USP Questions

“Differentiating a brand by virtue of a USP [unique selling point] is just as powerful today as it was in a bygone era,” writes marketing genius Lynda Resnick in her book Rubies in the Orchard: How to Uncover the Hidden Gems in Your Business. When Resnick and her husband bought The Franklin Mint in the mid-1980s, the Resnicks decreed that, going forward, the company had only “collectors,” not “customers.” Then she exhumed a product the old establishment had deemed too crass: a Scarlett O’Hara doll, whose first run generated $35 million in sales.

When the husband-and-wife team purchased the flower delivery service Teleflora in 1982, the two needed a way to differentiate Teleflora from FTD. Resnick came up with the idea of putting the flowers in a keepsake container – a cookie jar, teacup, or watering can.

When brainstorming USPs, Resnick asks herself three questions:

“Is what we’re saying about our product true?” The honesty factor is essential.

“Is our message clear, concise, and easy to understand?” Keep it simple.

“Does our product’s unique quality answer a need in the marketplace, whether consumers know it or not?” That is your success barometer, because if consumers need your product, chances are you will succeed.

Adapted from Rubies in the Orchard: How to Uncover the Hidden Gems in Your Business (Broadway Books, 2009) by Lynda Resnick.