What's Your Unique Selling Point (USP)

Over the years, I have often wondered why there are disparities in levels of success, wealth, and influence amongst many individuals (or corporations) in sometimes similar fields. Stop pondering, because the reasons are complex, but, the collective complexities can be traced down to the lack of USPs or the inability to harness them if known. Moreover, the same applies to people in various echelons of the society we live in today.

The term "unique selling point (a.k.a unique selling proposition - USP)" was first coined by the "so called" pioneer of television advertising, Rosser Reeves in the 1940s. In fact, the term USP was a marketing concept widely used in the business world, and is purposed to aid consumers to make informed decisions whether or not to purchase a particular product(s), based on a number of distinctive benefits highlighted in adverts by competing brands. Thus, a poorly advertised product would inadvertently have adverse repercussions on the company's hard-earned reputation, and ultimately undermine the likelihood of prospective customers to ever patronise them in the future. This highlights the imperativeness of knowing and harnessing one's USPs when presented with the opportunity.

Similarly, the same applies to individuals from various social and cultural persuasions, who rarely utilise this concept to their advantage at job interviews, business engagements, social interactions, relationships (dating), and other areas. Believe it or not, if you don't know your USPs and how best to use them effectively, then I'm afraid to say that you are at a disadvantage.

First impressions they say, last longer. So, ask yourself this question, what are those noticeable features, qualities, skills or attributes, which sets you apart from others? What makes you stand out from the crowd? Are you a leader or a follower? Surprisingly, your USP can be something as trivial as an overwhelmingly beautiful smile, your carriage, your mannerism, or even your fashion style.

What can we learn from nature? Do you know that "cooking" is one of many key skills that is unique only to humans? Why is it that no other creature has been able to master this vital capability? Without such skill, we would all be predominantly vegans, cannibals or both, as most animals in the wild are today. Therefore, cooking is an example of our collective USP.

How can you identify your USP? Have you attempted to discover your USP or do you already have one (or more) that you would like to further enhance? Interestingly, we are all unique in different ways. Unfortunately, while others are experts, some individuals are not natural in harnessing their God-given USPs to their advantage. If you find yourself in this category, you should seriously begin by engaging yourself more often. In other words, get to know those things about yourself that you are complemented on the most, and when you are confident enough, you should start mastering and displaying them more in various situations. This is what I call your "vantage point".

During the 2008 US presidential election, Barack Obama generated such huge buzz, after coming from an underdog to a clear favourite. Nevertheless, he was not elected because he was the smartest of all the candidates who stood for election that year, but, simply due to the fact that he was able to allow his UPSs to shine through, and as a result we were all immediately captivated by his unrivalled presentation skills, distinctive smile, swagger, humble upbringing, integrity, and likeable personality. He is now arguably the most recognisable and powerful figure at present.

In his book, "The Audacity of Hope", President Barack Obama, highlighted his struggles and how he was able to woo people over to himself, especially those who didn't necessarily subscribe to his policies, due to the obstacles posed by his colour. Yet, his UPSs were enough to surmount such stereotypical bottlenecks.

In the bible, there are numerous examples of people, who were naturally gifted by God, and others who had to discover their unique qualities. Joseph was a dreamer, Job, a man of great integrity and faith, King Solomon was a man of great wisdom and women-wooing abilities, and many distinguished individuals in the scriptures. However, Moses the prophet, was not confident in his speaking abilities, until God Almighty was able to instil that believe he didn't realise he had in him. In the end, he was able to accomplish that which God purposed for him. Today, you too can do the same.

What more can I say? Brethrens, we all have unique qualities which most do not use often. In the majority of times, we are too busy admiring others and cheering them on, instead of spending time to develop and master ours. If you want that dream job, a promotion, to develop a successful business, or any area of improvement in your life, then you have to foster the habit of harnessing your USPs more often. Because, by doing this, you will become limitless and unstoppable in all your endeavors.

Finally, I leave you with five tips to help develop your USPs. They are as follows;

• Self-discovery (important).
• Use compliments as indicators.
• Engage and develop your hidden/burning passion(s), and that which makes you tick.
• Identify those hidden qualities, which are not immediately apparent to you.
• Surrounding yourself with genuine individuals who can help spot your unique qualities and encourage their usage.

In my life, I have had to apply the above pointers, and the results are remarkable. My passion is what I focus on and in doing so, I feel a deep sense of happiness devoid of any regrets. Remember, to seek God Almighty in all you do. HE does not seek a perfect being, but a humble and willing heart, he elevates. (James 4:10) What's your USP?

Transforming Dreams into Success

There comes a stage in life when we are all forced to reassess our status and wonder if we really ought to be. In the current dispensation, many individuals are merely prolific dreamers, but poor achievers. Consequently, we feel unfulfilled and unsatisfied with our current achievements and where we find ourselves. 

Often times, it is not the case that we lack the capacity to transform the contents or the desired parts of our dreams into fruition, but, there are stumbling blocks (or preclusions) in the way that prevents this from happening. These could be the absence of meaningful passion, desire, unwillingness to take risk, dampened motivation, complacency, and the lack of proactive efforts to actively decipher and begin to implement those important moves that will enable you to achieve success.

An interesting quote by Dr Martin Luther jr. stated that,

“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

This quote is particularly relevant in the sense that, many people today make excuses as to the reasons why they are unable to put their dreams into motion and to convert them into profitable ventures. I ask, why wallow in sufferings and persistent complaints about your boss treating you unfairly, your pay packet not improving (or only rising by minimal margins), and the monotonous nature of your current job? It is because, most people failing to work on their dreams, and make them mere "idle hopes". On the other hand, many people seems to believe that one could start a business and immediately begin to yield billions in 1 to 2 years. When, in reality, this is not often the situation. To compound this further, in a recent survey, it was shown that 1 in 3 business start-ups fail in their first 3 years, which is a staggering statistics to note.

What most people fail to realize is that, starting up a business, a new career or any other venture requires great commitment, determination, planning, a clarity of vision, and an understanding of the word "process". Of these, the latter is of uttermost importance when thinking of embarking on a journey to success. Always, adopt small steps (don't expect to hit the ground running), take your time, be prudent, anticipate disappointments (“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”), be optimistic, and use your dreams as a motivation to succeed (since, you only know where you want to be). And remember, "No person has the right to rain on your dreams." So, be mindful of the intentions of the people who surrounds you, and claim to support you.

Finally, always bear in mind that from the beginning of creation we were all equipped with the in-built ability to create things, and this quality need to be harnessed more often. Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Blackberry, Samsung, and the likes, did not attain prominence in a day, it began with a dream and then the creation of various modules and the rest is history. Therefore, it is inconsequential how great or magnificent your dreams are, the most important factor is how you're able to convert them into success and enrich your life.

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Yearn for More

In life, many people often seek tangible changes in their status, may be due to the lack of fulfilment, happiness, satisfaction or otherwise. Some of these changes we vie for are, but, not limited to, financial independence, healthier relationship, a fulfilling career, wellbeing, new business opportunities, general independence, superior quality of living, enhanced spirituality, and prosperity/success. Undeniably, these and others are changes that are generally borne out of an individual's desire for "MORE". 

Wait! Be not afraid and don't be drowned by adverse thoughts or self-pity. In fact, there are certain life changes that are required to enable you to find that place you so much yearn for. But, this would require a lot of devotion and hard work, which should be devoid of any lacklusterness.  

As Jim Rohn stated in one of his business lectures, that, "you can have more than you've got, because, you can become more than you are."

You see, sometimes in life, "self-appraisal" is a necessary barometer to gauge one's state of fulfilment. Moreover, today, a lot of individuals often shy away from this simple principle, but, rather wallow in all sorts. 

Be mindful, because if you simply remain how you are, there's a high probability that you will always have what you've got. However, if you are motivated and willing to initiate some changes today, there's every chance that the next 5 years will be positively different from the last. This is a promise and guarantee. So, what have you got to lose?    

Furthermore, if you are of a particular religious persuasion (here, I focus on christianity), seek the help of God Almighty and you will find clarity and begin to carve your way to success and to that target which you yearn for. Now, "if you could have more, why settle for less." There is more to life than you think, so always yearn for more. 

 

Overcome Fear

This is a continuation of my motivational series on "FEAR". It is an established fact that, the latter is an obstacle to unlock and harness our innermost and absolute potentials. Nonetheless, in the majority of cases, most people seem to lack (or are unwilling to obtain) the vital skill sets required to master the art of overcoming fear. 

That is not to say that some fears are not rational. As a matter of fact, some key fears were deliberately ingrained within the  human fabric from birth, so as to make us more aware and conscious of the dangers around us. However, as we approach adulthood, some fears (or the so called "phobias") begin to surface due to misconceptions gained from external influences. As the great and knowledgeable Dr Martin Luther King Jr. once famously orated that,

"Normal fear protects us, abnormal fear motivates us to want to improve our individual and collective welfare, abnormal fear poisons and distorts our inner lives. Our problem is not to be rid of fear, but to harness and master it."

I am pretty sure that we can all extract some sense from the above statement by Dr King Jr. Therefore, it is simple, learn to harness and master your fear, and you will surely notice a positive change in your life. 

Now, here are 7 important nuggets to hold on to in your quest to overcoming and mastering your fears.

• Audacity: This is perhaps the most important prerequisites of all. Many people would agree that, to be able to achieve any feet in life, one has to possess an unflinching audacity. Without which, most will never be able to stand up to their deep-seated fears. 

• Self-determination: Like in many areas of life, be it education or otherwise, self-determination is crucial. Do you remember how you felt, when you first embarked on you driving journey? I am sure you were resolute in your determination to master it, and eventually, become a professional. This same analogy can be applied when trying to overcome fear. For determination fuels our desires, which in-turn greatly increases one's chances of attaining success. 

• Self-motivation: The motivation to achieve a particular goal in life is a paramount catalyst, needed to make that first move and crucially, to keep the ball rolling. For a car to successfully move from one point to another, the driver first need to start the ignition and then apply the correct gear, and most important, accelerate. The acceleration serves to motivate the car to attain mobility. Therefore, try to be motivated or do things that will bring about this.

• Courage: In order to overcome any insecurities (including, "fear") you may have, courage is necessary. Most people with known difficulties often aren't willing to confront them head-on, because, they simply cannot garner enough courage to do so. Martin Luther King Jr stated that, "We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear."

• Practise: As the saying goes, "practise makes perfect." This is so true, in the sense that in order to master your fears, you need to adopt the culture of constant practise or whenever the opportunity arises. The bottom line is that, no one can master anything without persistent practising.

• Self-believe: This is a powerful attribute to have, if you don't already. If you do not believe in yourself, no one else will. In order to climb a mountain, a climber has to first believe that he or she has the capability to surmount it. Moreover, this is also applicable to the area of fear, in that, the latter sow a negative belief within us, in order to deny us the opportunity to attempt some things in life. Therefore, begin to believe in your capacity to overcome your worst fears.

• Support: I cannot stress this enough, it is imperative to foster a sustainable support network or environment, whilst trying to overcome fear. We all need someone to encourage us and this could be friend, family member or others. Remember, a supportive environment provides a fertile ground for positivity and success to flourish.

Although, there are other recommendations published in many literatures for overcoming various fears, you should always remember that, the secret to achieving this is within in each and every one of us. But, it is our individual responsibility to harness our inner powers in this regard. So, what's holding you back?