Marketing is critical when it comes to landing fresh leads for your home business. You need to have an angle… something that will make you stand out from your competition. This is where having a unique selling proposition becomes handy.
So what is a unique selling proposition and how can you use it to give your business an edge over any other bookkeeper out there? By understanding and applying this simple marketing concept to get your message out there, potential clients will know exactly the kind of business that you run and what to expect by bringing you in to do their books.
What Is A Unique Selling Proposition?
So what is a USP or unique selling proposition? A USP is a way of summarizing and telegraphing one of the chief benefits of the business, product, or service being marketed.
We can also say that it is a way to explain your position against your competition and against all other choices.
Back-Up… What Is Marketing?
Before we dive into the concept of your USP we should probably touch on what it means to market your business in general.
“Getting the right message to
the right people via the right media and methods – effectively,
efficiently and profitably.” – Dan Kennedy
This pretty much sums up exactly what it means to effectively market your business. If you break down that quote by Mr. Kennedy the most important part of it is getting your message to the right people.
You could have the best message ever but if you are showing that message to the wrong audience you are completely wasting your time.
It could also be said that even if your message is average but you have applied it towards your target audience then you will be well on your way with a successful bookkeeping business.
The next part of that quote talks about the right media or methods that you will be using. There are so many ways to market your business these days. It is simply up to you to find out what works for your niche and what doesn’t.
Being effective is simply doing to right things and being efficient is doing the right things well. Obviously, being effective and efficient is going to take a little practice.
You need to figure out what your niche is and the methods you will be focusing on to get your message out. Luckily, if you looking to learn about and start your own bookkeeping business then the how-to-market part has been taken care of for you… you would just need to put it into action.
What Are Your Main Benefits?
Okay, back to figure out what a unique selling proposition is and how you can do it to market your bookkeeping business. Remember in the beginning when I said a USP is a way to explain your position against your competition and all other choices?
As a bookkeeper, the one thing that you need to remember is this… there is no shortage of bookkeepers out there. There IS, however, a massive shortage of GREAT bookkeepers though!
These are bookkeepers that can keep clients for a long time, can keep their clients happy, and can command high prices.
By pointing out to potential clients what your benefits are as a bookkeeper you are telling them why you are the better option than any other bookkeeper out there.
In the past, I have talked about picking a niche market. For example, you decide to only pursue dentists so your USP should include the fact that you are specifically looking to offer your services to dentists. This would be a huge example of a benefit to your client since you can show them that you specialize in exactly what they do.
I should also mention that there is one benefit that you should never try to compete on. Never compete on the price of your services. You don’t want to say that they should choose you because you are cheaper.
In fact, just the opposite should be true. You are going to demand premium prices for your services because you will be providing premium bookkeeping for your clients.
You simply need to show them the benefits of them picking you as their bookkeeper.
You Are Not A Bookkeeper!
So let’s say that you are at a party and you start talking with someone that you had just met. Typically, one of the first things they will ask is “what do you do?” “I am a bookkeeper.” STOP! No, no, no!
Remember when I said that there are tons of bookkeepers out there? By simply stating that you are a bookkeeper you do nothing to separate yourself from the millions of other bookkeepers out there and, on top of that, it is a boring answer.
Chances are, that person is going to talk to a bunch of different people that night. What are the chances that he/she remembers you by simply replying that you are a bookkeeper?
I would guess, highly unlikely. Be specific and really tell them what you do. “I help dentists make more money” or “I help contractors increase their profits by 25%”.
Now they know what you really do and chances are that they will remember your conversation and who you are. Also, by being specific and delivering that USP to them, they instantly start thinking about the dentists or contractors that they know.
“It melts in your mouth, not in your hands”
“Expect more. Pay less”
“The nighttime, coughing, achy, sniffling, stuffy head, fever so you can rest medicine”
These are some simple examples of a few different USP’s. Do you recognize these? I would guess that more than likely, you do.
There is a high probability that you could even tell me which companies they are for. If so, they have done their job, and that is how a USP should work.
You Cannot Be Boring
One last point that I wanted to touch on about your USP. It cannot be boring. Now I am not saying that you need to submit to doing dumb gimmicks or anything like that but you need to get creative.
If your USP is boring do you think that anyone is going to remember you and your business?
You need to convey that you are the bookkeeper that your potential client has been looking for. Grab their attention instantly with a catchy, non-boring, USP and you will be off to a good start.
Remember, you are competing with a lot of other bookkeepers out there so always ask yourself, why you?
How Can You Put This All Together?
I hope that you have got the idea about how important having a good unique selling proposition is. It can make all the difference on how successful your new bookkeeping business is going to be.
Coming up with a good USP is just a tiny piece of the marketing pie when it comes to getting your business off the ground and running.
Allow me to suggest taking a look at the best bookkeeping and marketing course online. Not only will you learn everything about becoming a certified bookkeeper, if you aren’t yet, but you will also learn how to market your business both online and off.
Learn how to successfully put all the pieces together to give you a thriving bookkeeping business from the comfort of your own home. Do yourself a favor and check it out.
If you have anything to ask or add, please feel to drop me a comment below and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.