Moving on from your USP

It used to be that every company had a USP. Spoken or unspoken they would have worked out their Unique Selling Proposition and would spend their marketing budget on promoting this magical and unique concept to new and existing clients. Recently I have become more and more uncomfortable with the concept - it just doesn't feel right in today's world to be banging on about what is so damn precious about you, why you are so special or why exactly people should buy from you..I think we need to turn this on it's head and give people a bit of your story so customers can connect with you on a level that is beyond a purely sales message. I like shopping in my local community run fruit and veg shop - no it doesn't have as big a range as my local supermarket and yes sometimes things are a bit more expensive but when I shop there it works for me on a number of levels. 1) All the profits from the shop go to an educational programme in West Africa 2) The staff are local volunteers who live in the community they serve 3) The staff are honest, integral and have tried most of their stock so can actually advise as the whether the strawberries have any flavour or not. I also know that to survive in our relatively small community they have to get it right and make an extra effort. I have a relationship with the shop and have become an ambassador for them They have given me a story tell.... and I tell it So rather than think about what you have to sell think about the story you want told about your company and about your products. Think about what it is that makes you What you are and develop the language so others can tell your story too!