The Worst Positioning Statement in the World- "We’re Better"

Here’s a trick question: What’s better - chopped liver or filet mignon?

Most people answer "filet mignon." But filet mignon isn’t better than chopped liver. Nor is chopped liver better than filet mignon.

If you picked "filet mignon," what you SHOULD have said is "I LIKE filet mignon better" … not "filet mignon IS better."

One is not inherently superior to the other. It’s a matter of taste. You like filet mignon. So to you, filet mignon is better. But I like chopped liver … so to me, it’s not.

What does this have to do with your business? Plenty.

Every business needs to have a Unique Selling Proposition, or "USP" … a reason why customers should buy from YOU instead of from your competitors.

Do you know what the weakest USP is? It’s "We’re better."

"Better," you see, is nonspecific … and it’s difficult to prove. You say you’re better. I say I’m better. Just SAYING it - without being able to prove it - makes prospects disbelieve you.

Also, "better" is such a general term that it has little meaning.

Same thing with the overused word "quality."

So how do you create a Unique Selling Proposition that actually makes people want to buy your product instead of the competition’s? There are many methods, but let me describe just three of them here.

1. The first is to focus on a feature of your product - one that is not only different or unique but also delivers an important benefit to the user.

Examples:

2. The second way to create a USP with selling power is to narrow your target market - that is, to focus on a specific market niche.

For example, there are thousands of business consultants out there, all fighting for clients. But my old high school chum, Gary Gerber, is a consultant who doesn’t fight for clients. He has all he can handle … and potential clients waiting in line to hire him.

Why?

Because Gary is not just a business consultant. He is a business-development consultant specializing in eye doctors. And it doesn’t hurt that he once owned the largest and most successful optometry practice in New Jersey.

If you were an eye doctor looking to build your practice, who would you want to work with? Gary … or a consultant who says he can help you but has never worked with an eye doctor before?

3. The third way to create a winning USP is with branding. The branding approach usually takes a massive, costly advertising campaign that small businesses cannot afford.

A great example is the George Foreman grill.

This is clearly not the world’s best grill, nor do I recall the manufacturer ever claiming that it is in their commercials. But it is the ONLY grill you can buy with the name "George Foreman" on it.

So if you want a grill that cooks good food, you can get one in lots of places. But if you want a "George Foreman" grill, you can ONLY get it from the George Foreman grill company.

You can’t confidently promote and sell yourself without a strong USP. After all, if you don’t have the reason why someone should buy your product on the tip of your tongue … how will you persuade prospects to buy what you’re selling instead of going to your competitors?

When formulating a USP, start by asking yourself these questions:

[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is a popular Early to Rise columnist, self-made multi-millionaire, and the author of more than 60 books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing and The Copywriter’s Handbook.

He is also the editor of ETR’s Direct Marketing University: The Masters Edition - a program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business.]