Why Most Unique Selling Propositions Aren’t Unique—or Persuasive

If you walk down any city’s business row, every shop claims to be 'the best,' 'unique,' or 'the leader.' Visit their websites and you’ll find the same—top, innovative, customer-focused. Unsurprisingly, customers become numb to these claims and view them as little more than advertising wallpaper. Research discussed in the Challenger approach reveals that, when hundreds of companies were asked why they were different, almost all listed the exact same words. Even inside the same industry, everyone is 'innovative.'

This sameness erodes trust and value. One sales director recounted how her carefully crafted brochure, full of 'leading solutions' and 'deep customer orientation,' was indistinguishable from her main competitors’—sometimes she couldn’t even tell which was hers without the logo. The problem isn’t that companies don’t have real differences; it’s that those differences are rarely communicated in ways that customers value or even recognize.

Evidence-based surveys with buyers reveal that only a fraction—about 14%—of perceived unique benefits are both recognized as different and matter enough to sway a decision. Customers buy on price or brand comfort because they can’t see what makes one offer actually better. Genuine differentiation requires ruthless honesty internally and genuine listening externally.

Behavioral economics teaches that people anchor on observable, credible contrasts—not generalities. If you can show, in a customer’s context, exactly how and why your product delivers outcomes no one else can match, you move from being another choice to being the obvious one. But first you must cut through your own buzzwords and find out what your audience really notices.

Take half an hour this week to map what supposedly sets you or your team apart. Be brutally honest—most competitors probably say the same. Then reach out for feedback from three customers, focusing purely on what they found valuable and unusual. Finally, strip away the generic parts of your pitch and spotlight just the few truly unique attributes that make a difference. Even if you have just one, show it plainly. Your clarity will immediately increase your influence and your chance to be seen, not just heard.