Your USP stands for your Unique Selling Position or Unique Selling Point. If you’ve done your homework well and have chosen a specific target market – you might have nailed an untapped group of people and you’ll be in the enviable position of not having any competition.

But for the rest of us – even if we have narrowed our target market down well, we’ll still have others who are attempting to reach and serve the same group of people. 

Some tight markets are incredibly competitive and standing out from the crowd is hard work. And, when a potential client lines you up with the half dozen or so other coaches they could work with they will need a reason to choose to work with you.

In other words, how is what you offer different or better matched to their needs? This can be described as your Unique Selling Point. 

It is worth taking the time to identify and list your strengths, abilities and experience as well as your products and services and taking a long hard look at all of these these.

There are probably a lot of things you can list but are they perceived as valuable to your potential clients?  It’s no good, for example, offering a product that your clients do not think they need.

When you can state what you feel gives you a unique approach to coaching, ask for some feedback from others.  And, whoever you ask for feedback, it is useful to an get honest response, particularly if any of the items on your list make other people think ‘so what?’ (Perhaps you think it makes you special but nobody else really cares.)

Ask people if knowing any of these things you have listed inspires additional trust or makes them feel drawn to you in a special way.

You can also have a look at what other coaches are doing and identify those who communicate clearly and inspire trust in you.  How is the value of their coaching communicated to you?

If you bounce these ideas with a few different people you can narrow it down and start to develop your own USP – then you’ll be on your way to communicating it to your potential clients. 

This article is based on an extract from our ebook -  "Stand Out as a Coach - Know your target Market and Unique Selling Point" - which is free to all our members.

Author:                 © Sonia Thomas August 2008

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