Creative Journeys: Story | Sound | Success

03 Why Your Business Needs a USP (Unique Selling Point)

• Jo Day / Lucy Rennie • Season 1 • Episode 3

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Welcome to Creative Journeys!
Hi, it’s Lucy Rennie here, and I’m joined by my fabulous co-host, Jo Day. In this episode, we’re diving into a topic that’s absolutely crucial for businesses of all shapes and sizes - the Unique Selling Point, or USP. Jo’s passion for helping businesses uncover what makes them stand out is contagious, and we’re so excited to explore this with you.

Key Takeaways:

  1. What is a USP?
    • Your USP is what makes your business stand out in a crowded market, helping customers choose you over your competitors.
    • It’s not just about what you sell, it’s about why you’re different.
  2. Why is a USP important?
    • In a competitive landscape, your USP gives customers a reason to connect with your brand. It simplifies their decision-making process and builds loyalty.
  3. Jo’s Doughnut Story:
    • A real-life example of how discovering a USP can transform your business. For Jo, it started with observing a café’s innovative doughnuts in Japan and led to refining her shop's USP around Lanzarote wine, craft beer, and Japanese whisky.
  4. How to Find Your USP:
    • Reflect on your passions and strengths.
    • Get feedback from your customers.
    • Don’t fear starting broad and narrowing down over time.
    • Focus on impact, not perfection — evolution is key!
  5. Barriers to Finding a USP:
    • Fear of being different.
    • Over-comparing yourself to competitors.
    • Trying to appeal to everyone.

Summary

Your USP is the magic ingredient that makes your business memorable and irresistible. Whether it’s a standout product, a unique customer experience, or simply your own personality shining through, your USP is what will keep your customers coming back for more. As Jo’s story illustrates, it’s not just about having a good idea; it’s about continuously listening, refining, and being bold enough to stand out.

Call to Action

  • Discover Your USP: Take some time this week to reflect on what makes your business unique. Jot down ideas, ask your customers for feedback, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
  • Join Us on Social Media: Share your USP or doughnut moment with us using the hashtag #CreativeJourneysPodcast!
  • Visit Jo’s Shop: If you’re in Lanzarote, stop by Brunchi to try a glass of Lanzarote wine, craft beer, or Japanese whisky. Check out their stunning window display for a taste of the doughnut effect in action!

Thank you for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review if you enjoyed this episode. See you next week!

We would love to hear from you, send us a text!

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Connect with Lucy Rennie:

[00:00:00] Lucy Rennie: Hi and welcome to this week's episode of Creative Journeys. I'm Lucy Rennie and I'm here with my amazing co host Jo Day. And we're going to be talking about a topic this week that I think is fundamental to all business. Large or small, whatever size. And I know that Jo in particular has got a real passion about this and helping business owners and the teams really to identify it.

[00:00:27] Lucy Rennie: And really, harness the benefits of it. So I'm going to jump right in. I think. How are you doing today, Jo? Are you all right? It's so good to be back again with you. 

[00:00:36] Jo Day: How are you doing? I'm good. I'm good. But how are you? I'm all right, thank you too. Yeah, I think there's loads 

[00:00:43] Lucy Rennie: going on as I'm sure most people all know in the world at the moment with the run up to Christmas and everything, but it's all good and it's, there's lots of sparkly lights happening, so it's all good.

[00:00:53] Lucy Rennie: Anyway, back to our conversation because I want us to deep dive straight in. So we're going to be talking about USPs, and just for the benefit of our listeners, for those people who maybe know what it is, maybe don't know at all, or maybe need a bit of a reminder. Do you want to explain a little bit what is a USP and why is it important, Jo?

[00:01:16] Jo Day: Yeah, so a USP for business essentially is your unique selling point. So that's what it stands for, unique selling point. And it's fundamentals of business of what makes you stand out in the crowd. Especially in the online space, it's very, busy and crowded. And even on the high street, 

[00:01:40] Jo Day: so it's the fundamentals of your business. What makes you stand out in a crowd? Why should people come and buy from you and work with you? Why should people procure your services or buy your products? What is it that's fundamentally different? So that could be part of, as you discussed last week, Luce, your brand and your values and how you make people feel.

[00:02:04] Jo Day: But one of the other important things is your unique selling point. So how you can stick ahead of both the parapets say, this is why I am uniquely different. So that's what I want to cover off 

[00:02:16] Lucy Rennie: today. Yeah, no, it's cool. And it's, almost like you're help, you've got to help people choose you. Over the other businesses that are doing similar things, isn't it?

[00:02:26] Lucy Rennie: Yeah, and it's, such a great topic 'cause I think it's something that we probably all know deep down, but actually in reality, there's loads of things that stop us doing it or barriers aren't there and things. I know you've got. Loads you want to say on this. So I'm just going to invite you.

[00:02:41] Lucy Rennie: I think you've got, I know you've got eight, but I'm sure between us, we're going to have more than eight, but what are the reasons? How can, how should somebody start? Maybe if they've not done it or maybe if they're thinking, Oh, I know what I'm doing. I don't really need that. What, where should people start or what is it that's stopping people from doing it?

[00:03:00] Lucy Rennie: Do you want to share a little bit? 

[00:03:02] Jo Day: First, of all, I want to give you a real life lived experience and example of what I call mastering the doughnut. And the reason I call it a doughnut will become apparent as I share this story with you. Last year, as some of you will now become familiar with, I decided last year to set up a bricks and mortar business here in Lanzarote in the marina.

[00:03:29] Jo Day: And that bricks and mortar business sells Lanzarote wine and fine spirits from around the world. So whiskeys, rums, gins, vodkas, tequila, and we also source artisan products from the island, local products from the island, but also from around the world. And it's based on our travels from Malaysia and Japan.

[00:03:52] Jo Day: And were well whilst we were in Japan when we started our vacation last October. We'd signed the lease. So the few days before we went on vacation, we signed the lease to the shop. So we knew that it was inevitable. In January, we were getting the keys to this shop. We had a business plan written and a marketing strategy.

[00:04:15] Jo Day: We didn't have a USP at this point. So whilst we were in Japan, I kept on and on at my partner saying, we need a USP. We need a USP. And explaining to him what it, what a, a unique selling point was. And on this particular day, I saw this queue of people outside this small cafe. And when I say a queue, it must have been 50 or 60 people.

[00:04:44] Jo Day: And it went round the corner. It was like, 

[00:04:47] Lucy Rennie: Telling me about it when you were, 

[00:04:48] Jo Day: yeah. Yeah. And. I was like, we need something like that. Whatever they're selling, we need that. I went and got in the queue to have a look at what is it that all of these people are queuing for in the cold. They're standing in the cold, queuing, and the queue must have taken a good 40 minutes to get to the front.

[00:05:11] Jo Day: It was a long queue. And they were actually selling doughnuts. And there was nothing particularly fancy about these doughnuts to begin with. They were a plain ring doughnut. But what was fancy and special about them was they had, you know when you go to an ice cream parlor and you can see all the ice cream scoops, all the tins that they've got, all the different flavours.

[00:05:35] Jo Day: They had all the different toppings. They were skewering a doughnut, like a ring doughnut, And asking you which two toppings you wanted. So they were dipping the doughnut in melted chocolate, then dipping it in chopped nuts. And you were getting this doughnut on a stick. A fresh doughnut and a cup of coffee.

[00:05:55] Jo Day: And the people were going wild for it, and that was their USP, because there were other coffee shops on that high street, lots of coffee shops that were selling doughnuts, that were selling cake, but what they weren't doing was dipping the doughnuts in freshly melted caramel and chocolate, or strawberry sauce, or all the things, white chocolate, it was just incredible.

[00:06:19] Jo Day: And I, was like That's the doughnut effect. That's their 

[00:06:24] Lucy Rennie: USP. 

[00:06:25] Jo Day: So they are known for dipping doughnuts. I think it might have been called dipping doughnuts actually. I was like, we need something like that for the shop. We need, what is it that people are going to come to the shop? Why are they going to come to the shop?

[00:06:39] Jo Day: We opened the shop in March and I still wasn't certain we had a USP, so I knew we were selling Lanzarote wines and spirits and we were on one of the only shops in Playa Blanca that had such a huge collection all in one place of spirits from all around the world. What the supermarkets didn't stock or anything like that, but it still felt too broad in terms of there wasn't really a US, but what the kind of was the USP was Gourmet and artisan, but for me, it was still way too broad.

[00:07:15] Jo Day: Yeah, so 

[00:07:16] Lucy Rennie: could you find some of the things that you were selling in the supermarket or in other shops as well? Yeah, 

[00:07:22] Jo Day: why should they choose you? And the bottles of wine from Lanzarote that we're selling were being sold in the restaurant next door, albeit there's a corkage charge in restaurants. Every restaurant sells Lanzarote wine, so why should people come to us?

[00:07:37] Jo Day: What makes us uniquely different? And what we discovered was, whilst every restaurant does sell the Lanzarote wine, not a single one of them sells it by the glass.

[00:07:48] Jo Day: So yeah, the restaurants sell it by the bottle, but nobody was selling it by the glass, so you had to spend 28, 30, 32, 32 euros at the airport in order to try the wine. But what if you've spent that amount of money and then you don't like it? So we, sell it by the glass. So this is the wine, the blue bottle, and everybody shares the blue bottle online because it's a lovely design.

[00:08:17] Jo Day: But when it's empty, they're also buying the lights, the cork lights to put inside the bottle and it lights up beautifully blue. 

[00:08:26] Lucy Rennie: So what 

[00:08:26] Jo Day: that's driven is our window display 

[00:08:30] Lucy Rennie: is 

[00:08:30] Jo Day: All of these bottles in wine racks, empty bottles like this with lights inside in our main window display.

[00:08:39] Jo Day: I feel like we need 

[00:08:40] Lucy Rennie: to 

[00:08:40] Jo Day: share a 

[00:08:40] Lucy Rennie: picture of your window as well afterwards on socials when we share this. Yeah, 

[00:08:44] Jo Day: I'll pop it on screen but, As you come round into the terrace, then you'll see a shelf display full of these bottles, full of these. And we're just about this week to have blue lighting, blue tube lighting.

[00:09:00] Jo Day: To compliment this blue, the Yites of Blue bottle. So this is our USP. Now, people come to us now because they have heard that Brunchi Shop sells Lanzarote wine by the glass. That's what we've become known for. As well as selling a lot of spirits and Lanzarote wine and it's a one stop shop for your holiday gifts.

[00:09:22] Jo Day: Yeah. People now know that our USP is come and have a glass of 

[00:09:27] Lucy Rennie: wine, but 

[00:09:28] Jo Day: we've also got a second USP, just to broaden it out a little bit. And I haven't got an example here with me, but Lanzarote makes an incredible amount of craft beer. So we've focused on craft beer as well, because every bar and restaurant that you go into sells tropical beer, draft.

[00:09:47] Jo Day: It's all right, it's refreshing, but it's not the best. And there are a lot of beer lovers that come over from England. 80 percent of our clientele are British tourists. 

[00:09:59] Lucy Rennie: And 

[00:10:00] Jo Day: there's a huge, following of people on apps like Untappd and Foursquare that are people who are sharing where you can get craft beer on the holidays.

[00:10:12] Jo Day: So we've tapped into that market as well. So Lanzarote Wine by the Glass, and beer. Somebody will nip in, have a glass of wine and a beer. at any time during the day and then of an evening as people decide actually quite like that bottle so they are more and more and they tend to then go from just having one glass of wine to spending the evening with us.

[00:10:34] Lucy Rennie: That's it isn't it's the hook to get them in because then you've you sell everything don't you so actually the thing that you're doughnut I don't know if they're enjoying it. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I just don't know. I don't know. Probably a lot of them when they get there think, Ooh, Lanzarote wine.

[00:10:49] Lucy Rennie: I'm not quite sure about that. So actually being able to try it by the glass is good anyway. Yeah. But then you can sell them everything, can't you? Because the hook, they're in there and they're doing it. So 

[00:10:59] Jo Day: When we were designing the shop, he wanted people to walk in and have this feeling 

[00:11:04] Lucy Rennie: of 

[00:11:06] Jo Day: nice shop.

[00:11:06] Jo Day: Love it. The wow factor, 

[00:11:08] Lucy Rennie: isn't it? Yeah. 

[00:11:10] Jo Day: Now I can tell you, everybody that comes in says, wow, what a lovely shop. When people come in, they're blown away. It's such a small space. 

[00:11:21] Lucy Rennie: We 

[00:11:22] Jo Day: have thousands of people products in the in store thousands. So unlike the traditional off license or supermarket where they'd have a row of 10 bottles of the same wine and then it goes back on the shelf.

[00:11:38] Jo Day: We have ones and twos of things with the exception of this wine. This wine and also this wine, this is the other popular one, Bermeja. So we have loads of those in store but if we've got a 30 year old bottle of rum, for example, we have One 18 year old, one 20 year old, one 25 year old, one 30 year old, and they go up in price, and they're all displayed together, but there's one bottle.

[00:12:03] Jo Day: Beyond that one bottle will be another brand of 18, 20, 25, 30. Instead of having twos, threes, fours, and fives of each product, we've got one, two, so what we've also done is created scarcity. 

[00:12:18] Jo Day: It's, quite quirky and clever how it's been created because the impact that it has when people come in is it's definitely got the wow factor and it's now got the USP which I'm really thrilled about.

[00:12:31] Jo Day: Yeah, no definitely. That's what I want to talk about why it's so important because I'll tell you now the majority of our takings now going through the till is as a result of selling Lanzarote wine by the glass. That's a fact. 

[00:12:46] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. No, I get it. Yeah. And it's been interesting seeing how that's evolved, hasn't it?

[00:12:52] Lucy Rennie: How you've been doing that. But you've, and again, I suppose the key as well is now that you've become memorable, those guys are going to go back to England and go, Oh, I've been drinking this Lanzarote wine, been sat in this bar, the blue bottles. And you've also, very clever, because I think this is the bit that we can explore as we go through with this series.

[00:13:12] Lucy Rennie: And I want people to know is that. Jo's it's, also thanks to Jo. And when she's talking about the stock and just one level and one bottle of each of these higher things, there's so much of Jo's experience and kind of operations savviness behind it. That's actually, you want to keep a light stock, don't you?

[00:13:32] Lucy Rennie: So the fact that you've only got more stock of that blue wine is cause you now you proof of it proof of concept. People are buying it, but now your hook as well is those guys are going to go back to England and they can order online, can't they? There's a website, so there's all sorts of things.

[00:13:47] Lucy Rennie: I don't know if you can order wine online yet, but they're going to go and buy all the things or share with the friends and that's the ripple effect, isn't it? 

[00:13:53] Jo Day: I'm really honest with people about lanzarote wine being delivered to the UK since Brexit, it's become cost prohibitive. We can do it, we can get it boxed up and we can get it sent to you, but is it value for money?

[00:14:05] Jo Day: Are there wines in the UK of equal value and flavour and substance that we can share with you and say, if you go to your local Waitrose, this wine is an excellent 

[00:14:18] Lucy Rennie: choice. 

[00:14:19] Jo Day: And that's 

[00:14:19] Lucy Rennie: building that loyalty then, isn't it? Because then I'm imagining a lot of your customers are going to come back each season or each year, aren't they?

[00:14:26] Lucy Rennie: And they're going to, or they're going to be sharing about it. But anyway, that's another story. I just wanted to say there's so much here that we can unpick and it's, that's what's fabulous about it. So yeah, okay, so if we're going to deep dive down into how to find our donut, what do we need to think about, what are the things maybe that are stopping us, or what, how, where do you want to start, Jo?

[00:14:47] Jo Day: I want to start with The fear of being different. And a lot of people in business associate being different with risk.

[00:14:58] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. 

[00:15:00] Jo Day: There is that fear of being seen, and if you're different, people won't like me. There's, the risk of involved in being different and not following not following the crowd. Standing out from the crowd often will invite scrutiny from people. There's that fear of rejection that you might experience. Judgments from other people. Trolling online, people judging why have you done this, or that people basically judging you without even knowing you, and can, and total strangers.

[00:15:35] Jo Day: So once you stick your head above the parapet, You, are open to, that. So I think fear of being different and subjected to judgment and different people like this. And I think that could stop people. Oh, I think that's, 

[00:15:50] Lucy Rennie: yeah, that's a whole other episode as well. Cause I think it starts right back in childhood, doesn't it?

[00:15:54] Lucy Rennie: I know even like Ellia, it's that being a bit. Quirky and not being like everybody else in the class and it's also maybe again another topic but that imposter syndrome of who am I to be doing this or who am I to be saying this and So that 

[00:16:11] Jo Day: brings me to point number two which is overwhelmed comparison 

[00:16:15] Lucy Rennie: which is 

[00:16:16] Jo Day: what you've just touched on there so I don't know if you want to share the, who am I to be doing this?

[00:16:22] Jo Day: So I would say point number two, why people don't find their USP , they get overwhelmed by comparing themselves to their peers and competitors. And that fear of being found out, that imposter syndrome. 

[00:16:39] Lucy Rennie: Yeah, I think there's so much with this, and if I'm honest, I think it's taken me 46 years to really own who I am and part of this, and be okay to go, yeah, this is my story, this is who I am, but I think there's a lot of fear that comes from Are we going to get called out?

[00:16:55] Lucy Rennie: Who am I to say what I'm talking about? Maybe, being, owning the fact that maybe we have got experience or expertise in this. And also, I think there's something you're touching on is, that comparison in the sense of we compare ourselves to somebody else's journey and we don't know where they are in their journey.

[00:17:15] Lucy Rennie: For all we know, they might've been doing this for 30 years and we've just started or vice versa or everybody, I think that's the point, isn't it? That everybody's got a different story. I think one of the things that helps me now is to as long as I'm talking about my experience and my DNA and my bricks and how I've lived and experienced something.

[00:17:36] Lucy Rennie: Nobody can question that because that's my experience. As long as I'm not I think when it, for me, the imposter syndrome maybe comes up when maybe we're doing something a bit different or a bit, maybe something that we've, we're not necessarily a hundred percent confident in our ability to do it.

[00:17:54] Lucy Rennie: So I'm going off piste a little bit. So I'm going to bring it back to the, what you're talking about. But I think that fear of putting yourself out there and that visibility and standing out in that side is really. Really tricky, isn't it? 

[00:18:05] Jo Day: I think one of the, one of the things, the problems that happen as well, when we have this over comparison, where we're looking at peers and competitors, we end up mimicking their behavior and we end up mimicking what they're doing.

[00:18:18] Jo Day: Oh, they're doing it. I should do it. And just because they're doing it doesn't mean that you should. And this, has happened predominantly through a lot through people, what people have been taught in coaching, programs. This is how you should do X, Y, and Z. And as I said in, I think it was episode one where your, own skin be authentically you.

[00:18:43] Lucy Rennie: I've got the best example of this. 

[00:18:45] Lucy Rennie: And I think it's funny because I think you're right in the online world. There's so much where it's like this model, isn't it?

[00:18:49] Lucy Rennie: Everybody's trying to do. And so it actually, you could pick up anybody's sales page or anybody's a lot of them and it reads the same, doesn't it? Or and I think you can, I don't think that's necessarily just a way of picking on the online world, but I think it applies to other industries. I've got clients again, who, They're all saying the same things, whether it's insurance or translation or manufacturing.

[00:19:11] Lucy Rennie: And so encouraging them to actually, what is it that makes them different? But it was interesting because I was doing, I had a bit of a Star Wars moment the other night. So I was building our sales page for our program that we're putting together for next year, the Future Proof program. And as I was sitting there, I was, I got all my stuff and I was like I'm doing my sales thing.

[00:19:30] Lucy Rennie: And I'm, I don't really do sales. You know me, I'm a bit naff at that and it's not really my thing. I was trying to think, oh yeah, I've got to do it in this format and blah blah, and then you know what? You know that moment in Star Wars when Luke, right at the end with the Rebel the Rebellion, and the Rebels, they're gonna blow up the Death Star.

[00:19:49] Lucy Rennie: They found the weak spot and he's in that sort of channel thing, isn't he? And he's got his thing, and he's got Darth Vader shooting him behind him, and he's got his visor, and he's ugh. And then Obi Wan comes on his shoulder and goes, Luke, feel the force, use the force. And he has a moment, and then he switches his visor off, and everybody in the background in the Millennium Falcon at the base are all going, Luke what's wrong?

[00:20:10] Lucy Rennie: And no he's, just actually tapping into him and his energy and what he's got to do. And I genuinely had that moment. I was just like, sod that. That's not who I am. And I just told the story of who we are and how we're going to do it. And it just changed the whole energy and the whole vibe of what we're talking about.

[00:20:28] Lucy Rennie: So that was tapping into 

[00:20:31] Jo Day: what I'm doing. It's interesting. It's language. One of the things that you've said then was, I'm no good at sales. You're actually brilliant at sales, but no good at sales how somebody else has done it, how your peers or how other people do sales, but you're brilliant at sales at how Lucy does sales.

[00:20:54] Lucy Rennie: That's 

[00:20:54] Jo Day: the difference. Yeah. And it's 

[00:20:57] Lucy Rennie: authentic though, isn't it? But you've got to be you to be able to do it. And I think it's, and again, it's so hard to be you and own yourself. I think Dolly Parton says it, don't you? Be, find out who you are and do it on purpose or something. Yeah. But that's when the magic happens, when you can be you, because that's when you attract your people.

[00:21:17] Lucy Rennie: You go into even just Star Wars, there's going to be someone out there guys. God, she's a Star Wars fan, or all those going, oh God, . And 

[00:21:24] Jo Day: that's so cool. So I don't think we're gonna get through all eight points. I wanna bring in the time, but this one I think is really important. So the desire to appeal to everybody.

[00:21:38] Jo Day: Yeah. And that's where, what the spectrum is this wide. And we re you'll hear, people saying about niching down or Nick. Nichin, however. Nichin. Nichin, as they say across the ocean. Yeah, I say niche. Niche. Yeah, I do too. I think it's really important that USP and niche are pretty much hand in hand.

[00:22:05] Jo Day: They're not the same thing. Yeah. But you need to really find who you're speaking to, who you're speaking to, who do you want to appeal to. Your USP is what are you selling, I think, and where, and I think the niche is why and who to. Yeah, and I think because people know so much and can do so much, and I'm guilty of this in the past, Of I can do this and I can do, that that why, not just showcase everything but then it dilutes the message jack of all trades mastery not, and I 

[00:22:44] Lucy Rennie: think that's, going in your shop and going, oh, I don't know what to have to drink tonight.

[00:22:48] Lucy Rennie: And there's all of it. Whereas you are going here and have a glass of Lanzarote wine. 

[00:22:53] Jo Day: Yeah, so when I go outside to people and they've come to sit down and have a drink, I'll say, if you fancy a beer tonight, the easiest thing for you to do is go and take a look in the fridge because we've got a huge selection.

[00:23:08] Jo Day: The husband's partner gets up and goes and looks in the fridge and wife, girlfriend, partner generally says, can I have a glass of that blue wine? And then I narrow it down for them. Would you like dry white wine or would you like rosé or would you like red? Oh, 

[00:23:27] Lucy Rennie: it's so good. And I've just written down cause I've I'm like, I forget things, but I write them down.

[00:23:32] Lucy Rennie: But it's, we're actually helping people make the decision to choose You over somebody else, but also because we've all got decision fatigue, haven't we? So if we've got to try, if it's when it's hard, it's because actually they're all the same and they're all looking. So it's like, how do you choose? So actually we're making it really easy for our customers to pick us.

[00:23:54] Lucy Rennie: By showcasing what it is that's different or what it is that that we're, we want to, what is whatever our USP is. And I think the other side of it, I think there's so much we can talk about in terms of the niching and the finding the right people, because it does all click into place, doesn't it?

[00:24:11] Lucy Rennie: Those three things come together once you've worked out who it is. And I think, you're right. As business owners, very often we're scared to niche because we think we're cutting off half the population and that no, we're not going to be enough to buy from us. But it's a bit like if you've got a problem, maybe you've got a poorly brain or you've got a poorly, whatever it might be, you want the expert, don't you?

[00:24:36] Lucy Rennie: You want the brain surgeon who has just done that for the last 30 years to help you and make you better rather than the generalist who's done a bit of this, a bit of foot, feet, a bit we want that specialist, don't we? So it really ties in. 

[00:24:51] Jo Day: Yeah. In the consultancy world, when I, as a business management consultant, I've never chased getting more work.

[00:25:02] Jo Day: The honesty has always been there. And that's carried over with me into the shop. So people come in and they'll say, what's your best wine? I want to buy a gift. I want to buy, what's the best wine? And then I'll lead with some questions of who is it for? Do they know wine? Or do they just, Like wine now and again, if they had a 20 Euro bottle of wine or a 250 Euro bottle of wine.

[00:25:32] Jo Day: Yeah. Would they be able to 

[00:25:34] Lucy Rennie: predictive, 

[00:25:34] Jo Day: know the difference in a taste test? Or I think. And the other question is, you're asking what's the best, usually prices relative to quality, in this case, in the wine, and the age, so that's particularly in whiskeys and rums, the older it is, the more expensive it is.

[00:25:57] Jo Day: So then you say what's your budget? If

[00:26:00] Lucy Rennie: your 

[00:26:00] Jo Day: budget's 25 euros, I'll say this is the best of the 25 euros range. But if, do you know what I mean? I can, you can sell them a hundred euro bottle of wine, but actually if all they need is a 20 euro bottle of wine, they'll thank you for that.

[00:26:17] Lucy Rennie: Yes. And that comes on to another topic that we'll talk about another day, isn't it? About actually real value and actually of being of service and genuine and really helping people and not just, yeah, I agree. Amazing. 

[00:26:30] Jo Day: So how do we overcome the barriers of, not creating a USP and not going out there and looking for 

[00:26:39] Lucy Rennie: one?

[00:26:41] Jo Day: That's what we need to answer. So I think we need to take time to reflect on. Our passions, find our doughnuts. That's on the inside, don't it? Yeah. Yeah. What are you passionate about? What can you show up? And tummy flip. What gives you the tummy flips that you can, when you speak, you smile. What is going to make you stand out?

[00:27:07] Jo Day: And it's an exercise that you need to really do. I went from signing that lease last September, not knowing what our USP was, and searched for it and I think we found our USP in April. We've been open for about three or four weeks but I was constantly looking. What is it? And that's 

[00:27:29] Lucy Rennie: the thing isn't it?

[00:27:31] Lucy Rennie: It can evolve. It doesn't have to be set in stone. You can, it can grow with you can't it? As you, as your business grows and evolves like yours has. So yeah, I think, I'm with you. I think it starts with you on the inside because it's like Simon Sinek saying, people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

[00:27:50] Lucy Rennie: So that passion of celebrating Lanzarote wine or doing what you do, but then also it's a bit like having a conversation. I know that's what I was talking about on the sales page that I did about us the other day, but we hit it off, didn't we? Straight away. We found there was loads of connections.

[00:28:05] Lucy Rennie: We had like similar. backgrounds or similar viewpoints that made us resonate with each other and made us want to continue that conversation. But that doesn't happen with everybody and that's okay too. And it's a bit like that with your business. It's what is it that's going to connect with the people that you want to connect with and how can we accentuate and get that out there and talk more about it?

[00:28:27] Lucy Rennie: And then that feeds into everything, doesn't it? Into your comms and your marketing and everything. But, Yeah. What's your DNA? What are your Lego bricks? What is it that makes you different to the guy down the road or the same person doing the same thing? 

[00:28:42] Jo Day: And I think asking your customers as well, asking your existing audience.

[00:28:46] Jo Day: For feedback, that's really important as well because we can come up with what we think, but if that isn't what they want to buy or what they need, we won't you've got to get the two ends of the magnets wanting to stick together they can't be pulled apart. So it's really important to get that customer feedback as well.

[00:29:08] Lucy Rennie: And I think the last bit I'd say as well is it doesn't have to be super sparkly, as in it might just be. Sometimes I've worked with businesses where They're in engineering or they're in manufacturing. So there's not necessarily an amazing Lanzarote blue bottle to share with lights in that you can put in afterwards, but the fact, some of them, the fact that they just talk about the fact that they're ISO accredited or that they've got this certification or they've got been going for 60 years, it doesn't have to be like amazing out of the ordinary things sometimes just by saying it and sharing it, communicating it, If the others aren't talking about it, then you're already standing out and people are going to go with that.

[00:29:46] Lucy Rennie: So it doesn't have to be rocket science, it's just actually showcasing who you are and what you do best and why this should come to you. 

[00:29:53] Jo Day: And I think as well, and this is really important, it's an evolution process as well. So when we got our USP, it was Yaiza of Wine. Now there's five different kinds of Yaiza Wine, but what we've noticed is, Not many people drink the Afrutado, which is fruity sweet wine, and they don't drink semi-dulce, which is sweet.

[00:30:16] Jo Day: So if we opened a bottle of that wine for them 

[00:30:20] Jo Day: It has to be used up within three days. It's oxygenated. So we were getting wastage on wine. Which is a cost, isn't it? It's a cost. So that was a, an operating cost of wastage that. It didn't get wasted because I took it home and I drank it myself, but it was wasted all the same from a business point of view.

[00:30:41] Jo Day: So now we've niched it to, we open the red, people drink the red wine, and we will open the rosé and the white, the Seco, the dry white wine. So there's two that we've knocked off the list. It's gone from five. We're now rosé, white or red. Narrow, right? Even narrower. Yeah. With what we've replaced. it with as well is because people were asking for it is we have a selection, a range of Japanese whiskey.

[00:31:13] Jo Day: I've never tried Japanese whiskey. I'd love to try that but I'm not sure if I like it. But people stand staring at the whiskey. So now we've opened a bottle of whiskey from Japan and we're offering shots of whiskey and that's another USP. So now we've got whiskey, craft beer and Yaiza of wine, Lanzarote wine, but we narrow the USP.

[00:31:36] Jo Day: So what the point I want to make is don't be afraid to pivot. Don't be afraid to even niche your USP down even more. to find that sweet spot and you will find the sweet spot and that's a USP but then you can, so I'm telling you now I've got three USPs in my business that we're known for. Japanese whiskey that you can come and try, Lanzarote wine and craft beer.

[00:32:02] Jo Day: It's really niched down and I'm sure we'll probably have another one or two over time as the customers get to know us. 

[00:32:11] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. I was just going to add one more thing that I think is your USP in that shop and that's you. Because I think people come in and they'll want that expertise or they'll want you to guide them on what it is.

[00:32:21] Lucy Rennie: But also it's you and it's Jo from Stoke and it's all the character that you, bring in and you do. 

[00:32:29] Jo Day: You 

[00:32:30] Jo Day: know 

[00:32:30] Jo Day: what, Lucy, it's just, it cracks me up because people come in and I'm just there behind the counter and I smile and I'll say, everybody is, they walk in the shop, especially British people, it really, it makes me laugh because they all go, Hola!

[00:32:46] Jo Day: They want to say hello in Spanish, so I say hola back, and then I hear them chatting, and they're from Bolton.

[00:32:53] Jo Day: Or Manchester, or down south in London, or wherever, and then they speak to me in broken English. I'm not sure if that ever works, that no matter how slow and broken you make your English. That's another topic for another day. And then I'll go, yeah I can help you with that if you want. I'll be like, I've had people on in the shop and this is just me.

[00:33:18] Jo Day: So where are you from? I'm like, Stoke on Trent. Oh, I'm just from and it's a Talking points. Absolutely. I knew that Stoke on Trent was such a big talking point. Absolutely. I had this family the other, night, and there was about eight of them in the family, and they said, Wow, that's not a very Spanish, accent.

[00:33:39] Jo Day: But my English is that good. I said, Somebody from Stoke on Trent taught me. Have I got the accent? And they were convinced that I was Spanish, but had a Stoke on Trent accent because my English teacher taught me in a Stoke y accent. Hilarious. The last point I want to say is focus on impact, not perfection, and I've touched on this before in all different guises.

[00:34:08] Jo Day: Imperfectly Perfect. 

[00:34:11] Lucy Rennie: Ing 

[00:34:12] Jo Day: and reinforcing 

[00:34:13] Lucy Rennie: that is just as you told that story about you being you and having that joy of connecting your eyes. I dunno if everyone else who's, if you're watching this, can see how Joe's face lit up at the that joy of connecting with people that, and people will come back because they'll be like, oh no, I'm not going there.

[00:34:29] Lucy Rennie: I wanna go and see that last from Stokes. She was, all right, laugh or, you know what, I'm not. It's that, isn't it? It's 

[00:34:35] Jo Day: brilliant. Yeah. But while I'm there, people are like. They ask if it's your business, how long have you lived here? Some of the questions they get asked are just hilarious. Do you live here?

[00:34:47] Jo Day: No, I fly in every day. Oh my God! It's just amazing. But when we get chatting, when that connection's been made, and it's usually because of Stoke on Trent or because I'm English, and they're so relieved that it's somebody who's English and they can communicate with them. , then the connections then, and they come back night after night, every night and afternoon are the holidays they come back 

[00:35:12] Lucy Rennie: For, 

[00:35:12] Jo Day: drink on the 

[00:35:13] Lucy Rennie: day.

[00:35:13] Lucy Rennie: And you could, like you say, coming back to how you wanna close it, but that's actually the impact of that on your business is tenfold, isn't it? If not more. Yeah. Because actually what you're doing is creating loyalty and, everything else that comes with it and repeat business and. And, everything.

[00:35:31] Lucy Rennie: And it leads me into I think we need to do as a future episode is talk about actually how every brand deserves a face because what you're doing is giving a face to you, aren't you, and being that person behind the brand. So yeah. Okay. What's the takeaway for people? Is there something that you want people to think about, to do, to What can they do

[00:35:53] Jo Day: today in their business?

[00:35:55] Lucy Rennie: Just 

[00:35:56] Jo Day: a real quick exercise of write down what it is that you're selling in your business. And what is unique about it? Who are your competitors? What are your competitors doing? Like, I did with the donut shop and I was like We need that. Now, we're right next door, we're near to a supermarket, we are surrounded by restaurants that all, like a lot of people would go, you are crazy.

[00:36:22] Jo Day: How do you expect to sell wine and spirits slap bang in the middle of a marina full of restaurants that can sell food with the bottle of wine? They can have a nice meal we can't, serve food. And what's stopping the person from going down to the supermarket down the road and buying wine from there or, so you've gotta find that USP and be bold and strong enough to, say hello, I'm different and own it.

[00:36:53] Jo Day: But really, look at the packages that you're offering. Look at what you're doing and why you're doing it. 

[00:37:01] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. 

[00:37:01] Jo Day: Where you showing up? And. What is you, if you don't know your USP, your customers won't know your USP either. 

[00:37:10] Lucy Rennie: And it's, yeah, it's funny 'cause I was gonna say as well, you said it before about asking your customers in the sense of why do they come to you?

[00:37:17] Lucy Rennie: Yeah. So if they have come back, sometimes they can tell you why and it'll be something that you are really not expecting , but there's a reason why they, might do that. Yeah. So it's that research, isn't it? I think that's the bit that you are saying is, actually do it properly and, Think about it.

[00:37:32] Lucy Rennie: And 

[00:37:33] Jo Day: in Six Sigma and DMAIC, we call it the voice of the customer. And that is really, important. When you're looking at creating anything, you have to go and get the voice of the customer. What, if there's a problem in your business, go and ask your customer, why, what's creating the problem? What solution do they need?

[00:37:55] Jo Day: If you're designing a program or a course. You might design something that you think, this is fantastic, it's all my knowledge, all my experience, but it's not actually what the customer wants or needs. So you've got to, you've got to seek the voice of the customer. 

[00:38:12] Lucy Rennie: said at one point as well and be not be afraid to pivot.

[00:38:16] Lucy Rennie: I think that's the thing, isn't it? It's listening and actually implementing what you're hearing or doing. And 

[00:38:22] Jo Day: I think there's a whole podcast on business planning because that's a strong point. So before I even signed a lease, yeah, we did the we did a whole business plan, That the structure was there, written business.

[00:38:35] Jo Day: In fact, Lucy, I sent it to you. I know you did. I know you did. 

[00:38:38] Lucy Rennie: Yeah, I do think there's definitely stuff there that it's that viability, isn't it? And thinking about. And like we're doing next year, it's that running the beta or trying things out and testing it and getting feedback and tweaking it and listening.

[00:38:52] Lucy Rennie: So yeah, I think there's, Yeah. Sorry, just to finish, what did you have, what topping did you have on your doughnut? I've been dying to ask you all day. I 

[00:39:02] Jo Day: have milk chocolate and walnut. 

[00:39:05] Lucy Rennie: oh, very nice. Brilliant. Thank you, Jo. Thank you so much. And yeah, I think we'll pop any links or anything, especially to Brunchi the shop, go and have a look at the website and you'll pop some links on as well, won't you, with some photos and stuff for us to have a look and check out.

[00:39:22] Lucy Rennie: Can we do that? 

[00:39:23] Jo Day: Or go and find us on social. I'll tell you what, I'll pop on the Google profile because there's a ton of photos on the Google profile. Yeah. That's another episode of using Google to get your business visible. Yeah. Definitely. We'll leave it there for this one then. Bye for now. Bye for now. See you next week.

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