Episode #256: Revising Our Unique Selling Proposition

Why are USPs more important now, even after Covid?

If your business survived Covid, it’s tempting to assume competition would ease. Many competitors struggled or disappeared, so a short break from the usual fight for clients might feel logical. But the opposite is happening: more companies are chasing the same buyers, and decision-makers are comparing options faster than ever.

In this environment, you must make your differentiation unmistakable. What you don’t want is a buyer believing they can swap your solution out for another provider like a modular engine part. Your USPs need to be clear enough that replacing you feels risky or irrational.

Mini-summary:
Post-Covid competition is intense, so strong USPs protect you from being treated as a “replaceable option.”

A USP only works if it’s framed through the buyer’s priorities, not the seller’s pride. Many companies talk about what they sell because it feels natural. But buyers don’t purchase services — they purchase outcomes.

To craft a strong USP, start with these questions:

• What outcomes is the buyer trying to achieve today?

• What new problems are they solving now that business has changed?

• Where do they need higher value or lower risk?

If your USP focuses on what matters to you, it will sound dusty. If it focuses on what matters to them, it becomes a reason to choose you confidently.

Mini-summary:
The best USP is buyer-centered and outcome-focused, not product-centered.

Are we selling services — or outcomes?

Using Dale Carnegie as an example: we might say we sell sales training. But buyers aren’t shopping for a training product. They want higher revenue per salesperson, more consistent performance, and stronger market results.

So the real USP is not “we deliver training.”
The real USP is “we deliver measurable sales outcomes, and training is the tool.”

This applies to every business: your USP should describe the transformation clients get — not the thing you do.

Mini-summary:
Buyers want results. Your USP must sell the result first, and the service second.

Below are examples of typical USPs and how to sharpen them for the Japanese buyer mindset, where risk reduction and precedent matter deeply.

1. “Dale Carnegie Training has been in operation since 1912.”

On its own, this feels like trivia. But in Japan, longevity signals safety. The buyer doesn’t care about your age — they care about what your age means for them.

Buyer-focused meaning:
Your 100+-year track record reduces perceived risk. It proves stability, reliability, and trustworthiness.

Think of the classic idea: “Nobody gets fired for buying IBM.” That’s the USP behind longevity.

Japan-specific signal to use:
日本企業 (Japanese companies) rely on proven, low-risk partners.

Mini-summary:
Longevity becomes a USP only when tied to trust and risk reduction — especially for Japanese buyers.

2. “We teach 90% of the Fortune 500 companies.”

Many buyers react with “so what?” unless you translate it into their decision logic.

Buyer-focused meaning:
The most powerful global companies can choose anyone — and they choose Dale Carnegie. That implies rigorous due diligence has already been done, so the buyer can feel safe following trusted precedent.

In Japan, being a “safe second mover” is often preferable to being first.

Japan-specific signal to use:
外資系企業 (multinational companies) and global leaders set a precedent that Japanese buyers trust.

Mini-summary:
Fortune 500 credibility matters only when framed as “proof of safety and global precedent.”

3. “We have offices in 100 countries.”

The raw number doesn’t persuade unless it connects to a real buyer need.

Buyer-focused meaning:
You can deliver consistent solutions worldwide — across regions, languages, and cultures — with one trusted partner.

For clients expanding globally, this removes friction and coordination risk.

Japan-specific signal to use:
東京 (Tokyo) + global delivery credibility is a strong one-stop-shop story.

Mini-summary:
Global reach is a USP when positioned as seamless, culturally aligned delivery anywhere the client operates.

4. “Our trainers complete 250 hours of train-the-trainer before certification.”

Hours aren’t the point. The real point is what the process proves.

Buyer-focused meaning:
Certification takes about 18 months and only highly motivated, rigorously vetted professionals complete it. Therefore, your trainers are “best of the best,” not interchangeable contractors.

Selection quality is the USP — not the time spent.

Japan-specific signal to use:
Trust in instructor rigor supports high-stakes programs like リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), and プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training).

Mini-summary:
Trainer quality becomes a USP when framed as elite selection and rigorous certification.

Ask yourself:

• Are our USPs still relevant after Covid changed buyer priorities?

• Do they speak to current outcomes, not old assumptions?

• Are they expressed sharply in buyer language?

• Would a buyer feel risk choosing a competitor instead?

If the answer is unclear, your USPs are due for a refresh. A polished USP should feel “shiny and sparkling” — ready to impress today’s buyer.

Mini-summary:
If your USPs don’t clearly reduce risk or promise outcomes today, they need rework.

• Post-Covid competition is stronger, so USPs must prevent buyers from seeing you as replaceable.

• Effective USPs focus on buyer outcomes and risk reduction, not seller features.

• In Japan, trust, precedent, and safety framing matter more than raw facts.

• Refresh your USPs to match today’s buyer needs and decision logic.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.