*Avis Rent a Car "We're number two. We try harder."

*Federal Express "When it absolutely, positively has to be there."

*Domino's Pizza "Fresh, hot pizza in 30 minutes or less"

*Ewen Chia's Super Affiliates Club "Worlds number 1 Affiliate"

What do all four of these slogans have in common? They are powerful statements of uniqueness that helped to propel their respective companies to success.

Avis Car Rental knew that Hertz, the number one car rental company was so much bigger than them that they couldn't compete head on so they positioned themselves as the number two car company that worked harder for the customer.

Federal Express based their slogan on a promise of delivery reliability. Domino's based their slogan on the fact that most pizza eaters don't care how much stuff is on their pizza, but that it is hot, fresh, and delivered quickly.

Ewen Chia's Super Affiliates Club realized that only through continued success and consistent ranking on worldwide affiliates leaderboards coupled with independent alliances talking up said success could they position themselves as world's number 1.

How do you "differentiate" yourself in your business?

Each of these slogans is their respective company's unique selling proposition (USP). A USP is something that differentiates you from all your competitors both local and industry-wide. In the case of Ewen Chia he has many other affiliate marketers calling themselves "world's number 1". The proof comes from other successful affiliates talking about Ewen and why and how he is successful. Apply these rules to yourself: It's what makes you so unique that people will choose to do business with you over any of your competitors. Your USP states your distinct advantage.

One of the deadliest mistakes small businesses make is not being unique. Now more than ever you must differentiate your small business. Today there is an explosion of choices for consumers. If you are wanting to become an affiliate marketer online you will find more than ever that it is difficult to be unique.

During slow times, the same number of small businesses will be vying for a diminishing number of prospects. When this happens the competitive landscape gets tougher and choices for consumers get more difficult.

If you want to survive during the slow economy you must differentiate yourself in the eyes of your prospect. Your USP is what states to the world why you are different.

Take a quick look at Ewen's Super Affiliates website and you will see there are many similarities to other affiliates. The sales copy looks the same. The layout is similar and the structured bonuses are presented the same - always "but wait, there's more". There is one glaring uniqueness though not exclusive, is still rare. What is it? Do you need to hurry over to the site and have a look? Whatever you must do, if you look carefully you will see it. It's the membership. Yes, it may sound innocuous but a membership that provides ongoing support, materials, forums and teleconferences is rare and therefore unique.

Ewen doesn't have to provide all of this. He could sell it all, packaged up for a one off tidy sum or three monthly payments. He doesn't. I would hazard a guess as to why he doesn't - it is part of his Unique Selling Proposition.

Here's a fact. The origin of USP comes from a man named Rosser Reeves who was considered the "high priest of hard sell." He was an advertising agency chairman back in the 60's. He wrote a book titled, "Reality in Advertising" that became very popular. It was translated into 28 languages. He introduced and defined the concept called Unique Selling Proposition.

Why is your USP so important?

To be successful in small an affiliate marketing business you don't have to be the best, you just have to be unique. Identifying, developing, and incorporating your USP into everything you do is challenging and a lot of businesses find it too hard. But the reward is worth every effort. It will differentiate you, distinguish you, and give you advantage over everyone in your marketplace.

"Me too" businesses rarely survive. Look at your business right now. If it is a "me too" business in the early days then that's' OK. Hardly anything is original these days however as you move forward you simply cannot remain a "me too" business as they usually end up in price wars because they don't have anything unique about them to establish value in the minds of their prospects. They are left with only one weapon with which to compete - price. And unless you have a significant cost advantage over your other small business competitors, you will lose.

If you are looking for a case study for an affiliate marketing business that has a uniqueness that is recognized and fully leveraged look no further than Ewan Chia's Super Affiliates Club BUT don't copy it. Take, take, take whatever is good about it, change it to make it YOURS and you will be on your way to having a Unique Selling Proposition.