Create Your Unique Selling Proposition

For anyone who needs to create a specific niche for their work, talents, and skills, Gary Purece's presentation on February 24, 1999 at Marin Professionals general meeting was helpful as he addressed ways to market oneself using his approach: each person or company must find their own unique selling proposition.

To determine your unique selling proposition, begin by recognizing a need in the marketplace and finding a product orientation. Try using these models: I want to work with people who _____; and with organizations that ______. Then eliminate the phrase "want to" and you will have the necessary introduction for opening conversations and for networking. A defining statement could be: "I help companies reach their sales goals." An individual stating this has just opened a conversation because the next question would easily be "How do you do that?"

Each individual or company must form a specific selling concept in which they believe, and then capitalize on that. For instance, Southwest Airlines wanted primarily to be a casual airline but they needed a unique selling proposition. Southwest's customer base was surveyed; 60% of the people flying Southwest were businessmen. The next question was: "What is most important for businessmen patronizing an airline?" The obvious conclusion was that the airline must be punctual so Southwest became known as the airline that ran on time.

In order to find and develop your uniqueness Purece listed what he considers to be the five important F's:

• fast
• focused
• flexible
• flearning
• forgiveness

"Fast" means keeping up with cutting edge job ideas and job titles. Purece recommended reading the magazines Fast Company and Futurist for job ideas and for future trends in industry and demographics.

For "focused" and "flexible," the idea is to focus on a set of skills yet be flexible with changes. "Flearning" is Purece's own word for learning - modified to fit in with the rest of the group - and he suggests joining trade organizations, taking classes in one's own field, and continuing to network. The last category includes forgiving oneself during the job search process.

Purece's company, GCP Communications, was formed after twenty years in advertising, working for Saatchi and Saatchi