Sales and Marketing Techniques

Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Anthony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, and many others like them figured it out a long time ago. By not trying “to be all things to all people,” they were able to cultivate an image and business foundation that focused on one to two niches that they had perfected and understood, and from there they grew them into dominating income streams.

Take for example Donald Trump. Granted, he came from money, contacts and a wealthy upbringing but then again we can point to countless others who had that same benefit.

No, it was not the fact that he had his wealth and contacts handed to him initially (I am confident that his drive and ambition would have gotten him to the top at some point even without all this) it was the simple fact that he figured out early on what it was he wanted; to become the purveyor of wealth and prestige in the circles of Manhattan real estate. It was during the mid 70’s when New York was on the verge of bankruptcy and prime hotels locations and apartment complexes were available that Trump began his foray. His main focus, his main drive was not to cater to the middle class, not to cater to the poor, but to cater those that had the money, those that had the wealth and those that help would fuel his dream and ego all at the same time. The super wealthy and luxury segment.

By focusing all his time, money and resources on this segment he was able to build the Trump Hyatt, Trump Towers, his Atlantic City holdings, etc., etc., etc and by focusing all of his prime resources on his main USP… services and real estate for the wealthy, he was able to build an empire that now spans all seven continents.

Richard Branson’s USP was Virgin. A brand catering to the “hip,” GenX segment who had the money and resources to enjoy a Donald Trump product, but didn’t have the desire showcase it. Sort of like the Trump crowd with Blackberry’s and jeans.

Anthony Robbins? His initial USP was motivation, creating self awareness and taking your way of thinking to a level most never understood until he came along. Tony reshaped the industry, changed the rules and with his USP helped change the way many top entrepreneurs think and do business today.

Many people have come to me and said “Mark, these people you have mentioned INCLUDING yourself, have more than one iron in the fire and have their hands in more than one business. How is THAT a USP?”

True. Very true. I am willing to bet that 50+% of all of Trump’s income comes from streams other than real estate. Book deals, TV, speaking, licensing out his name, etc. But to get this point he had to create the persona and credibility and that came through a clearly defined USP. And with this USP, you can create a myriad of income streams and opportunities that you never knew existed.

Before you can separate from the pack, you have to give your prospects reasons to call you as opposed to your competitor. Why are you different? What is so special about you that I cannot get elsewhere… and being the lowest price is NOT a USP. Drop your pants on price and you are MORE like your competitor, not less.

Domino’s Pizza’s USP was 30 minute delivery, a USP that made them the highest grossing pizza chain, even without the best pizza.  They are a perfect example that you don’t have to be the best to make money. Just give people a REASON to call you, deliver on your promise and you are half way home!

Look, if you can define your vision, define your goals and clearly define what it is you do (your message), how you do it and WHY you do it, the world will become your oyster. What is your Unique Selling Proposition? Why do you get up every morning? Why would I buy from YOU as opposed to someone else? It is time to start answering this question TODAY so you can begin pulling in prospects on a regular basis tomorrow.

So, how does one develop a USP? Where do you begin? What is the template or protocol to ensuring that you devise a USP that creates action, creates results and most of all CREATES PROFITS?? Well, that’s a very good question, a very good question indeed.

Let’s start by answering it this way, with a bit of advice (if you can call it that) that opened my eyes and set me on the path to success and it was this:

You have the top 10% and you have everyone else… in any industry. And the reason you have the top 10% and everyone else is because the top 10% figured “it” out. “It” being who their target market was, where they were hiding and then copying and emulating what the other top 10% were doing to obtain them. Success breeds success, if you copy what other successful people are doing you will get the same results, its not rocket science. But there is one key component to this formula that has to be mastered if you are going to be able to use my strategies to maximum effectiveness, and it comes in answering this ONE question: “WHY WOULD ANYBODY HIRE ME????”

Start working on that and you’ll sure be in the right direction to get more clients. In future posts we will dive into that in more depth and go over why perfecting that answer is the key to wealth and success.