I meet startups that fascinate over having a USP (unique selling point) and while it might have a little relevance in certain markets, for the majority, it just doesn’t do much for you!!! If you have stumbled upon something that is unique, chances are unless it is protected or has a high barrier to entry, your competitors will copy it!!!!
That’s why resting your brand and business on a functional attribute is quite limiting. I find the term that is more important than USP, is are you DISTINCT?
Most companies in most marketplaces are doing very similar things. How you distinguish yourself from your competition is through, better customer service, better packaging in terms of product or any physical touchpoints, like an office or retail space, the marketing and communications that you put out, is it creative, memorable, well crafted, and engaging. These factors make you distinct and unique in the marketplace.
Trying to find that USP is very hard and in most cases not possible. Either the USP is not unique enough or if it is any good a big boy will come around, rip it off and scale faster than you.
