USP

[adam rbd]

Hi Simoonez
would you be kind enough to elaborate on your point about a USP
what kind of aspects would constitute a framers USP.
Sorry to apear dense but I'm interested in your view.

If any one else has any ideas i would value your response

All the best Adam

[simoonez]

Hi Adam,

My experience is limited and I'm sure there are other views on here regarding how to set up, but I think any business needs to find a niche in the market to succeed.

To find your USP you might go to every framer in a 10 mile radius (depending on the density of the local population..) and find out what is, and more importantly what is not being offered.

What makes you unique could be that you offer a broader range of services than other framers, or you're cheaper than anyone, or a bit more expensive but the quality is unerring. You might specialise in guilding or hand finishing, you might produce your own mouldings that no one else stocks. It depends on your skills, and what is being offered close by.
It seems (and it was my instinct) that many who set up go for being the cheapest as default, I think in my case it was due to not understanding how to price effectively though.

What I do is produce contemporary frames for emerging artists. It's working so far..

[Not your average framer]

Being the cheapest only works in certain locations and situations. I never heard of being the cheapest as being considered as a USP before. I've always considered being the cheapest as being in the most vunerable position is the market, when times get tough and very few know how to effectively market being the cheapest without being in a permanent situation of tightly limited wages and finances.

Surely the whole purpose of selecting a USP, is to enable you to charge a premium for that product, or service. In a recession, all of us should be considering how we can be uniquely presenting our businesses in the market place in the most advantageous way that we are able. For many of us this implies something which is special, superior, of higher quality, more skillfully made, etc. My business exploits a number of USP's, these include: handfinished frames, framing difficult to frame items, frame and artwork restoration, creating aged finish "in period frames" to suit older artworks and etc.

Being located in a rural Devon market town, I am not insulated from what is going on in the local economy and in particular, quite a noticable dip during January and February this year when money was incredibly tight, due to some local business failure and redundancies. As rescue packages were put in place, people got back to work and things started improving, I found that it was my USP oriented sales which were generating the larger portion of my sales. USP's are not only woth taking seriously, but they often attract financially well off customers, who are not so much affected by financially tighter times!

For many of us USP generated sales will just be the "icing on the cake" just adding a little extra income, but for others they will be their whole business. Don't be afraid to be different, it differentiates you from everyone else and can be very good for your business. I'm not saying that USP oriented businesses are the "be all and end all", because they often are not. However, well chosen USP's can and often do create additional income streams beyond your usual bread and butter business activities and can be a lifesaver, when times are tough.