Why It’s Important to Know What Makes You Unique
Creating good sales copy is hard. It needs to be interesting enough to stand out from all the messaging we’re inundated with every day. And it also needs to clearly distinguish you from your competition if you hope to win your ideal customer’s business. So how do you do that?
As a business owner, it’s important to understand why customers buy from you. Chances are your ideal customer has several options when it comes to choosing who they will buy from, which is why sales messaging is so important. And for your sales message to be compelling, it has to highlight what makes you different and unique. That’s why it’s called your unique value proposition.
When we create sales copy, we always focus on the sales story:
We have to know WHO we are selling to = Ideal Customer
Why our ideal customer wants to buy our product or service = Pain Point
How will our product or service make their lives better = Success
What problems our product or service will help them avoid = Failure
But your competitors are vying for the same customers, with the same problems, hoping to experience the same success and avoid the same failure. Where your story gets interesting and differentiates you from the competition is what makes you unique. What makes you better is the reason WHY someone should buy from YOU. The answer, not surprisingly, is often very personal.
We find that when we create sales copy for our clients, their unique value proposition is less about the actual product or service they’re selling but instead has more to do with them as a person. Their individual traits usually contribute to the characteristics that make their business unique. Think of the financial advisor who is very genuine and honest. Or the accountant who is also a great communicator. These traits cross over into their business and is what their customers gravitate towards when selecting a service provider.
How do you learn why your customers buy from you compared to your competitors? Ask them. Talk to past and current customers about WHY they choose you over your competition. Reasons may include:
You’re easier to get in touch with and answer more of my questions
You come across as more trustworthy
I feel like you truly understand my problems and know how to solve them
Your offer is more customized and doesn’t feel generic
You seem like you genuinely care about me as a person
Whatever the reason, it’s important to know what drives their decision-making and then make sure you clearly communicate that in your messaging.
I love watching commercials to see how the advertiser distinguishes (or fails to distinguish) themselves from the competition. One commercial that recently caught my attention was by CVS. Of course, we all know CVS and likely buy from them out of convenience. But they haven’t done a great job giving customers a strong reason to buy from them compared to Amazon. CVS’s primary value has been last-minute product availability when I can’t wait 2-3 days for my Amazon delivery.
But here’s another reason…. when it comes to my or my family’s health, I likely have specific questions that Amazon product reviews can’t answer. The recent ad said that when you need personal attention to answer your health questions, CVS can help. And they’re right! It’s also a unique advantage to one of their primary competitors because it’s not a service Amazon currently offers. We’re in the middle of a pandemic, and it’s also flu season, so potential customers probably do have questions based on their specific health conditions that a store associate or pharmacist can answer and online product reviews cannot. It was the first commercial I’ve seen in a while that clearly stated WHY I should visit a CVS.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll spend time exploring how to find your unique value and, more importantly, being able to communicate it to your ideal customer effectively. Because without clearly differentiating yourself from your competition, you may be competing solely based on price, which is a very risky position. Customers who buy on price alone are only loyal if you’re price remains the lowest. And that is not an ideal customer.
