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Differentiation By When

As I look at classic offers which have defined a business, a great way to start is with the offer  / USP which built up Domino’s Pizza since it is so often quoted as a fine example.

“Fresh hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less… or it’s free.”

There are so many reasons why this is such a great positioning statement.

Looking At The Domino’s Classic USP Using The 7 Big Questions

Let’s look through the lens of the 7 big questions of differentiation.

There’s “the what” – fresh hot pizza

There’s “the how” – delivered – you don’t have to make any effort

There’s “the where” – to your door

There’s the when – in 30 minutes or less

And finally we return to “the what” – the risk reversal of “or it’s free”.

The Domino’s Classic USP Template

You can see a template for crafting these positioning statements here in the Dominos example.

[what] [how] [where] [when] [what risk reversal]

It’s also very notable for what it doesn’t say.

What The Domino’s Classic USP Doesn’t Say

The pizza may be fresh and hot – but that doesn’t sound too demanding since there’s nothing about it being delicious of made from the highest quality ingredients.

The USP doesn’t include an indication of who, either in terms of who the customer is or who the supplier/staff are a bit different from the Spearmint Rhino offer since there are many people you just wouldn’t want a lap-dance from.]

Is it marketing hype or does it need to be designed into the culture of the organisation. I think it’s the second because everything needs to be done quickly to meet the big double whammy which made the offer so successful – it’s quick and it’s guaranteed.

The Irresistible Offer Also Looks At The Domino’s USP

If you want to go deeper into the logic of crafting statements like the Dominos USP then I recommend that you read an excellent book called The Irresistible Offer by Mark Joyner.

in 3 – Your Strategic Positioning

7 Big Questions & Answers Of Business Success

How do you differentiate your business?

You answer the 7 big questions of business success in a way that is distinctive:

  • Who?
  • What?
  • How?
  • Where?
  • When?
  • Why?
  • How Much?

Is differentiating your business really that simple?

Yes and No.

These questions are an immensely powerful way to design your business to be different from your competitors.

But, while you have the ideas and answers, it’s not your opinion that matters in the end.

Your potential customers have the power to reward a well-designed and differentiated business.

And to get your reward, you need to motivate them by appealing to their self-interest.

You’ve probably seen the letters WIIFM before if you read business blogs.

They stand for “What’s In It For Me?”

It’s a question you must keep in your mind at all times because if you don’t, your market will ignore you.

You need to answer the 7 big questions of business success by looking through your customers eyes to make sure that what you are doing is adding value to them and strengthening your relationship.

in 3 – Your Strategic Positioning