How to create your own Unique Selling Proposition (USP): step-by-step plan

What should we do after we have analyzed the competitors, the target audience and received feedback from customers:

1. Find up to 10 most important assets of the product using results of surveys and portraits of the target audience as well as your deep product knowledge. Organize a winning brainstorming session, identify the main factors that you can use and profit from. For example, a 2-year warranty, worldwide delivery, etc. Note it.
2. Sort the assets by the degree of importance. Bring to the top of your list the most repeated in the survey results characteristics and those that seem to be the most significant to your team.
3. Identify your major competitors. After you have conducted an analysis of competitors, pay attention to its results. Make sure you keep up with other companies according to the main criteria in your list. For example, if you deliver goods in 1.5 hours while your competitors make it in 1 hour, you should not consider the delivery time for your USP.
4. Put together “things” for the UTP and present a whole product concept. As a result, you will have the most important characteristics of the product, for which you are better than your competitors — use them in your trading offer. For example, you are a small dental clinic with its own X-ray machine whereas competitors send patients to third-party institutions.

ITP Unique trading offer examples

<Unique Characteristic> + <Need>

If you can satisfy the need for better (faster, easier for the client, more profitable, etc.) than your competitors, tell us about it.

For Instance:

“Instant Cash Loans with no documents requirement!”.

<Outcome> + <Time spent on its achieving>+ <Counter-argument to an objection>

For Instance:

“Fresh Hot Pizza Delivered To Your Door In Under 30 Minutes Or Its Free!”

<Additional value> / <Bonus> / <Service>

Different extra things provided after a person have bought a product work like a charm.

For Instance:

“When ordering our furniture, delivery and assembly are at our expense. “
“Pizza according to old Italian recipes with free delivery.”

<Problem> / <Fear> + <Solution>

Focusing on a problem or fear is the best way to attract audience. Mention your product as a solution — that is kind of guide how to solve a problem or to get rid of fear.

For Instance:

“Does your bank approve the loan? Our microfinance center provides loans without any I.D!”
“Doesn’t your marketing strategy work but only merges the budget? We know how to squeeze the maximum out of your advertising budget!”

<Utility> + <Uniqueness> + <Ultra-specificity> + <Urgency>

*4U method

For Instance:

“Reduce your transportation costs by up to 32% with the new GPS monitoring system. The test drive is 14 days free of charge.”
“Save 22% of the cost of an apartment in December by buying at the construction stage.”
“Lose up to 3.5 kg of excess weight in 21 days with Kangoo Jumps shoes!”

<Target audience> + <Need> / <Problem> + <Solution>

Solutions focused on a specific target audience.

For instance:

“We issue loans without income statement. Fill out an application on the bank’s form with two documents and receive money within 2 days”. According to the words, it is clear that the offer is for individuals because we are talking about an income statement.

<Something habitual> without <something habitual>

A bank without branches.
Alternative accommodation in another city without hotels.
A phone without a keyboard.
Taxi without dispatch.