Unless you are involved in some esoteric profession such as Tomb Raiding, chances are there are thousands of people that offer the very same service you do. Why would someone choose you? And even if they wanted to work with you, how could they find you among the sea of practitioners all clamoring for the same business and claiming to offer good service at a fair price? The answer is through the marketing magic of branding.

Branding is a marketing term and it deals with how you position yourself uniquely in your clients mind. Let's face it, one of the outcomes of the technological revolution is that it is getting easier for everybody and his dog to show up on the world stage, and offer their wares. Competition is truly global and your ability to stand out in the growing crowd is directly related to the success you will experience. A powerful, unique, memorable brand will help you establish who you are, what you offer, and why you are the obvious choice for your customers. So let's get started.

First, take a moment to imagine the mind of your potential customer. In a word, it is noisy. In two words, it is noisy and confused. In three words, it is noisy, confused and suspicious. Look into the mirror. We are all consumers. All our minds are like this. We get hit on by hundreds of pitches each day, suggesting our life can be miraculously changed by buying a new deodorant or toothpaste. So we consumers are a cautious and doubting lot. And if you want to sell us something, you need to get to know us, and we need to get to know you. We are talking about creating relationship here. We are talking about creating a relationship based on a consistent, unique and meaningful message. We are talking about branding.

Here is an exercise that will help you get a better feel for the process. Ask yourself:

Who are my customers and what do they want? - Few of my customers want coaching. Many want practical solutions to specific situations in their life that will give them immediate value. Find out what your customer's special needs are.

Who am I? - Describe yourself and your service in a sentence or two.

What makes me unique? - List 3 ways in which you are different or offer more value.

Who is my competition? - Describe them in a few paragraphs.

Identify the important distinctions. - Take a customer's eye view of the differences between you and your competition. Try to come up with a branding statement for your competition.

Claim your position - What are the key, unique benefits customers can only get from you that sets you favorably apart from the rest of the pack. These should be stated clearly and memorably.

Check it out - Try your branding on a few of your confidents and some friendly clients.

O.K., let's say you have done all this and come up with the guts of a branding proposition that will set you apart from the pack and claim a special spot in your customer's mind. You now need to do two things very well.

First you need to repeat this branding message in all your communications, advertising, webs, letterhead, introductions, etc. so that whenever anybody thinks about you they will also think about how you are special and unique. (Volvo does this very well.) You also need to be patient. It does take some time to benefit from this, as the average consumer needs to be exposed to a brand at least 6 times before its qualities can be fully absorbed. But if you persist you will succeed.

Secondly, you need to resist the urge to dilute your brand, and try to be all things to all people. This is a particularly challenging task. If you are like most people - including me - you will resist giving up any of the competitive turf. But if you don't, you will loose your brand and end up back with the rest of humanity struggling for a consistent identity.

If you still have problems thinking about branding or positioning yourself in a niche, take heart. There is something called the "Halo" effect. Simply put, this means that if you are seen as an expert in one field, you will be generally perceived as an expert in others. So even though you may be marketing to a narrower segment of the market, you will attract customers from other segments.

Isn't marketing wonderful? Learn more about all this. Apply it to your business, and watch the better results come in.