I Don’t Believe in the “Unique Selling Proposition” for Service-Based Organizations (Here’s What to Do Instead)

If you're building a business or nonprofit, or perhaps exploring a rebrand, you're likely grappling with where to invest your time and resources. My experience in organizational leadership has led me to question the almost dogmatic status of the "Unique Selling Proposition," or USP. With attention spans seemingly shortening, we've been told to uncover that singular, distinctive quality that sets us apart, distill it to its most concise form, proclaim it, and, hopefully, watch our enterprise flourish. But in my experience, the single-point, ultra-condensed elevator pitch that defines the USP just falls short.

I think we intrinsically understand this. Think of your own personal identity. Could you distill who you are into a single sentence? A single job title, a single hobby, or even a single defining characteristic? It feels reductive and just wrong? You might be a parent, a professional, a friend, a volunteer, someone who loves to read, or someone with a particular sense of humor. These individual traits, while part of you, don't fully capture the complexity of who you are, which includes your history, your relationships, your values, your aspirations and much, much more. Just like a person, an organization's identity is far richer and more intricate than any one sentence can convey.

As a pastor, I found myself leading an organization within a sea of superficially similar ones. Every church of a particular size range seemed to offer comparable "features": a place to pray, worship, and participate in community activities. The scale of those activities grow as a church grows, but having a children's ministry doesn't truly differentiate you when literally every other church your size offers one, too. So, what genuinely sets one apart? It's the intangible elements: the ethos, the deeply held beliefs and values, the particular tone of communication, the quality of its teaching or preaching, and the intricate systems put in place to provide care and connection. These kinds of intangibles are what really set one organization apart from another in the same sector. They certainly can't be distilled into a single slogan or a bullet-point USP. This realization deeply shaped my perspective, leading me to believe that for many organizations, a rigid focus on a "unique" selling proposition can often be a significant misdirection, leading to frustration, misspent energy, and an inability to truly connect with the very people you aim to serve.

Most "Unique" Claims Are Reductive, Not Revealing

Be honest: when you reflect on what makes your organization special, what comes to mind? Is it "unparalleled client service"? "Exceptional quality"? "Innovative solutions"? Or perhaps, if you've been fortunate enough to receive recognition, "award-winning expertise"?

The uncomfortable truth is that many of these claims, while undoubtedly valuable and even fundamental to operating a good business, are not, in fact, unique in the broader marketplace. They represent aspirations, or simply the expected baseline for entry into a competitive field. Every successful enterprise strives for excellent service and high-quality offerings. And unless your accolades are truly globally recognized, "award-winning" might not be the singular differentiator you hope it is. When every competitor voices similar assertions, your "unique" statement can easily become part of the general noise. This challenge is universal, whether you're a burgeoning creative studio, an established non-profit, or a specialized consultancy. Genericization happens in every field; even within creative industries, there are many talented artists and creators “chic," "sustainable," or "modern." While these descriptors are accurate, they aren't uniquely owned.

This limitation mirrors concepts in trademark and copyright law: you can typically only trademark a finished product, not the process. For service businesses, where the "product" is often a process or an experience, the inability to legally "own" a descriptor or a process makes the traditional USP even more tenuous. Trying to capture the essence of an organization in a single, "unique" sentence is as reductive as trying to capture a person's entire identity in one defining statement.

Many platforms, especially those giving branding advice alongside their primary service to those starting a business (like Hubspot or Shopify) further popularize the USP idea, but their recommendations are rather generic. They might, for instance, suggest a "sturdy boxes in 24 hours" USP. While the speed element is specific, "sturdy boxes" is a claim almost any box manufacturer would make. Or they might list "The World's Strongest Coffee" or "Natural and Effective Deodorant" as USPs. While these are appealing product attributes, the reality is that many coffee brands claim strength, and countless deodorants tout natural effectiveness. The implied uniqueness often relies on a degree or specific ingredient that isn't truly exclusive or a fundamental differentiator of the business model itself. And someone else might eventually grab that superlative out from under your brand.

Slogans Aren't USPs, And Don't Tell the Full Story

This inherent difficulty in pinpointing a genuinely unique difference often prompts a different kind of compensation: the adoption of overly grand language or vague, unhelpful metaphors. Even more commonly, what popularizers of marketing advice often point to as "great USPs" are, in reality, just slogans or catchy headlines. They typically combine an organization's name with what they do, often in a pithy way. But if you strip away the organization's name, you're frequently left with a generic service that could apply to any number of competitors.

For example, Geico's famous "15 Minutes Could Save You 15% or More on Car Insurance” is a brilliant, benefit-driven slogan and a promise of efficiency, but it isn't a deep dive into what fundamentally makes Geico's underlying operations unique in a way that couldn't theoretically be mimicked. Someone could come along and say “in 15 minutes I can save you 30% or more.” Similarly, phrases like Shopify's "Making commerce better for everyone" or Canva's "Design anything. Empower everyone," while powerful, function more as broad mission statements or taglines.

A slogan, by its nature, is a pithy expression. It doesn't even rise to the level of a true USP. Instead, a well-crafted slogan is a concise combination of an organization's distinct tone or voice—the personality of the brand—and its brand promise. It's one outward expression of a much larger, more comprehensive brand architecture (which I’ll get to in a bit). When we confuse a slogan for a USP, we're mistaking a memorable phrase for the entirety of a person's character, or, in this case, a brand's identity. This reliance on a short, un-unique statement, rather than clarifying your value, will often just confuse potential clients. They hear something that seems important but struggle to grasp its concrete benefit. This ambiguity acts as a barrier, hindering your message from truly resonating and engaging those you wish to serve.

In a Sea of Sameness, USPs Lead to Commodification

Because these "Unique Selling Propositions" are rarely as singularly unique as we'd like them to be, an over-reliance on them can paradoxically lead to the commodification of your organization. The very tool intended to set your business apart can, ironically, cause it to blend in.

Consider it this way: if every professional service firm claims to be "client-centric" and "results-driven," then being "client-centric" and "results-driven" doesn't make any single firm distinct. Instead, these claims become the minimum expectation to even be considered. Your prospective clients may then perceive you as simply another option among many similar-sounding choices, leading them to base their decisions primarily on factors like price or immediate availability, rather than the profound value you truly offer. Just as attempting to define a person by one common trait makes them indistinguishable from others, relying solely on a generic USP makes your organization blend into the background. This undermines the very essence of building a strong, enduring brand, especially for service-based organizations and nonprofits where relationships and nuanced value are paramount.

The More Effective Path: A Robust Brand Architecture

So, if chasing the elusive "Unique Selling Proposition" isn't the most fruitful approach, what is? I've found that a more effective and authentic path lies in developing a robust brand architecture. This isn't about isolating one solitary point of difference. It's about meticulously constructing a comprehensive identity where the synergy of its various components creates something genuinely distinctive and compelling. Think of it like building a fully realized person, layer by layer, rather than just choosing a single descriptive label.

Focus on a Strong, Consistent Brand Promise

At the heart of every thriving organization is a fundamental promise—what it consistently delivers to its clients and stakeholders. This promise doesn't need to be something no one else could ever articulate. What truly matters is that you commit to it with unwavering conviction, embody it in every interaction, and deliver on it with meticulous care and attention to detail.

Take Tom's Shoes as an example. Many perceive their "one-for-one" model (donating a pair of shoes for every pair bought) as their USP. But their core brand promise goes deeper: they empower shoe purchasers to do social good. The 1-for-1 model is just one mechanism (though a truly brilliant one) or feature, that fulfills that promise. Tom's could, theoretically, change how they facilitate social good and still uphold their core promise, maintaining their brand identity because the promise itself is what truly resonates. And in fact, they embody their promise in many other dimensions of their business. This commitment to an underlying purpose, consistently delivered, is what builds authentic connection. It becomes the dependable foundation upon which all your client relationships and strategic initiatives are built, much like a person's character is built on consistent actions that align with their core values.

Cultivate a Complete Brand, Not Just a Slogan

Many leaders hear "complete brand architecture" and immediately imagine a massive, time-consuming, and prohibitively expensive undertaking. That is simply not the case. A comprehensive brand isn't a sprawling tome of theoretical concepts; it's a living, guiding framework that informs every facet of your operations. It's the complete narrative of who you are, what you do, and why it matters—just like the rich story that makes up a person's life.

I recall a workshop where a brand consultant guided my organization through the process of building a robust brand architecture. After just two days, the entire "product"—all the foundational elements, the guiding principles, the core visual identity—ultimately fit on a single page of outlined notes. It wasn't about endless, abstract discussions. It was about precisely defining the essential elements of the organization, but in multiple aspects: its fundamental values, its authentic voice, and its profound purpose. This comprehensive approach encompasses everything from your visual identity to your underlying strategic narrative and how you engage with clients. It's about truly understanding who you are, who you serve, and how you communicate that with clarity and impact.

Let Your Entire Brand Architecture Differentiate You

Your genuine distinction in the marketplace won't spring from a singular, often unprovable, "unique" claim. It will emerge from the cohesive, thoughtful integration of every element of your brand experience. It's the particular way you onboard new clients, the consistent, empathetic tone of your communications, the meticulous quality of your deliverables, and the unmistakable integrity that permeates all your interactions.

When every word is chosen with care, when your actions consistently align with your promise, and when your entire brand experience is curated with an eye for detail and genuine human connection, that is where true differentiation lies. It's not about being "unique" in isolation; it's about being distinctly you in a way that resonates deeply and authentically with your ideal clients. This holistic approach, like the full, rich identity of a person, is what transforms a good business into a truly memorable and indispensable partner, especially for service-based businesses like creatives and consultancies.

A USP or a well-crafted slogan can certainly have a place within this larger framework. It can serve as an icon or a memorable shorthand for your brand, one among many expressions of your carefully constructed identity. Think again of Tom's Shoes: their "one-for-one" model, often cited as their USP, is actually a powerful icon of their brand. It represents their promise to do good, but promise itself is deeper and runs across all their operations, including their environmental policy. The consistent delivery on the promise through all their brand elements truly defines them. Without the robust foundation, even the cleverest slogan or a compelling feature is just an empty phrase.

Are you ready to move beyond generic claims and cultivate a brand identity that genuinely resonates with your ideal clients? Let's talk about how a robust brand architecture can transform your organization.