Sales Training Services Orangeville ON

Let me start by asking you a question: “Why should I buy what you sell, from you, when I can buy it from one of your competitors?”

Yes this question sounds a little harsh, but it runs through the head of every potential customer who is about to buy from you. Your answer to this should be your USP, or unique selling point - the one thing that makes you different (and hopefully better) than your competitors.

If you sell a commoditized product such as apparel, food or services, then your USP should be based around how you deliver your product. For example, Zappos.com sells shoes but their USP is customer service. We sell software that helps small businesses sell online at BigCommerce.com and our USP is ease-of-use. I could go on with examples all day, but I'm sure you get the point.

So what's the best way to find your USP if you don't already have one? Well, what's the main reason customers buy from you?

• Is it price?
• Fast or free shipping?
• Excellent pre- or post-sales service?

If you're unsure then the best way to find out is to ask.

You could use a tool such as PollDaddy.com to setup a free poll on your website and ask customers why they buy from you, or if you want immediate feedback you could send a survey via email using SurveyMonkey.com . Just create a multiple choice question titled "What's the main reason you chose to buy from us?". Create answers for all of the reasons you think customers buy from you, and then make sure you add the "Other" option. So, you might have something like this:

What's the main reason you chose to buy from us?

• Low prices
• Fast shipping
• Free shipping
• Customer service
• Our 200-day return guarantee
• Other (please specify below)

If you email the survey to a few dozen customers you'll usually have your answer within 2-3 days. You can use the answer to craft your USP and that can then become your company's tag line. For example, if 85% of customers said they bought from you because of your liberal return guarantee (let's pretend you offer a 200-day return-for-any-reason guarantee), that becomes your USP and should also become your tag line, such as "The widest selection of shoes, backed by our 200-day return guarantee!".

To get real insight into why customers buy from you, you might also ask for their email address or phone number so you can follow up with them. It's amazing what you can learn from a 5-minute call. Put yourself in your customer's shoes: do you think they've ∗ever&...