Quaker A-Z: U is for Unique

Unique Selling Proposition / Unique Selling Point / USPThis post is part of the Quaker Alphabet Project – click here for more information.

U is for Unique Selling Point

It is unlikely that your building is the only venue in your area. I remember having a discussion with the warden at Bridport who commented that their small village had a plethora of places to hire rooms – all competing against each other. But this can happen in larger towns and cities too – and small differences can mean the difference between someone choosing your venue over another.

The first and possibly most obvious Unique Selling Point or USP is that the venue is a Quaker Meeting House and any profits go to support Quaker work. However, unless you are a Quaker you may not know much about Quakers or care about this work.

Instead, each building needs to think about what they can offer that means the hirer will want to come to their venue compared to another. Once you’ve thought of your list ensure you publicise it.

If you rang a hotel to ask for a room and were told, “£50” and then rang another and were told, “Our standard rate is £50 per night and includes use of the pool, free wi-fi, complimentary breakfast and parking.”

Which would you go for?

The first hotel may well have offered all of that too but they didn’t spell it out so their potential customers may go somewhere else.

Friends House Hospitality on their venue site (not quaker.org.uk) include their tag line:

“With us, events don’t cost the earth.”

and have another statement pointing out that this is a Quaker building (if you didn’t know Friends referred to Quaker)

“As a Quaker concern, the facilities provided are both of high quality and honestly priced. The welcome is always warm and friendly.”

Perhaps your budget doesn’t go to a slick website or brochure? Bridport didn’t – but what they did have was a Warden who was willing to go that extra bit to give advice and help to the groups that chose the Meeting House to ensure that they continued to flourish and use the building. Word of mouth is after all the best marketing there is.

To browse through all of the posts click on the Quaker A-Z link here or in the side bar.

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