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Other Added - Competitive Analysis - The Secret to Creating a USP That Sets You Apart From the Competition
When you want to decorate your new living or office quarters, there are many different alternatives available. Whether for home or for business, a furniture rental company can satisfy all equipment needs, from home furniture, to office furniture, to electrical appliances.Renting furniture for your home or business lets you preserve capital for other endeavors. The above reason is why 80 per cent of the Fortune 500 companies to rent their furniture.The other reason will be that furniture rental serves as a great alternative to tho
How do you do your own competitive analysis?
1) Start by creating a spreadsheet for all your data either on paper or in Excel.
2) Down the left side put the names of your competitors. If you don’t know who your competition is, do a quick search online and in your phone book.
3) Label the columns across the top with all the things you think might be part of your USP, plus columns to list their products and/or services, hours, location, specialties, guarantees, special offers, experi
In part one of this article we discussed the importance of the look or appearance of your brochure.The look or image that your brochure conveys is vastly important. In fact, the appearance will determine how most people form their initial impression of your company. But, the message on your brochure is just as important. Ultimately you need to say something of value in your brochure if you want it to move people closer to the sale. Here are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure that your brochure has the right message.1. Speak
If you can’t tell your prospects why what you offer is different—or better—than the competition, they have no reason to buy from you other than price. And price is not a good differentiating factor. Because, thanks to the Internet, there is almost always someone out there who is cheaper than you.
Unfortunately, a lot of entrepreneurs don’t understand what makes a USP effective. So they end up focusing on a “USP” that isn’t really unique at all. Let me give you an example… I have a client who’s a chiropractor. With six other chiropractic clinics within a two-mile radius, he really needs something to differentiate him from the doctor literally down the street. So I scheduled a brainstorming meeting with my client and his staff to talk about what they provide that might be both different, and valuable, to his target market.
Throughout the meeting, everyone kept throwing out features like:
* Convenient hours
* In-house X-Ray machine
* Relaxed, kid-friendly atmosphere
* Treatments for infants through elderly
* Payment plans
* Emergencies seen same-day
* The staff has a pleasant, upbeat energy
* The doctor has 12 years of experience
* On-site massage therapist
* They use special exercises to strengthen and loosen your spine before adjustments
Of course, my client was positive that convenience and experience were what made him unique and worth choosing over his competition. And at first glance, it seems like could be true. Except for one problem… Nothing on the list was any different from what the other chiropractors were already doing and marketing. He was simply not going to stand out from the competition.
How do I know? Because I spent an hour doing a very simple competitive analysis. I called all the other clinics in the area with a short list of questions, and took a quick look at their Websites and Yellow Pages ads. Then I compiled all the information into a basic spreadsheet.
The result?
At a glance I could tell that every single thing my client was so sure made him different, didn’t. In fact, every chiropractor I talked to offered, and advertised, the exact same services and conveniences. What would have happened if I hadn't taken the time to survey of the competition? We would have wasted a ton of time and money on marketing that was not going to make his practice stand out from the crowd. The bottom line is; a competitive analysis is one of the most valuable tools you can use to come up with a USP that drives effective marketing. After all, you can’t be sure what you offer is unique unless you know what everyone else is offering. You can use this technique to discover all kinds of information that can have a tremendous impact on your marketing—and your success.
How do you do your own competitive analysis?
1) Start by creating a spreadsheet for all your data either on paper or in Excel.
2) Down the left side put the names of your competitors. If you don’t know who your competition is, do a quick search online and in your phone book.
3) Label the columns across the top with all the things you think might be part of your USP, plus columns to list their products and/or services, hours, location, specialties, guarantees, special offers, experi
I once had a designer that took her work very seriously. Before she did any designs, she would interview you; take a look at your product offerings and your personality. It seemed like this was crazy at first but the result was a logo that fit with the company and it's philosophy. She actually went beyond just the interview, she designed meaningful symbols. Each symbol she chose had a story behind it. When you received your design, she also had a booklet with an explanation of how the design was developed and what each part of the symbol meant
Unfortunately, a lot of entrepreneurs don’t understand what makes a USP effective. So they end up focusing on a “USP” that isn’t really unique at all. Let me give you an example… I have a client who’s a chiropractor. With six other chiropractic clinics within a two-mile radius, he really needs something to differentiate him from the doctor literally down the street. So I scheduled a brainstorming meeting with my client and his staff to talk about what they provide that might be both different, and valuable, to his target market.
Throughout the meeting, everyone kept throwing out features like:
* Convenient hours
* In-house X-Ray machine
* Relaxed, kid-friendly atmosphere
* Treatments for infants through elderly
* Payment plans
* Emergencies seen same-day
* The staff has a pleasant, upbeat energy
* The doctor has 12 years of experience
* On-site massage therapist
* They use special exercises to strengthen and loosen your spine before adjustments
Of course, my client was positive that convenience and experience were what made him unique and worth choosing over his competition. And at first glance, it seems like could be true. Except for one problem… Nothing on the list was any different from what the other chiropractors were already doing and marketing. He was simply not going to stand out from the competition.
How do I know? Because I spent an hour doing a very simple competitive analysis. I called all the other clinics in the area with a short list of questions, and took a quick look at their Websites and Yellow Pages ads. Then I compiled all the information into a basic spreadsheet.
The result?
At a glance I could tell that every single thing my client was so sure made him different, didn’t. In fact, every chiropractor I talked to offered, and advertised, the exact same services and conveniences. What would have happened if I hadn't taken the time to survey of the competition? We would have wasted a ton of time and money on marketing that was not going to make his practice stand out from the crowd. The bottom line is; a competitive analysis is one of the most valuable tools you can use to come up with a USP that drives effective marketing. After all, you can’t be sure what you offer is unique unless you know what everyone else is offering. You can use this technique to discover all kinds of information that can have a tremendous impact on your marketing—and your success.
How do you do your own competitive analysis?
1) Start by creating a spreadsheet for all your data either on paper or in Excel.
2) Down the left side put the names of your competitors. If you don’t know who your competition is, do a quick search online and in your phone book.
3) Label the columns across the top with all the things you think might be part of your USP, plus columns to list their products and/or services, hours, location, specialties, guarantees, special offers, experi
I consider myself lucky – I am surrounded by amazing people. They can be described as smart, successful, witty, passionate, and more. So, I’m shocked when I listen to these very people put themselves down. How it is that someone who is so great can have doubts about their value? I (and most others) see their accomplishments and their potential while they worry about their perceived failures and shortcomings.A lack of self-confidence is dangerous to your career. It can manifest itself with arrogant or self-deprecating behavior. Our
* Payment plans
* Emergencies seen same-day
* The staff has a pleasant, upbeat energy
* The doctor has 12 years of experience
* On-site massage therapist
* They use special exercises to strengthen and loosen your spine before adjustments
Of course, my client was positive that convenience and experience were what made him unique and worth choosing over his competition. And at first glance, it seems like could be true. Except for one problem… Nothing on the list was any different from what the other chiropractors were already doing and marketing. He was simply not going to stand out from the competition.
How do I know? Because I spent an hour doing a very simple competitive analysis. I called all the other clinics in the area with a short list of questions, and took a quick look at their Websites and Yellow Pages ads. Then I compiled all the information into a basic spreadsheet.
The result?
At a glance I could tell that every single thing my client was so sure made him different, didn’t. In fact, every chiropractor I talked to offered, and advertised, the exact same services and conveniences. What would have happened if I hadn't taken the time to survey of the competition? We would have wasted a ton of time and money on marketing that was not going to make his practice stand out from the crowd. The bottom line is; a competitive analysis is one of the most valuable tools you can use to come up with a USP that drives effective marketing. After all, you can’t be sure what you offer is unique unless you know what everyone else is offering. You can use this technique to discover all kinds of information that can have a tremendous impact on your marketing—and your success.
How do you do your own competitive analysis?
1) Start by creating a spreadsheet for all your data either on paper or in Excel.
2) Down the left side put the names of your competitors. If you don’t know who your competition is, do a quick search online and in your phone book.
3) Label the columns across the top with all the things you think might be part of your USP, plus columns to list their products and/or services, hours, location, specialties, guarantees, special offers, experi
Just gaze around and check how many products carry a brand name, message or logo of a company—you will see a lot. There are plenty of these products that we use in our everyday lives. Advertising Specialty Products are the best way to build a corporate image and create brand recall. Whether it is for a short-term goal like sale boosting or long-term goal like creating a brand image, Advertising Specialty Products are suited for all the tasks. They can also be used as a medium to motivate or inspire the employees within the organization.
The result?
At a glance I could tell that every single thing my client was so sure made him different, didn’t. In fact, every chiropractor I talked to offered, and advertised, the exact same services and conveniences. What would have happened if I hadn't taken the time to survey of the competition? We would have wasted a ton of time and money on marketing that was not going to make his practice stand out from the crowd. The bottom line is; a competitive analysis is one of the most valuable tools you can use to come up with a USP that drives effective marketing. After all, you can’t be sure what you offer is unique unless you know what everyone else is offering. You can use this technique to discover all kinds of information that can have a tremendous impact on your marketing—and your success.
How do you do your own competitive analysis?
1) Start by creating a spreadsheet for all your data either on paper or in Excel.
2) Down the left side put the names of your competitors. If you don’t know who your competition is, do a quick search online and in your phone book.
3) Label the columns across the top with all the things you think might be part of your USP, plus columns to list their products and/or services, hours, location, specialties, guarantees, special offers, experi
For contract cleaning companies office cleaning is the most competitive market to break into. Some organisations change their cleaners on a regular basis, every year or some even every six months because they cannot find a company that will consistently meet their requirements. What we find is that these companies do not have a clear indication of what is expected from the clean. After some time they complain that standards have fallen. This phrase ‘standards have fallen’ is oft repeated by a company representative who is complaining about th
How do you do your own competitive analysis?
1) Start by creating a spreadsheet for all your data either on paper or in Excel.
2) Down the left side put the names of your competitors. If you don’t know who your competition is, do a quick search online and in your phone book.
3) Label the columns across the top with all the things you think might be part of your USP, plus columns to list their products and/or services, hours, location, specialties, guarantees, special offers, experience or expertise, and USP (if you can tell what it is).
4) Visit the competition’s Websites, pick up the phone and call them with a few questions, and look at any advertising and marketing materials you can get your grubby little mitts on.
By the time you finish filling in your spreadsheet you should be able to tell at a glance what makes you different. Once you know your USP, be sure to communicate it in every piece of marketing or advertising you do. Soon you’ll become known for what makes you unique, and people will be dying to get what only you can give them.
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