Ask the experts

Do you have a burning question that you would like the answer to? Or maybe you’re looking for some advice to help your business? In each edition some questions will be shared and answered by some of The Business Bulletin experts.

Q. What is a USP?

A. A USP is a Unique Selling Point. It is something that helps you to stand out from the crowd and will help a prospective client to choose you over and above your competition.

Creating or finding your USP has caused many of my clients’ great angst. They focus on what they do or what they sell and because there are a number of other businesses doing the same thing, they are not able to differentiate themselves.

This was a problem I had when I first set up the business. I did a lot of research into other sales trainers, who they were, what training they provided, etc, and saw that the vast majority of them had been doing it for years and were qualified trainers. I was not, and to be honest with you, it knocked me back and I very nearly gave up.

But, in the early hours of one morning, after very little sleep, something struck me and I went back to the list. What I discovered was that although they had been training for years and had formal qualifications, none of them were still selling and in fact one trainer had never sold in their lives! It was from this revelation that my USP was born.

I am a salesperson first and a trainer second – in other words, when people train with me they train with a salesperson that this still selling and has done so for nearly 26 years.

The moral of this story is that your USP is not necessarily your product or service, it can be you, your background, experience and what you bring to the table.

Julie Futcher The Sales Ace

Q. Should I use stock images in my marketing?

A.Yes and no. If your budget allows for it I’d always suggest using a photographer where you can because:

■ You’ll get exactly what you want

■ No-one else will have the same images ■ They’ll be bespoke to your company rather than generic

■ You’ll get expert insight and advice from the photographer

However…Stock images can be incredibly useful:

■ There are a wide range of very high-quality images available

■ There are price ranges to suit every budget

■ Not everything is suitable for a bespoke shoot

❙ Images of space (that NASA has available) for example can’t be found elsewhere ❙ Sending a photographer for a single shot of a French cheese market won’t be the best use of your budget (though if they spend the day there getting a wide range of shots it could be) ❙ Some themes (woods, flowers, pets, food, etc) are so widely available that a bespoke shoot may not be as necessary

The key is to go with the best quality though – choose carefully and take your time, don’t just pick the first image you see. And pay attention to the licences, they do tend to confuse people.

Mark Coster Pixooma

Q. Is a brand important?

A. It’s vitally important. Whether you like it or not, your business has ‘a brand’. It’s not just something that big businesses have. every business does.

Why? Because your brand is much more than your logo or even just the visual aspects of your marketing. I like the description that a brand is “what others say about your business when you’re not there”.

Everyone (including your potential customers and suppliers) will have an opinion about your business, some of it based on fact and logic, but a lot based on emotion and intuition as well. You can’t control this directly, but you can influence it by providing a good product/service, having good reliable processes, communicating well and meeting (or exceeding) customer expectations.

And by having a well thought out, consistent and professional corporate identity (logo, colours, fonts, style, tone of voice etc) you’ll look more professional, be more memorable, and enhance the reputation of your business even further.

A good logo can’t solve the problems of a bad business, but a great corporate identity can help elevate a good business above its peers and create a great brand.

Ultimately, what do you want people to think when they think of (or talk about) your business? That’s the brand you’re trying to create and that’s why it’s vitally important.

Mark Coster Pixooma

Got a question?

If you have a question – then email us and these experts will set about answering it for you. It can be on any business topic you like, be it finance, sales, marketing, operations, resources, strategy or personal development.

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