Know-How Exchange : Branding

aosterday's comments are well said.

Additionally, what makes a differentiator work is what your prospects/customers perceive and resonate with.

Competitive research is vital. Evaluate all competitors for their USP's, market share, taglines, or other evidences of what they're saying to differentiate themselves. Be thorough. And you're right to avoid the mundane generalities you mentioned.

A valuable uniqueness is one others can't do, or can't easily say. And, even if they could say it, if you say it first, loudly enough and long enough, you'll own it. Then anyone saying something similar is simply copying.

Volkswagon's original "Think Small" campaign happened in an era of big, gas-guzzling cars, and Small was truly perceived as a surprisingly refreshing rebellion in that market. It was bold, alive, daring, and admired by those with a streak of rebellion in them.

Not that you must be rebellious particularly, but certainly different. It's a bold act to take.

Plus, even if the product is radically different, effective and wonderful, without bold marketing shouting the difference to people who may care about the difference, that fine product will waste away.

It's also worth noting that a differentiator doesn't have to be in the product itself to be effective (but it helps). So while brainstorming, be unashamed with wild ideas and make long lists. Survey them against competitors, company capabilities and willingness to live with the new positioning.

Crystal, I think just asking the question...Are you unique? and if so "What is it that makes you so unique?" Would be another way to frame the quesiton because then you make the organization or person have to examine

WHAT IS unique about them.

Then proceed with the question "Why do you think that makes you different?" This allows you to go deeper.

I think everyone has offered great advice KWinters does a good job of keeping it simple.

Claude Hopkins always believed we should allow our customers to help us understand this better since they're the ones using our products...so maybe when we're asking the company on the flip side we need to go further and ask some of the organizations top clients the same questions about the organization. Great question Crystal!

Maybe your company is not unique. (What do you do, anyway?) I think lots of folks get overly hung up on this "unique selling proposition" idea.

I believe unique as a service company is over-rated. I believe my business is unique, but that doesn't make me profitable.

A McDonalds is not unique - but they sure make money.

I would say I have talked with 20 or more systems integrators who tried to tell me they were unique, and when I asked them why, each told me the exact same thing the last 5 told me (we have a methodology, we listen to you, we have sources in India, we are involved, blah, blah, blah... same kind of stuff you said above...)

I believe that many companies today make IT purchases for tactical reasons - and so they are more interested in your capabilities as they relate to their specific requirements than they are in your marketing positioning statement. And your set of technical capabilities is in fact unique - and that specific set of capabilitties is of far more interest to a technical buyer than some marketing document they have to wade through.

Are you an IT firm? If so, has your firm recently completed a complex integration project -so that you have technology on the shelf, and a project team which is up to date with current software / standards / etc? If so, there are other people who have the same technical problems and issues who would like to hear from you.

From a technical sales point of view, to get the business, I think it is less important to show that your company as a whole is unique, and more important to show that your company is the most prepared, knowledgeable and qualified for the specific opportunity that is on the table right now.