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I work in a downtown area where shops come and go. Some have staying power, and some are just a flash in the pan.

A new jewelry shop recently opened up just downstairs from my office. As I walked by the shop, I asked myself, what do they offer that’s of value to me?

Superficially, the answer is obvious. Deeper down, however, it’s not. The distinction between the two contains the answer to a conundrum that many scientists face when “selling” their work effectively.

This jeweler sells diamonds, gold, rings and other items that many place a high monetary value on. Obviously, since many have an affinity for those items, the jeweler exists to provide these people with the opportunity to acquire them. The value of the jeweler is thus obvious. Yet, walking by the store nearly every day, I have failed to find a compelling reason to go in. I’m not alone–most of the time the store is empty. Not many people appear to have a compelling reason to go in.

It is actually quite saddening, because I see a dream dying. I see these folks, who probably invested a lot of money, risking their assets and their reputations to open this shop, waiting for the customers to come in–and they don’t. I could be misled: maybe their business is just fine, but I suspect otherwise. Likewise, I frequently talk to people about their science careers. These are people who have a dream, who went all out in the pursuit of that dream, yet when it comes to getting their peers and funders to “buy it,” get no takers. The dream withers and eventually dies.

So what’s this deeper level of value? As online marketer and self development guru Mark Joyner put it: every business must have a Unique Selling Proposition, or USP.

While diamonds and gold are valued, there are also many places around my town that provide them–along with plenty of venues on the internet. There is nothing about this unassuming, streetfront jewelry business below my office that says “hey, I’m unique, I’m interesting; come in and check me out! We have a great reason for you to buy your jewelry here instead of the 100 other places that you can choose from.”

In fact, for their Grand Opening, all I noticed was a sign that was up for a day or two stating it was, indeed a Grand Opening. I thought, what’s in it for me? Not seeing any obvious answer, I kept walking. Why should I care whether or not it’s a grand opening?

This might sound harsh. But it is also the reality of how humans make decisions. The vast majority of us are always asking ourselves, “what’s in it for me?” and, lacking an obvious answer, we move on. In fact, such things don’t usually even percolate through the filter of our subconscious minds, unless it meets one of the criteria we have for “interest.” The USP is just a simple way of distilling the essence of this–not from the perspective of the “seller” but from the perspective of the “buyer.” (Have no illusions: your grant reviewer or paper reviewer is either buying it or they aren’t. In other words, you must sell it to them.)

We can compare that jewelry store to a small deli down the street. This deli is pretty basic, carrying standard sandwiches, soups and other fare, all offered at relatively low prices. This deli is only open on weekdays from 9-5. There is no fancy art on the walls, no ambience to speak of. Yet it is always busy, and the owners seem to be doing fine for themselves.

What is their unique selling proposition? They actually have several:

1. One of the owners remembers all customers by name and greets us as we come in in a friendly, familiar way. It feels personal and friendly, whereas I can’t think of another place that I just casually visit where I am remembered by my first name. Yes, she remembered my name after the very first visit.
2. There are plenty of upscale restaurants around the area, but few that serve reasonably healthy, straightforward food quickly and at low prices. For the lunchtime crowd, this is a great alternative to packing a lunch or going out for junky fast food.
3. There are many people who work in office buildings and stores in the area around the deli. They get hungry and thirsty throughout the day, particularly around noon. They don’t want to walk six blocks, and they don’t always have time or money for a fancy sit-down meal.

If we compare this to the jeweler, there are substantial differences. If someone is going to invest big money in a nice gem, ring or necklace, they aren’t looking for the most nearby/convenient place, nor are they necessarily looking for the cheapest. They are typically looking for a place that offers them something unique, with incredible service to back it up (or, if they are looking for the utmost in bargains, they just resort to eBay).

Just because I work close by them doesn’t mean that I’ll buy jewelry from them when the time comes. When I’m in work mode, I’m not thinking about jewelry. (Whereas hunger is a demand that readily intrudes on work time, hence driving me to regularly enter the deli). I’m sure this applies to the other customers who aren’t going there either.

Who knows? I may after all decide to drop by the jewelry shop out of sheer curiosity, and the folks there may wow me with their great service or unique jewelry. But that kind of luck factor is not the basis for a healthy business. Nor is it the basis for a healthy science lab.

Let’s be explicit. You might have the greatest science in the world, but if you don’t find ways to get other people interested, by presenting your own USP, it does not matter. A few dedicated colleagues may randomly happen by and become interested supporters, but you will remain stuck there, never expanding beyond that core cadre of a few fans who stroke your ego. In other words, you’ll remain like that jewelry shop, which likely has valuable items to sell but has difficulty connecting with customers, and may soon be forced out of business.

It’s your choice – nothing more and nothing less.

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If you’ve read my recent blog posts here, you’ve seen the statement at the end that tells you about how you can get on the phone with us to diagnose your grant funding woes – at no charge.

Some people have been very skeptical about its nature as a “free” service. “Whoa, nothing is free, man!” It is true. The process is not free, because you have to invest mental energy into it (and so do we). On the call, we challenge you to see your situation honestly. If you are terrible at expressing your unique selling proposition, we make you face down that fact–because you need to face it down if you’re going to get better at it. And, if your situation is something we think we can help with, and we think you’d be fun to work with, we sometimes offer follow up help–because it is unlikely you (or anyone) is going to make a major paradigm shift in one phone call. This process is not for everyone–it is not for tire kickers nor curiosity seekers. It is for people who are having bona fide difficulties connecting with their ‘customers’ (i.e. funders and reviewers), and who are ready to solve the problem.

Now, if you’re afraid of being gently offered something that may help you (despite that you spent an hour on the call with us because you realized how desperate you are to get grants), then you are not ready for the process, so don’t waste our time or yours. You can remain in a cave, telling yourself it will all get better when the government suddenly wakes up and decides to start doling out more money for science again*. Or you can decide to get on the phone and start diagnosing what is wrong and figuring out directions to go to improve it. As with all things in life, the choice is up to you.

Here is how you start down the path of taking action: https://grantfoundry.com/GrantStrategypt1.html

Morgan

* If you harbor the fantasy that science funding will get better or less competitive in the near future, I am sorry to burst your bubble. World governments, with the US leading the pack, are more in debt than ever. The political winds are not in favor of expanding science. What’s more, science funding is near an all time high in terms of number of dollars – the reason it is so competitive is not because of lack of funding, but because more people than ever are competing for that funding. Those factors are unlikely to improve in the near future.