I’m giggling as I type as I’ve just got on a train to Horsham, having been dropped off at the train station by our Marketing Director, Claire, which was a pretty hilarious journey.
You see, Claire wears a Banana Clip. Every other day. One day her hair is down… the next day it’s in a banana clip. And on goes the pattern… very predictable.
Have you ever seen a Banana Clip?
They are basically from the 1980s, and generally not seen that much in the 2000s. Except for in the All Star office.
But we have never had this conversation about Claire’s Banana Clip before. I have just come to accept that we have to live with the banana clip in Claire’s hair at All Star Marketing Club, in all her banana-like glory.
And who am I to tell her what century’s hair accessories she should wear?
Then this happened.
Claire is a bridesmaid for her friend tomorrow, and we were discussing (on our trip to the train station) how she should wear her hair….. and I suggested that perhaps she could just wear her banana clip and pin the hair around it so that it can’t be seen.
Claire says, “what’s wrong with my banana clip?”
I reply, “Errr, nothing Claire, if you’re in the 1980s. But only you could get away with it…”
The conversation about the Banana Clip went on… at at one point, I was worried that she would crash the car, as she laughed uncontrollably, with tears rolling down her face. I couldn’t help but join in, with a bit of unwanted snorting.
Claire tried to talk through her giggles, “I’ve never been called out on my banana clip before.”!!!
It turns out, Claire’s view is this:
Her banana clip hairstyle is her USP.
She says her pony tail looks much longer and much more stylish for wearing it.
And I do believe that Claire wouldn’t be Claire without the banana clip, and the mane like effect it gives. But she’s yet to team it up with blue eye shadow and shoulder pads.
This got me thinking about USPs in business.
The term USP – Unique Selling Point is overused and often for the wrong reason, and having a USP is often not necessarily a good thing.
I mean, just look at the Sinclair C5 – a fellow 1980s invention. It might be very unique, but the C5 was unsafe, lacked weather resistance and wouldn’t go up hills! So when something is not fit for purpose in the customer’s eyes, then a USP is useless.
So rather than thinking about UNIQUE, why not think about VALUE?
- What VALUE do you offer your customer?
- What VALUE do you give the customer over and above competitors?
- Where does the VALUE present itself in your proposition – within your product, service, delivery, support, systems etc.
If you can articulate this in any of your sales and marketing activity, you’ll be in a MUCH stronger position, as we teach at our Marketing Master Plan training.
Drop me a note if you’d like my Value Definition Planner, and I’ll whizz it over to you when I’m back in the office next week.
It might help you to think through this, as it’s crucial within your messaging.
Oh, and it looks like Sinclair’s nephew fixed the design flaws, and the C5 made a comebackin 2017…. Just like Claire’s Banana Clip.
Victoria ????
p.s. let’s support Claire and back the trend. Here’s a rather good deal!
