The real unique selling proposition

Rosser Reeves had introduced the term in 1940. It is intended to distinguish the benefits of the product being marketed from the products of competitors. In his book Reality in Advertising, he describes the three components:

1. the offer to the customer
2. the offer must either not be offered by the competition or not be able to be offered. This makes it unique.
3. the offer must be so strong that it can move many people, i.e. attract new customers to your product.

The unique selling proposition helps a customer in a phase of decision making. It provides a reason to choose one or the other.

Here's a fun example from Rosser Reeves: a mouthwash, like many others, Listerine, used the slogan: Stop Halitosis! The slogan was unique at the time. What were the other dozens of mouthwashs supposed to do? Writing: Also stops bad breath?

But even the unique selling proposition is not a panacea. Here are two situations:

Before the unique selling proposition can have any effect at all, the customer must first become aware of the offering. Without knowledge, no decision-making process will take place.

The second situation in which a salesperson should hold back on the unique selling proposition is during the sales pitch. The customer may already have completely different reasons for choosing one or the other. Listening and open questions are appropriate. Appreciation helps. The unique selling proposition should only enter the conversation with the customer's consent.

This leads to the question of the real unique selling proposition. This is the cleverly packaged story that highlights the uniqueness of a product, but is also so practical that people are happy to tell it to others. It's the image in the mind, the story that evokes emotions, that gets burned in.

Rosser Reeves writes: The more heads, the more penetration—and the more penetration, the more people who will yield to your usage pull and be drawn over to your brand.