There are many people that start a business thinking they are “natural” sales people. And I can tell you they are not. They might have charisma and that’s a start but a far cry from having the ability to probe and close the sale. In fact, I think many business owners would benefit from a sales class or audio training course. In business, nothing happens until a sale is made. NOTHING. Even if you have a product that requires very little selling, it still needs to be sold. No matter what the product or service, if your customers have questions about the product or service or are on the fence about the decision you are going to need sales skills to persuade them to buy from you and not the competition.

When you are in business you need the skills necessary to make sure that your prospect stays engaged long enough to be able to identify their needs and ensure you have a solution to their problem. Without sales skills your conversations will end too soon and questions will go unanswered. And you will not be able to identify the need or the time to close.

Remember the good old days when the local gas station would ask to check the oil or wash your windows and check the air pressure in your tires? Those were very nice, and over the years we came to take them for granted. Now you’re lucky if they will crack a smile or thank you for your business.

The point of all this is that unfortunately now those customer service procedures that companies thought were old-fashioned could today be a Unique Selling Proposition.

I know many of you know the importance of having a USP but many business owners have a hard time choosing the right USP as they think that what they do all day is not so special, but to their customers it is.

Don’t fall into the trap thinking that the only reason you have customers is because of your sparking personality. I am sure it helps but it’s not the reason for all your sales…sorry.

Take for example a client of ours that sells water, coffee and coolers to business homeowners. Some of the top reasons for switching to another water company are taste, impurity count, and price. These are pretty boring. But when examined fully we realized, as a free service to all customers they clean the cooler in a special way to disinfect and sanitize the equipment. Now that might not sound like much to the non-water cooler people out there but to someone who has to clean a water cooler that is a great service and a Unique Selling Proposition.

So how do you find your USP? It’s easy. First ask your customers why they did business with you in the first place. You will see a pattern that might be a great USP. Then look over everything that you currently do for your customers each and every time. What things do you do that you know your competition is not doing? How do you handle them after the sale that is unique and can be used in your marketing as a USP? Do you have a free breakfast or lunch available to clients that wait for their breaks to be repaired? Do you offer a free clean up service after you complete a home repair? What about a week free in home test of the mattresses you sell?

A USP does not have to be so unique. If your competition is doing the same things you do but is not promoting it then why don’t you promote it, and then it becomes a USP.

But business owners beware. A USP is very important for your business but it is not the only thing you need to have to drive sales. A USP must be systematically promoted through a targeted advertising and marketing campaign. Choose wisely because once you have one you must never wane from it. It must be used in all your advertising endeavors. It must be burned into your procedures and performed effortlessly by you and your employees every time. No exceptions. If not, your USP could be your companies RIP.

In this world of electronic media and online directories it is easy to tell these books to decrease or get rid of your advertising altogether. Well as much as I would want to say that is a good idea it is not.

Making a fast decision about pulling any advertising is something you should only do if you are absolutely sure that the medium is dead. In fact, you might want to add single text listings with your website address to see if another sections in the same book will pull more.

Keep in mind that if your competition is there then you need to be there. That is not saying you shouldn’t make the ad smaller for budget concerns.

If you service other counties then it is also a good idea to test with these one or two liners to see if you can open up new markets.

Do your business cards, stationery and web site all have fragmented themes? Do you have a professionally created logo? Are you embarrassed to hand out your brochure or other collateral?

In this world of advertising clutter it is important to do everything you can to stand out in your customers mind. By creating a corporate identity for your business it will allow customers to easily remember you. The good news is you can start this right away.

Even if you’ve been in business for a while you can pull all of it together and create one cohesive brand for your company.

In addition to being professional it also says to your prospects and customers that you care about your company and are it for the long haul.

Make sure you create your identity with your customer demographics and psychographics in mind.

Many people ask me “what are some tips and tricks for marketing my business”. They are looking for quick fixes, techniques or something new that will propel their business forward at lightning speeds.

They are looking for advertising that will work with one placement and little frequency, or a website that will bring them thousands of visitors to their site without any effort.

Now, there are some techniques and special things we do that our competition would love to know about but that’s not going to happen here.

There is nothing wrong with business owners looking for tricks and techniques to help them in advancing their business, however I find that the effort wasted looking for them would have been better spent searching for methods that others have had success with.

Many business owners look at a publication or website and see their competition advertising and think. “Oh no! My competition has a jump on me! What am I to do? I know I will advertise my business there too. I’ll show them.” Funny but unfortunately true.

The better thing to do would be to take a deep breath. Research the medium. See if it is were your customers are and then track to see if your competitor is still there after a while. Or if it is someone in a similar industry but not a competition why not call and ask if it is working for them before taking the plunge?

When you see your competition trying things once and then never again it almost always indicates that the medium did not work. Or the money ran out. Or they tried it for one shot to get the coupon book or coupon mailer or newspaper, etc. salesperson off their back. They did not realize that certain real world techniques must be used in an advertisement in order for it to be effective. I am not saying that there are not new and tested mediums out there to advertise your business in, there are. In fact many are in use by millions of people and the mediums are ingrained in our culture. But don’t just jump in without knowing if your market is served there. Make sure your demographics are looking or listening where you are advertising. This is an easy and much needed step that many business owners do not get right.

Many things have been done, but as a business owner and entrepreneur it is your job to find a better way to present the same methods. Show your customers and your competition that you are in it for the long haul and be creative not tacky. By ensuring that your advertisements and marketing are presented in the right places, your customers will feel you know them better. Someone who sells to me that really knows what I do and what I need always gets the sale over someone who does not.

But in case your still looking I will give all of you a great technique I have found to be the most successful marketing and advertising technique known to man and womankind.

Are you ready for it?

Here it is.

STOP LOOKING FOR TRICKS AND START ADVERTISING AND MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS! GET TO IT! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!