Tag: Guarantee

A Unique Selling Proposition and Convincing Guarantee

What makes you hire a car from a particular firm? Remember Avis’s we try harder and FedEx’s when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight? Each of these is a compellingly unique selling proposition that differentiates their brand and persuades consumers to use them above their competition, because of the convincing guarantee that they imply.

This is the process I follow as a business coach when helping my clients to develop their own unique selling propositions and guarantees in an imaginative, creative way.

  1. Think in terms of what your customers receive. Nobody is interested in buying quality and service because they have no intrinsic worth. But a car hire firm that tries harder and a shipper who guarantees deadlines – now that is something to talk about. So what makes you different from the firm that does the same thing as you across the street or down the road?
  2. How is the product or service that you sell unique in terms of customer benefits? How does it solve the problems, frustrations or challenges that your prospects face? A fridge is a fridge but one that auto-defrosts is more than just a fridge, it’s a lifestyle too. All golf coaches are the same, right? No they’re not. The unique selling proposition that guarantees to improve your swing (they all do that, by the way) is the one who gets the business.
  3. Identify a “pain point’ in your industry. Like sitting for hours in a doctor’s waiting room or having take-outs delivered hours late. Domino’s Pizza got it right when they promised pizza delivered in thirty minutes or it’s free. How’s that for a convincing guarantee? Think laterally, but be prepared to be held to your promise.
  4. Be specific and make sure you can back up your proposition when asked for proof. Advertisements are sometimes focused internally to inspire staff, but unique propositions are not. They describe what you are already doing, so what makes you special? How come you are still in business? It’s just not good enough when only you know why.
  5. Distill this all down into a single sentence or better still a short phrase. You must think in terms of output and every word must sell. This is where a business coach can be a useful ally. I have wrestled with paradigms like this before, and I offer independent input.

The job is not over though until you have integrated your unique selling proposition into all your business stationery and advertising materials and done a market launch as well. Convincing guarantees are two-edged swords when out there in the public eye. You’ve just created another role for yourself – you must monitor, monitor and monitor to make sure your firm is sticking to its promise.

Two Magic Words That Will Guarantee Your Success!

There are two magic words in the English language that define a person’s overall success. They are words that have been around since people started working. These single two words define a person’s character, how they live and what they achieve, whether that achievement be physical, financial or social. They describe who a person is and what they are all about. What are these to magic words? Well, they’re really not magic at all.

The two “magic” words I speak of are “WORK ETHIC”. I find this lacking, especially in younger people. Some young people have the notion that a good work ethic is nothing more than just showing up for work or showing up to do your job. They compare and justify and confuse this concept with people who are just plain lazy or just don’t want to work. You can still “show up for your job” and sit around all day, “shoot the breeze” and do nothing, and claim you have a good work ethic just because you are there physically at your place of employment. Just showing up for your job is NOT having a good work ethic.

I was in a fast food restaurant a while back, just getting something to go. It was about 1:45 in the afternoon and I was the only one in line. There were two young girls at the counter. I must have stood there for a full three minutes after I had taken my eyes off the menu to figure out what I wanted before one of them decided I was important enough to come up to take my order. When I finally did place the order I paid for it with my credit card and this girl not only couldn’t understand or get my order correct (I had to repeat it several times) but she didn’t have the training or skills to correctly complete the transaction on the credit card machine. (Probably because she didn’t pay attention while she was being trained.)

When she was getting to the point of total frustration, she TOLD me could I pay in cash. I said I would rather pay by credit card because it was a business expense and I wanted a record of it on my card statement. She actually started arguing with me over this and couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to pay in cash. Well, we got over that hurdle. Like I mentioned, because of the time of day, I was the only one standing in line. This girl was the slowest person I ever saw in my life. She spent most of her time talking with the other girl and then (while I was still waiting for her to put my small order together) she had the nerve to pull out her cell phone and call her boyfriend to start a conversation with him.

She finally got me my order and when I checked it before leaving, I found the order was missing two things I paid for. When I “interrupted” her while she was still on the phone with her bo’, (to tell her about the mistake she made) she gave me the dirtiest look for bothering her. Well, she finally got the order to me, I said thank you, and she didn’t say a word back to me. No apology for the mistake, no thank you, NOTHING. She casually went back to talking on the phone with her boyfriend and as I was leaving, I heard her start mentioning to him about the whole encounter and what a jerk I was.

If you work for an employer, even if you hate your job, that employer is paying you a salary to do the best job that you possibly can. Your attitude has allot to do with this. Even If you dislike your job and you take an “I don’t care” attitude about it, people will pick up on that through your body language. They will not want to work with you, they will not want to even be around you because you demonstrate a lousy negative attitude. This can really affect you if you are trying to advance your career. No Boss is ever going to think about even considering you for a promotion if your attitude at your present position stinks. Take pride in what you do. If you sweep streets for a living, be the best street sweeper that company has ever seen.

That is what a good work ethic is. Showing up for work everyday is just a small part of the process. Having a good attitude while you work, being attentive to other co-worker’s needs (or your bosses needs.) Put a smile on your face, and a spring in your step. Most of all, doing the best you can by working hard everyday and don’t goof off. When an employer sees that you are putting out your best on a regular basis, you will get noticed. It may take time, but it will work out for you in the long run.

This especially applies if you are in business for yourself. Getting up every morning, “putting your head down and going to work” everyday will yield success in your business. Remember, in your own business, (if you work alone) no one is watching you to make sure you are doing your job. That is a discipline you control. It can be real easy to just “sluff off” and do nothing all day and think because you can work anytime, you’ll just do it later. But just like with a job outside the home, you have to work and do your best if you want to see the Success that you desire for you and your family.

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