Tuesday, December 20, 2011

How To Develop Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

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USP is the unique thing that one can offer to his/her targeted market. We may say that it is the Competitive Edge, which makes you, your product, your service or your idea special and one can easily differentiate you from others. Developing perfect USP is the very important for any kind of offerings. Your USP needs to be so compelling that it can be used as a headline that sells any kind of product or service or idea. This USP then helps you to optimize all the marketing materials for maximum results. Therefore it should be created before any advertisements or marketing activity. 

     Even a person by him/her self should have to develop his/her own USP, which can help him/her, when s/he is market him/her self in terms of finding a new job, or seeking for promotion,  or just making sure that s/he get the recognition which s/he deserves.

    For better understanding of how to construct a "Unique Selling Proposition" (USP) for your business or for yourself, you have to follow the following steps:

      1 . Using  Biggest Benefits
     Clearly describe the 3 biggest benefits of owning your product / service / idea. The thing important to your prospect or client is why they select you. You have to explain them exactly WHY you are important to them. For that reason you have to think that what you or your business can do for your prospect / client / customer. 

      2. The Uniqueness in terms of product/Services/Offering/Guaranty
     Now describe your best imagined ideas which can create desire and urgency for your prospect. Your USP can be stated in the shape of offering unique product/service/idea or in the shape of offer, or in the shape of guarantee. Always remember your USP separates you from the competition, therefore you have to sets up buying criteria that illustrates your offering the most logical choice and makes your offer the necessity for your prospect / client / customer. 

      3. Analyzing the Performance Gap
First of all we have to understand the term “Performance Gap”. The need or gap that exists between the current situation and the desired objectives is called as Performance Gap. 
 
Now you have to identify and write down what kind of needs of targeted prospect / client / customer are not handling properly or not fulfilled in its right manner. In other words point out the loopholes within either your industry or your local market.  Alleviate that "PAIN" in your statements. These statements should be rational so that in future you may able to deliver your promises with honour. 

4. Be Specific with Proofs
      Describe the specific reasons with proofs that why your offering is the necessity in the presence of other options. The reason behind is that Consumers are skeptical of advertising claims make by a seller or a company. Therefore to alleviate that skepticism one should be specific and be ready with proofs. 

      5. Condense All Above Steps Into One Clear And Concise Sentence (USP)
Now take all the details about your product/service/idea/offer from the steps above and sculpt them into one clear and concise statement. The every single word of this statement should be so powerful, appealing, meaningful and perfect so that each word earns you success by accomplishing the desired task. 


For better understanding, here is the practical example. Here I am trying to construct a USP to market myself in Academia.  

My Unique Selling Propositions (USP) Academia Concerned
I.          
            3 Biggest benefits for owing these services
  • To fill the gap between academia & industry 
  • For better understanding of the facts How, When, Why & Where one can use theoretical knowledge in their practical life.
  • To understand and able to find out the USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

The Uniqueness in terms of product/Services/Offering/Guaranty
  •  The unique technique of self-awareness for the better understanding of your inner strength that force you to hit like a pro/professional/expert.
  • You can learn the technique of self awareness for better understanding of your inner strengths which makes you hit like a pro/professional/expert.

Analyzing the Performance Gap
  • There is a big gap between academia & industry because students don’t have specific objectives for their upcoming practical life. The main reason behind this is due to absence of career development plans and career counselling. 

Be Specific with Proofs
  • Majority of colleges & university students, study just for better grads and marks.  
  • They don’t want or bother to go with core understating of topics / subjects.
  • Nobody want or bother to know / understand that how, why, when, and where is the best practice of any specific theory / subject in practical professional life. 
  • For that reason in Pakistan we find majority of professionals who claim that practical life is totally different from academia.
            Condense All Above Steps Into One Clear And Concise Sentence
  • "Learn the technique of finding your long term SMART objectives for practical life by getting self-awareness of your inner strengths which force you to hit like a pro." 

Conclusion: 
After you get your USP written, your advertising and marketing copy will practically write itself! You have to Integrate Your USP into all Marketing Materials.  The marketing material we are talking about is as follows:
  • Advertising and sales copy headlines.
  • Business cards, brochures, flyers, & signs.
  • Letterhead, letters, & postcards.
  • Website, Internet and social marketing.
One thing you always keep in mind that you have to deliver on your USP's promises.  Your USP should have promises and guarantees that capture your audience's attention and make them to respond to you. Having a strong USP can make any business a big success or a big failure if the promises don’t kept accordingly.

Using a powerful USP is the driving force that builds your business success.  Build your USP and use it to optimize your marketing materials for maximum results. Try to buid your own USP for your self and for your business using these simple steps.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Thursday, December 1, 2011

The Current Key for Success of Pakistan - Democracy or Alternates?

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Democracy is the process of consultation OR sharing responsibilities between leaders & followers, prior to take any decision/s. The edge of using this two-way communication and providing the Socio-emotional support will allow the individual or group being influenced to buy-in to the process. This is the beauty of DEMOCRACY.

Unfortunately we (Pakistan) never felt the real essence of democracy. There are many reasons behind it and the main reason is lacking of political institution/s. For that reason we don’t get the product for democratic market. Followers are unaware of the real taste of it and so the leaders are.

In the history of our past 64 years of independence, we have almost 29-30 years of dictatorial administration. And history shows that the graph of development in every sector is too high in those years. This is only because those three dictators are from an institute. That institute makes those leaders administratively so strong to handle a nation. The point here is not to encourage dictatorship, but the emphasis is on the requirement of well organized and disciplined trainings, skills and knowledge from the specific institutions. We need institutes for better development of the politics in Pakistan. Quid-e-Azam was a successful lawyer who was well trained by the institute for his profession so that when he took the responsibility of nation he proves himself as a successful leader.

If we drop-out the word dictatorial from dictatorial administration, and focus on the origin for producing better administrators, we will see that from those administrators we will get the product of emergent, charismatic and transformational leaders along with a successful and required system of a time.   

Regards
~Khawaja Imran

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Most Asked Interview Questions Should Be Prepared To Answer

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Here are some typical questions you may be asked in an interview. You should prepare answers for your self accordingly. Always keep in mind you are going to market your self, as you are a product of a market, with lots of benefits and features, knowledge, skills, strengths, attributes and aptitudes etc. Specially at a time of interview you are selling your services against your skills and abilities. You should prepare your self in the manner so that a person or team sitting on the other side of the table gets the feeling that you are the right person who is not only fit for that job but is the real need for that organization.

Following are some main questions:

  • Tell us about yourself.
  • How would you describe your personality?
  • Would you say you are a good manager? And Why?
  • What is your management style?
  • Why do you want to leave your present / last position?
  • Why did you leave the other positions you have held?
  • Why do you want to work for our company?
  • What do you know about our company?
  • What other companies are you / have you interviewing / interviewed with?
  • How would you describe your present / last company?
  • If you had your choice of a job in any company, what type of job and company would you choose?
  • In your last position, what did you like most, and what did you dislike most? And Why?
  • What would you say that what are your greatest strengths / weaknesses?
  • If you could start your career over, what would you do differently?
  • What did you like most about your last boss?
  • What are your short/long-range goals?
  • Where do you want to be in next 5 to 10 years?
  • What would you say about the five biggest accomplishments in your career/life? Why?
  • How do you get along with your co-workers?
  • How would you benefit our company the most?
  • Do you know anyone working for our company?
  • How well do you know this industry? What do you know about our industry?
  • Have you hired anyone? Have you trained anyone? Have you managed/supervised anyone?
  • What are you looking for in a company?
  • What are some challenges that you have successfully met? How?
  • How do you spend your spare time? What are your hobbies?
  • How did you get your previous positions?
  • What did you learn most from your previous position?
  • Why did you choose this particular field of work?
  • What do you think determines a person's progress in a company? How do you meet these criteria?
  • Do you prefer working by yourself or with others?
  • How you define satisfaction?
  • How you express Quality of work life?
  • What makes you feel successful? Can you define success?
  • How do you take criticism/instruction?
  • How would people who know you describe you? Even your worst enemy describes you?
  • Tell me about a failure and how you handled it.
  • How you define Situational Analysis? Are you good in it?
  • How do you approach a problem?
  • How do you handle complaints?
  • What do you offer this company?
  • Why should we hire you?
  • What are you looking for in your next position?

Regards

~Khawaja Imran

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Wednesday, September 7, 2011