Three questions define your PROMISE’s effectiveness

It goes by many different names. USP, Unique Selling Proposition, Competitive Advantage, Brand Promise, Value Proposition, and Point of Difference.

It’s the PROMISE that is made to prospective customers to influence them to choose your product over your competitor’s. Every business needs one. Lots of companies have one. Frankly, most of them aren’t very good.

Here’s three ways to measure the effectiveness of your PROMISE:

1) Is it unique? Does it set you apart from your competition?

2) Is it relevant? Do potential customers care that you’re offering it?

3) Can you deliver? Are you willing and able to fulfill your promise?

If you meet all three of these criteria, you have a successful PROMISE, and, based on the three examples below, a successful business as well:

● Melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

● Fresh hot pizza at your door in 30 minutes or it’s free.

● When your package absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.

If you think about it, a successful PROMISE is an all or nothing proposition:

UNIQUE + RELEVANT but not DELIVERABLE = one-time customers and bad word-of-mouth.

UNIQUE + DELIVERABLE but not RELEVANT = Nobody cares!

RELEVANT + DELIVERABLE but not UNIQUE = Parity or commodity position

Your PROMISE should really be called a Unique Buying Proposition, because if it is done right, you won’t have to sell your product--people will be asking if they can buy it.

Want to talk about developing or refining your PROMISE? Your CMO can help!