Establishing Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
By David Scott Peters
Your USP is what differentiates you from all the other restaurants out there – especially the restaurants that look, smell and taste like yours. It’s the compilation of things that clearly separates you from the pack.
Defining what your USP is takes some creativity, hard work and soul searching. A USP can be almost anything that distinguishes you from your competition. When determining your USP consider these things:
• Unique benefits to your customers
• Great prices
• Special menu options
• Incredible service
• A strong guarantee
• The best of the best
• Exclusivity or rarity
• Excellence
• Following a specific standard
• Specializing
Another piece important for designating your USP is understanding who your customer is and what makes them purchase:
• Is it low prices?
• Great service?
• 100 percent money-back guarantee?
• Speed of service?
• Something special your product delivers that nobody else does?
• Your qualifications or celebrity?
• Promises you make that no other competitor does?
On top of all that, you need to ask yourself what makes you unique:
• How are you better?
• What makes you the best?
• Why do your customers dine with you?
• What are your special talents, qualities or strengths?
• What makes your product and or service superior?
With a little work, you can start to clearly communicate what makes you different from your competition. Once you’ve crafted your USP, start using it! Put it on your menu. Include it in your advertisements. Post it on your website. USE IT EVERYWHERE! Your USP is much more powerful than your brand. Your brand will help you get recognized, but your USP will help get them in the door and keep them coming back for more!
David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, an online restaurant management software program helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. He is best known as the SMART Systems guy who can walk into any restaurant and find $10,000 in undiscovered cash before he hits the back door… Guaranteed! Learn more at www.TheRestaurantExpert.com.
