"Ya gotta have a gimmick!"

“If you don’t get noticed, you don’t have anything. You just have to be
noticed, but the art is in getting noticed naturally, without screaming or
without tricks.” – Leo Burnett

Over the period that I’ve been concepting with clients on how to increase their ROIs, one of the biggest challenges or frustrations I’ve run into, is explaining the cornerstone of good marketing: a clearly defined USP, or Unique Selling Proposition.

You see, I strongly believe that a good USP has to be crystal clear, quantifiable and most of all unique; yet whenever I approach the client and explain that a USP must be created for success, or highlight the fact that their present USP is weak and needs to be properly defined, they usually say their USP is fine – thank you very much – or suggest concepts like these below:

• We’re the best at what we do
• We care more than the others
• We’ve been in business for “umpteen” years
• We’ve got more benefits

But the thing is, ANY business, can and does say these exact same things, so they’re not holy unique identifiers.  And generally, they’re not even clear enough to keep the competition from making the same claim so they invariably do.  So the sad truth is, they’re NOT unique selling points!

It’s always been a challenge, helping clients define elements of their business or service that makes them truly unique. Put another way, that simple element that allows them to stand out from their peers, and convince the buying public, to do business with them and them alone – which is what a good USP should do.

Why do 80% of businesses fall apart within their first five years?

According to popular statistics, 80% of all businesses don’t make it to their fifth year.  So what is it about the other 20% that enables them to weather the storms, year after year?

After careful observation, it’s obvious to see that businesses just don’t have a crystal clear, quantifiable and most of all, unique marketing plan or USP.  One month they shout lower prices and the next, quicker delivery times.

This only serves to confuse the public, resulting in them drawing away, to go in search of the 20%, who have clearly defined their marketing boundaries and offer a consistent high quality service.

Rosser Reeves puts it this way…

“In 1961, Rosser Reeves published his classic book Reality in Advertising in which he introduced the notion of the Unique Selling Proposition, or USP.

According to Reeves, there are three requirements for a USP (Here’s a quote from Reality in Advertising):

1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer.
   Each must say, “Buy the product, and you will get this specific benefit.”
2. The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot,
   or does not, offer.
3. The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass
   millions, i.e., pull over new customers to your product.”

In short, a USP must specifically place a hierarchy in a customers mind, kind of like a gimmick does.  Below is a fun example of a gimmick or USP in action.

Why ya gotta have a gimmick!

I stumbled upon a video clip that totally explains the USP idea – from the 1962 movie classic: “Gypsy.”

This movie might not at first glance, appear to be a marketing tool but as you’ll soon see, portrayed within this clip are simple, yet powerful USP concepts.

In this scene you witness a young Natalie Wood as the newbie stripper Louise Hovick, who at her own admission, doesn’t have any talent; being “tutored” by three successful strippers, Tessie Tura, Miss Mazeppa, and Electra, who go on to explain to her, that in order to be consistently employed, one doesn’t need talent; one just needs an angle or gimmick.

They go on to show her how they achieved this, in a little ditty called, “Ya Gotta Have a Gimmick.”  Which, is stripper slang for, “you’ve got to have a USP, so that the punters can differentiate you from the rest, even though we’re all doing much the same thing.”

Louise listens and gradually goes on to develop her “gimmick”, blossoming into the burlesque star, Gypsy Rose Lee…

As the clip reveals, understanding how and why a stripper — or any other business owner — needs to define their business in the marketplace in order to thrive is critical for survival.

Without that, your “strip” — or to mix metaphors and use a more well known lexicon for business, your “lemonade stand,” — is just the same as any other. As far as they’re concerned, you’re just a product; NOT SPECIAL in their eyes.

And the harsh truth is, if we don’t define ourselves from the competition, our clients will – but not necessarily to one that we want.  So to avoid being labelled with a USP you don’t want…

Here are three steps to help you find a USP you do want:

1. Features and Benefits

Divide a sheet of paper into two columns. On the left write down all your business features. On the right, list all the benefits of each feature. A feature is something a business has (such as responding to customer queries within 24 hours or free delivery).

A benefit, is how that feature is important to your customer.  How does it improve your customer’s life? Does it make things simpler? Does it save time? Is the software stable?  Reliable? Easy to upload? Does it make your customers feel more clever? More accomplished?  More confident? Does it speed up the learning process?  Is it more fun and interactive?

Then, as you write down your benefits, imagine the customer saying “So what?”:

More interactive and fun for speedier learning. “So what?” Your staff will be more likely to do the course and have a better attitude about doing it.

2. Identify your competitions USP

Once you’ve taken a deep look into the features and benefits of your
business.  It’s then time to find out what your competitor’s USP is – that’s if they have one!

Find out all there is to know about them.  Get all their samples, brochures and reports you can.  Buy a product and experience what it’s like.  Call their customer service and see how they respond to your complaints and queries.  Are they polite?

Will they go the extra mile for you or do they “just follow procedure”? What is the wording like on their website, paperwork?  Is it snooty and distant or friendly but professional?

Like a detective, find out all you can about the positive and negatives of the features and benefits they offer.

3. Contact your clients

This is by far, the best way to create your USP.

Past and present clients will happily tell you exactly what they did or
didn’t like about your product and/or service.

Ask them to explain how their lives have been enriched by your product besides what features they enjoy.  Be bold, ask specific questions in order to get the information you need, that will go towards creating your powerful USP.

Conclusion:

Finding a USP can be hard.

As a marketer you need to discover and fine-tune or even sharpen up your USP from time to time.  But by the time you’ve finished, your company will be able to feel and proudly identify with your USP; that special something that makes your company unique and stand out from the rest.

And not only will your company have a strong identity in the marketplace, your company will be in the elite 20% of companies who will survive for years to come.

So now you know “why ya gotta have a gimmick!”