The “USPs” I’m Begging Industrial Businesses to Retire

I’m going to hold your hand when I say this.

Most industrial businesses haven’t put enough thought into their USPs.

And honestly? It’s killing your marketing efforts before they even get off the ground.

What Even is a USP?

For those who need a quick refresher, USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition. It’s the thing (or ideally, things) that differentiate your brand, product, or service offering from your competitors.

Your USP is the answer to the question: Why should your ideal customers choose you over everyone else?

And if you can’t answer that question with something specific and compelling, neither can your copywriter. They’re not magicians. They can’t spin gold out of “we’re really good at what we do.”

The USPs I’m Begging You to Retire

Look, I get it. Coming up with genuine differentiators is hard. It requires introspection, customer research, and sometimes uncomfortable honesty about where you actually stand in the market.

But that difficulty is not an excuse to fall back on the same tired claims that every single one of your competitors is also making.

Here are the USPs I’m absolutely exhausted by:

“We Have X Years of Experience.”

Hot take incoming: in most cases, this is not as impressive or critical to a purchase decision as you think it is.

Yes, longevity can signal stability. But you know what it doesn’t tell me? Whether you’ve actually learned anything in those years. Whether you’ve kept up with industry advancements. Whether your processes have evolved or if you’re still doing things the way you did them in 1987.

Your prospect isn’t lying awake at night thinking, “Gosh, I really hope I can find a supplier who’s been around for exactly 47 years.” 

They’re thinking about whether you can solve their specific problem, on time, within budget, without creating new headaches for them.

“We’re a Trusted Partner.”

I have never, not once in my entire career, encountered a B2B business that wouldn’t say this about themselves.

“Oh, us? No, we’re actually an untrustworthy partner. We’ll ghost you after the sale and blame you when things go wrong.”

Said no company ever.

When everyone claims to be a trusted partner, the phrase becomes meaningless. It’s just noise. Your prospects’ eyes glaze right over it because they’ve read it on every single website they’ve visited today.

“We’re Experts.”

Unless you’ve got concrete proof to back this up, this claim means absolutely nothing to anyone.

Expert according to whom? Expert compared to what? 

Without evidence, calling yourself an expert is like calling yourself humble. The claim kind of undermines itself.

The Copywriter’s Nightmare

Here’s what happens when you hand your copywriter weak USPs, or worse, no USPs at all.

They’re left trying to make something out of nothing. They have to pad your website with vague, generic language that says absolutely nothing of substance. 

They end up writing things like:

“With years of experience and proven expertise in our industry, ABC Company is the trusted partner businesses can rely on for quality solutions and exceptional service.”

*snore*

Be honest. Did you feel anything reading that? Did it make you want to learn more? Did it answer a single question you might have about what ABC Company actually does or why they’re any good at it?

That’s the copy equivalent of elevator music. It fills space. It doesn’t offend anyone. And it’s completely, utterly forgettable.

What Strong Industrial USPs Actually Look Like

Now let’s look at the flip side. Imagine you’re evaluating two precision machining suppliers.

ABC Company says they have “years of experience and proven expertise, making them a trusted partner.”

XYZ Company says they “reduce lead times by up to 25%, maintain a 0.002% defect rate, and have a track record of meeting stringent certifications including ISO 9001 and NADCAP.”

Which one makes you want to pick up the phone?

XYZ Company just gave you actual reasons to care. They gave you numbers you can bring to your procurement committee. They gave you certifications that tell you they’re not just claiming quality, they’ve been independently verified. They gave your internal champion the ammunition they need to sell your solution to the rest of the buying team.

That’s what strong USPs do. They give people concrete reasons to choose you.

Finding Your Real USPs

So how do you uncover USPs that actually resonate?

Here’s the thing: your real USPs already exist. You just might not have articulated them yet.

1. Talk to Your Customers

Not just any customers; your best customers. The ones who love you. The ones who keep coming back. The ones who refer you to their peers.

Ask them: Why do you work with us? What made you choose us over the competition? What would you tell a colleague who was considering us?

The answers might surprise you. Often, the things you take for granted are exactly what your customers value most. Maybe it’s your responsiveness. Maybe it’s a specific technical capability. Maybe it’s the fact that your team actually picks up the phone when there’s a problem.

2. Get Specific About Outcomes

Forget about describing what you do. Focus on the results you deliver.

Don’t say “we provide quality manufacturing.” Say “we maintain tolerances of ±0.0005 inches across production runs of 10,000+ units.”

Don’t say “we offer fast turnaround.” Say “we deliver standard orders in 5 business days, with rush options available in 48 hours.”

Don’t say “we reduce costs.” Say “our customers see an average 15% reduction in total cost of ownership within the first year.”

3. Look at Your Competition

What are they saying? If everyone in your space is claiming the same things, those aren’t differentiators; they’re table stakes.

Your USP needs to be something your competitors either can’t say or aren’t saying. Maybe it’s a proprietary process. Maybe it’s a specific certification they don’t have. Maybe it’s a guarantee you’re willing to offer that they aren’t.

Final Thoughts on USPs

Your USP is why your customers love you and choose to buy from you.

If you don’t know what that is and you can’t articulate it in specific, concrete terms, then that’s a problem that needs solving before you worry about website copy or marketing campaigns.

Because here’s what I know after years of reading industrial copy: the companies that win aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the flashiest websites. They’re the ones who can clearly communicate why they’re different in a way that matters to their customers.

Stop giving your copywriter weak USPs. Give them the real reasons customers choose you, and watch what happens when your marketing actually has something meaningful to say.

And if you’re sitting there thinking, “But I genuinely don’t know what makes us different”, well, that’s a conversation worth having. Because I promise you, if your customers keep coming back, there’s a reason. You just need to find it.