If 100 people apply for a position, 15 of them make it to the shortlist, and three really match because their technical and social skills perfectly align with the job requirements, and no one is “pushed” into the process, and one of them is you—how can you win the race? You need a USP and an ESP to convince your future employer that they will benefit from hiring you. The USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is the unique feature of a product, service, or person. It makes you stand out from the rest and distinguishes you from the crowd. It is the factor that tells our rational mind—buy me! It conveys the customer benefit we need, such as safety, savings, more efficient work, increased sales, more, better, the biggest, the first, etc. Washing machines live longer with Calgon! In 1940, the then advertising guru Rosser Reeves introduced the USP and helped Eisenhower win the presidency 12 years later by marketing it like soap.
The ESP (Emotional Selling Proposition), or emotional customer benefit, ensures that we really want it. Because the Homo oeconomicus, the 100% rational customer, does not exist. It has been found that it is impossible to make purely rational decisions. Otherwise, we would have to shut down our right brain hemisphere (emotions, holistic thinking, curiosity, creativity, intuition, etc.), and thankfully no one has figured out how to do that yet. That would also be the end of “humanity.” The ESP scores with image, uniqueness, recognition by others, joy, etc. It’s not about a car to get from A to B, but because the neighbor has one too.
Before we dive into the USP & ESP = UeSP in the application process, let’s take a look behind the scenes of decision-making processes. To make a purely rational decision, we would need to research all factors and information about a product, such as news, technical insights, research results, environmental factors, prices, and more. Only then could one make a purchasing decision from a purely economic standpoint. However, 85% of our decisions are made unconsciously, so be aware of that! Our thinking consists of Fast Thinking and Slow Thinking (Book recommendation: Kahneman “Thinking, Fast and Slow”). Unconscious decisions come from Fast Thinking. When I ask you how much 1 + 1 is, you can quickly answer 2 with Fast Thinking. When I ask you how much 756 + 863 is, hmmm?, we need more and use our Slow Thinking for that. If that seems too difficult, Fast Thinking kicks in and finds an answer that seems acceptable. For example, more than 1500, which seems at first not incorrect and doesn’t make us look foolish, allowing Slow Thinking to stay asleep. Thus, Fast Thinking often prevents well-considered decisions. Who would we more likely entrust with a career, the apprentice or the student? We choose the answer that has emerged “socially” in our minds. Slow Thinking would still ask questions: what apprenticeship, what family background, diligent, how was he in school, etc.?
This exact phenomenon of slow thinking and the tendency of fast thinking to jump ahead can be leveraged. By embedding information in the USP that seems plausible to the recipient due to fast thinking, we can prevent slow thinking from even starting. It makes a big difference whether, in the application process, a lengthy period of study is quickly dismissed into the “slacker” category, or whether that long study period is used as a unique selling point. For example: 7 years of study, including 21 months of work experience and insights into customer segments ranging from ages 7 to 85. Your counterpart’s fast thinking kicks in and says, “That’s interesting,” or “That will impress the department head.” The “slacker” idea no longer has space in their mind because the new value, the USP, is more appealing and triggers a positive emotion, the ESP.
When it comes to a sustainable UeSP, it’s never about sugarcoating things but about taking a hard look at yourself and finding a real benefit for your future employer while also creating a good feeling. If you believe you genuinely bring value, then you signal to the company that they would be making a huge mistake by not choosing you. That’s your job before the job: to find a differentiation and establish it in the mind of the other person. This is a high art but a guarantee for standing out in the application process.
An example related to purchasing decisions: Imagine you go to an electronics store to buy a computer. Now imagine that no computer brand in the world had advertised or revealed its USP. Everything on display has the same information – contents, instructions, price, and that’s it. Which one would you buy? It would be nearly impossible to make a decision based solely on the contents; we would all need to be technicians to understand them. We may loudly claim that we don’t want advertising or influence, but secretly we are grateful because it simplifies our decision-making process. If no particular benefit is evident to us, we choose the cheapest price as the main criterion. Just like in the application process, if they don’t recognize any particular benefit, the price decides. If you don’t want that, you have to do something different. Find your UeSP for yourself and your future employer or client.
When we become aware of how we make our own purchasing decisions, it becomes easier to put ourselves in our customers’ shoes.
Another example for better understanding: A problem many trainers who are sole proprietors face is not being able to gain a foothold in large companies. Why is that? A human resources manager at an automotive company explained it to me: “It’s about justification security. When the sales team needs to improve their numbers, there’s a boom for training institutes. Not for individual trainers, but for the large, well-known, established training institutes. Not because they are sure to improve results, but because we, the personnel development department, want to protect ourselves. If the training doesn’t bring results, we have the all-important excuse: we chose the elite organization that the boss prefers. The small sole proprietor trainer might have delivered, but better safe than sorry. We are risk-averse, too. Even in HR, people want to keep their jobs, and unfortunately, that is sometimes more important than following their convictions.” So please, never take it personally, but understand and offer the ESP needed for a different purchasing decision.
By the way, this is what is known as very good brand building when a brand’s influence lasts longer than its actual value. The success persists beyond what is justified. Once something has worked, we tend to stick with it. It’s similar to when we approach a door labeled “pull.” On the first try, we push; the door doesn’t open. What’s the next step? No, it’s not reading the sign yet! We push again, just to be sure the door might have made a mistake! But most doors open outward. Yes, but not always!
People rely on comparison values. We want to be sure we haven’t made a wrong decision. A company that decides to hire you is buying the proverbial cat in the bag. It only becomes clear after at least six months whether you are bringing value to the company. Until then, you’ve been paid, and in the worst case, if you’re not performing satisfactorily, the money and time have been wasted. We must be aware of this: companies take a risk with every hire; they just want to minimize it. The unique selling proposition (USP) helps in the application process by suggesting a benefit to the other party. The emotional selling proposition (ESP) alleviates fear and should convey security and enthusiasm. The goal: “He or she is the right choice!”
A final UeSP example: You have severe knee problems. You urgently need a doctor. Whom do you choose? There are plenty of orthopedists. You probably want a knee specialist. What criteria do you use to search and decide? A knee specialist with a lot of surgical experience, someone who works frequently in a hospital, someone with experience in sports injuries, a high success rate, a focus on alternative medicine, recognized awards, recommendations from friends, private or insurance-covered, high empathy for patients, or a no-name doctor? The USP shapes the brand and helps with decision-making.
Complete, seamless information, including all decision alternatives at the time of purchase, is impossible. That’s the advantage of the UeSP: to present the benefits of a product simply, essentially, and emotionally—use it for your application process.
My appeal: Stop swimming in the sea of the nameless! If you remain interchangeable, the cheaper option will win. The company needs to be able to look in the mirror and be sure it made a good deal, and I don’t know if that deal would be in your best interest if you end up with the stamp: “the cheapest one!” The stamp should bear your USP and circulate within the company. Your good reputation will then precede you, the best condition for a good start.
Now we come to your USP & ESP:
Take the strengths from your SWOT analysis and complement them with extraordinary events and successes from your resume and words of praise from your environment. Which hindering points in your life need a relaunch to represent a benefit?
Example of a new UeSP:
Strength: strong implementation skills, short training period Words of praise: a personal reference letter from my former boss Successes: short study period despite illness Relaunch: doesn’t want to work as a social worker, but rather find a job in an industrial company in an assistant role
The right hand for bosses. Competencies: above-average quick adaptation to new tasks and experience in apprentice motivation and support.
Examples from practice:
Man in his late 40s, looking for a new job: Obstacle from his point of view: frequent job changes. New USP: Experienced marketing manager. Diverse industry knowledge. Can therefore tailor marketing activities precisely to different target groups.
Business student with internship experience, looking for an assistant job in the HR field: Obstacle from her point of view: no experience. New USP: 103 books on personnel development, master’s thesis on the future of personnel management in Europe. Enriches her profound practical knowledge with new theoretical insights, thus minimizing the need for seminar attendance.
Chemist, returning to work after maternity leave, is welcome at her old company: Obstacle from her point of view: 9 years away from the job, doesn’t want to have to travel abroad anymore. New USP: Experience in an international corporation with existing good relationships. Can establish a network that would hardly be possible without these “connections,” for knowledge exchange and new business relationships abroad.
Further recommendations from Doria can be found here.
