USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) don’t work anymore. Why not? Because they’re about selling. They’re not about building relationships with clients who might want to pay for your services – for you to solve an issue they’re facing.

When you combine this with the fact that there’s nothing ‘unique’ about most of the Unique Selling Propositions that many people try to use, you can see that they no longer work. We need something else to help us to stand out in business. We need another way to rise up above our competitors.

Having started researching better ways for businesses to stand out, way back in 2015, my new book, all about the StandOut Strategies, will be published in October 2024. I’m still collecting examples of businesses brilliantly using each of the strategies and I’ll keep bringing you different strategies here. This time, number two – Connection!

The second StandOut Strategy, Connection, is about connecting your clients to the people they need to meet. It’s about bringing people together and creating a sense of belonging for them. Clients work with your business because they know that you help them find the resources they need. Your business fosters collaboration and harmony. Your clients want to feel part of something bigger, when they work with your business.

Many years ago, I was a member of a peer group called MD2MD (other masterminding and peer groups are available!) Every month I met with a group of other business owners. We usually spent the morning learning something new or brushing up specific business skills. Many great speakers came to talk to us, some of whom I’m still in touch with. After lunch we would spend time working on each other’s challenges. There was a real sense of camaraderie; it was a safe space in which we could all be open about the issues our businesses were facing. It was the place where, every month, we could be honest and where we could be sure of finding the support that each of us needed.

I had the utmost respect for the professional speakers who came to share their knowledge and expertise with us. I learnt a great deal from the other members, too. They frequently helped me to solve the ‘issue of the month’ or put me in touch with someone who could help me. There was always a sense belonging to the group.

A week before sitting down to write this issue of Scribbles, as I was looking for great examples of Connection to write about, I was recommended to the current boss of MD2MD (Emma), by the person who ran it when I was a member (Bob.) As we chatted about where Emma’s business is now, I realised that MD2MD a great example of the StandOut Strategy Connection. Her members join because they’re looking for support from business friendships and relationships. They stay because of the connections they make – not just in the room, but beyond the members. You could say that they come to grow their business and they stay for the people. This is something I hear all the time from ‘Connection’ businesses.

If you want to try out MD2MD for yourself, along with some serious Connection, you might like to attend Leaderfest. This is their annual conference and this year, it’s on 15 October 2024 in Reading, in the UK. I’ll be there, so do come along, say hello and see how MD2MD can connect you to the people you need to know.

If you’re not sure if Connection is the best StandOut Strategy for your business, Take the Test on my website. I’ll send you a report that shows exactly which strategy is the best one for your business, and how to use it in your marketing.