Who here does not like chocolate? Before you raise your hand, I'm not talking about those of us who have eliminated chocolate from our diet for health reasons, I'm asking: who hates the smell, the taste of chocolate - let's see your hands.

Okay, let me just say that you and I will never be really close friends.

So for the rest of you, I'd like you to think about your business in terms of chocolate. What type of chocolate is your business?

Think of a bag of Hershey miniature candies.

Are you a Hershey's milk chocolate bar? Do you offer your customers the basics - the meat and potatoes of their lives - are you a staple, something they need to live and breathe successfully?

Or perhaps you are a little bit nutty like the Mr. Goodbar. Basically you are wonderful milk chocolate, but you offer a little bit extra, a little somethin' somethin' extra special.

Perhaps you are dark chocolate, rich and bold tasting, a focused flavor. For those of you in insurance, perhaps you focus on business insurance rather than home and health. In marketing, maybe you focus on B2B and not B2C advertising.

And then there are those that are cracked. Ah - I see you know who you are. The Krackel's among us. I'm thinking of Rice Krispies cereal and the "snap, crackle, pop" sizzle, the bubbles in champagne. Do you offer an experience that is effervescent?

The bottom line is - what type of chocolate are you?

Leslie Ungar, of Electric Impulse Communication helps business professionals find their competitive edge, their unique value proposition that sets them apart from the competition - the type of chocolate they are.

Of course, once you've determined your unique value, you have to communicate it to your customers. You might consider a professional writer to help, but first you need to determine your value.

So what type of chocolate are you?