Point.

First we want to tell you how powerful a USP can be.

In 1960 there was a college student named Tom. He and his brother Jim had to pay their way through college somehow. So they decided to borrow $900 to buy a pizzeria named Dominick's in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Brother 1 would run the place during the day and go to school at night. Brother 2 would go to school during the day and run the place at night.

After a year, they were losing more money than they were making and Brother 2, Jim, wanted to get out. In exchange for an old beat-up Volkswagen Beetle, Brother 1, Tom, owned the entire business.

Not long after, Tom developed a USP that turned his company into a multi-billion dollar company in a very short time.

This was his USP:

 Fresh, hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less. Guaranteed.

Of course, that's the story of the Dominoes and that's how Tom Monaghan's fortune was made. And now they don't even guarantee the 30 minutes but that's irrelevant. They're so huge now and everyone knows them that its not hurting them.

But the USP Made them BIG!

The important point is that this USP is not complicated; it's simple.

It doesn't promise all things to all people. It never mentions a homemade sauce from the 'old country' or even good taste! What it did was hit an opportunity gap in the pizza delivery business. No one was quick. It used to take at least an hour or longer.

If you see an opportunity gap in your area, go for it.

One of the biggest opportunity gaps is giving a small time window. Or guranteeing to be on time. 

Most people hate to wait around all day or even 4 hours. They are annoyed but no one is offering them a different alternative.

FedEx did incredibly well with their "The World Overnight" a few years back.

Is their a way you can guarantee something in your business that is causing pain for clients in your industry? What are the biggest fears of the client base you want to deliver for? Being on time? Safe? Do they want to know exactly where you are at all times & when you get there? Most of us think it's price, and for some it may be (as long as the goods get there..), but not all. Think on this. There are opportunity gaps already in the trucking industry. Be creative and fill them.

Remember: "Live by Price, Die by Price." 

You can dominate your market if you hit an opportunity gap.

How To Decide On Your USP?

You should think this over for a while. Don't rush it. Your USP is very important. You should mention it in all your marketing materials, even your business card. Your business can even be an expanded USP (We'll go over this in a future strategy).

Talk to your clients. See what they really like about you. Why they chose you. What else they want from you? What they hate most about doing business with you?

Analyze all these answers from many different clients.

Out of all that, decide which points are most important. Then narrow your USP down to 1 - 3 sentences. Start using it. Use it in all your marketing materials but also in your every day life. When you meet someone new, they almost always ask 'What do you do?' Stop saying "I'm a truck driver" or "I have a trucking business". The conversation usually ends there. They never ask 'Oh, how do you do that?' This is what you want them to ask so then you can start "selling".

Your USP should convey one or two major benefits and create interest.

For example Dan Kennedy's (a world reknown marketer & business consultant) USP is:

I cut all the fat and waste out of businesses' advertising and marketing and make them 10 times more profitable without spending another dollar!

You can hear him tell people this at all sorts of places - at conferences, at dinner parties, even on the street. Everyone always asks more questions after that. He's gotten so much business from this; it's hard to believe.

Here are some example USP's:

"Safe On Time Delivery, Or Your Money Back"

"Safe On Time Delivery Or We Pay You"

"On Time & Safe- Guaranteed"

You can set up a money back policy for USP's like the three above. You don't have to give all the money back,  just a portion (if you are late beyond your control). But state your policy clearly and be proud of it. Make it a selling point to get higher prices... A USP like this also sets the stage of your company mission for employees also.  

"Dedicated to On Time Delivery & Follow Through"

"Dedicated to On Time Delivery & Your Peace of Mind" 

You could use the policy mentioned above plus a follow through guarantee. "You will know where we are along the way (a confirmation call when you pick up & in route) and when we get there (another call at arrival & delivery)... Every time.

Another policy may be in customer education. You could come up with a "How to Avoid The Top Ten Trucking Company Rip Offs!" Actually... that is a whole nother strategy we will be going over...

The examples above are just to help you begin with ideas of your own. There are definately other fears of clients shipping goods in this industry other than being safe & on time. Think of these also.

So create your USP and start using it!

To Your Success!

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