Your Brand of Distinction

By Jon Low

...Would you love to be blown away by discovering what you feel you were born to do in this world?

...Would you love to know how to package your passion and get paid to do what you love?

...Would you love to articulate and communicate your brand so you stand out in the marketplace?

...What would your life be like if you were profiting by simply, being yourself?

Find and refine your answers in Your Brand of Distinction. In this book, Jon Low shares how aspiring and seasoned entre­pre­neurs, coaches, and ther­a­pists can crystallize their brand in a way that transcends the noise in the market, con­nects with the hearts of cus­tomers, and earns them more money. Readers will discover their authentic vision, voice and value that is distinct in a marketplace where almost anybody can say and promise the same thing.

-YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO-
- Craft your core branding and marketing message that you can use on multiple touch points to grow your business, earn more money and impact lives worldwide.
- Deeply connect with your clients and customers on levels so sophisticated that you become their only logical choice for resolution.
- Discover and raise your value to engage the market and earn more money doing what you love.
- Uncover your brand vision, mission and voice to a higher degree of definition.

-TESTIMONIALS-
“An engaging, comprehensive and insightful text that empowers the next generation of change-makers to earn more money doing what they love ...”
– John Assaraf
NY Times Best Selling Author | Serial Entrepreneur | Brain Researcher

“Jon’s knowledge in personal branding and communication has depth, insight and finesse. He will not only take you through a profound journey of self-discovery, but arm you with timeless branding principles to leave your mark on this planet. Enjoy!”
Howard A. Lim (Global Branding Expert | Founder & President of HOW Creative)

“... sophisticated communication techniques to connect to the hearts of the many while taking you through a profound personal journey to decode and monetize that special thing you are meant to bring to this world.”
Jim Bunch (Investor | Founder of The Ultimate Game of Life)

“Jon Low has a natural ability to fire laser targeted questions that penetrate deep within your mind, your heart ... your soul. Questions so specific and so well-crafted that the essence of you and the seed of your brand shines through...”
Jason Bawden-Smith (Co-founder of JBS&G | Entrepreneur | Investor)

-TABLE OF CONTENTS-

Chapter 1 – Branded by Choice
Chapter 2 – Collapse Your Life
Chapter 3 – The Treasure Map Called Your Life
Chapter 4 – Stumbling Into Your Footprint
Chapter 5 – To Understand Is To Build Your Brand
Chapter 6 – Hone Your Deliverable
Chapter 7 – Elevate Your Equity
Chapter 8 – A Fractal
Chapter 9 – Revelation
Chapter 10 – Clarify
Chapter 11 – Crystallize
Chapter 12 – Communicate

-ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JON LOW-
Jon Low is a brand writer, communications consultant, NLP practitioner, and educator. All of Jon's activities involve copious doses of 'word-nerding'; expressing and extending the art of communication to augment life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jon Low
• Release date: Jun 26, 2018

Jon Low

Jon is a writer, brand strate­gist, copy­writer, and coach—dedicated to inspire human beings to materialize their heart-felt aspirations. With over 10 years of expe­ri­ence work­ing with global brands, Jon has con­sis­tently helped busi­nesses clar­ify and crys­tal­lize their brand and com­mu­ni­ca­tion pieces, to deliver mem­o­rable busi­ness results. Coaches, train­ers, busi­ness own­ers, exec­u­tives, pro­fes­sion­als and artists all gain new insights and redis­cover what it is they would love to share with the world

Book preview

Preface

He cried. His voice shook, and tears streamed down his face. For the first time in his life, he had discovered what he was born to do. That gentleman’s name was Christian. He attended my workshop on branding yourself because he wanted to earn more money doing what he loved. At the point where we uncovered his highest vision and values, something magical happened. The dream he had forgotten as a child was reignited. As a result, he went from broke to bustling with business within a matter of months—specializing in the educational sector. And today, he earns a full-time living doing what he loves, sharing what is innate to him.

Christian is just one of hundreds of clients and customers I have served to help crystallize their brand, reignite their dreams, and share it with the world. What I have to share with you in this book reinvigorates lives consistently and reliably. If you have ever felt the gratitude that comes with having the ability to move hearts and inspire minds, you too would dedicate your life to passing it on. That power is already in you, of course. And if you aren’t certain of it yet, by the end of this book you will be.

I don’t know what brought you here, but chances are—it’s not by chance. A part of you aspires for greater distinction in your life or business. You might be working a less than fulfilling job. Perhaps you sometimes lay awake at night, wondering if there is more to life than what you experienced in your day. Or, you might be thinking I already have something great to share with the world. How do I make sure it gets the attention it deserves?

If you can relate to any of these, then I am certain that this book is meant to be in your hands. I wrote it for the heart-felt change maker and entrepreneur. People who want to profit and prosper, and invigorate the quality of other people’s lives. To fulfill for them what feels like destiny.

Myself? For over 20 years of my life, many people were convinced that I was stunted when it came to the written word. Why? I lived in fear of what others would think of me if I expressed my truth in writing. I even had nightmares of being wrongly judged and misunderstood for who I truly was deep inside.

Colleagues used to fear letting me email or contact their clients. Emails I wanted to send had to undergo a strict review process. My father even used to force me to read more books and spend my evenings in bed with a dictionary because my teachers told him how horrible my command of written communication was. And of course, my English teachers would fail me at essays that I had painstakingly written over the course of countless all-nighters.

I took all of it to heart. I knew what it was I wanted to say, but everybody seemed to take it the wrong way. And to be ridiculed for what was true to me hurt like you wouldn’t believe. Because deep inside, I knew I wasn’t disabled with the written word. I knew I had much more to offer. I could feel, surging within me, an inherent value I wanted to bring to the world. And I thought If I could just tap into it, I’d be able to render a vast service to humanity.

If only I knew how. But like a diamond, hidden in the dark and subdued by the tremendous forces of nature, a substance of eternity needs to be forged under the immense pressure of the times. I finally decided to take control of my situation. So rather than playing victim to my challenges, I sought to transcend them. What I lacked in ability, I made up for with movement. I spent early mornings, late evenings and well into the late hours of the night, tapping away on my keyboard for 1,095 days straight.

The metallic paint on my laptop faded from the sweat of my palms. I alienated my peers and colleagues because of the newfound writing obsession I had, but I made new friends and was never without my books, pens and trusty keyboard. Deep into the silent nights under the dutiful watch of a sacred fire, I would continue to write.

Eventually, I was earning enough money to replace my full-time income. At first a trickle (a couple hundred dollars). Then a stream (a few thousand). And eventually, tens of thousands. But it’s not just about the money. It’s the fact that I am earning money doing what I love, which allows me to continue doing what I love; traveling the world, meeting new people, being of service and experiencing greater satisfaction and creative expression.

It was worth it. What I sacrificed in many areas of my life, I gained in others. Through persistence and hands-on experience, I synthesized a philosophy and system of inquiry that anyone can use to discover their vision, value and voice. To discover what it is they would love to share with the world, commercially, professionally, and personally.

Today, communication and writing is my gift. And I have worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants to help uncover their own gifts, communicate their brand message, and impact lives across the globe. My words are my form of wealth, and if you work with what I have to share in this book, I am confident it can be the source of your prosperity too.

It fills me with joy that this book, and the culmination of my knowledge and experience is now in your hands. Soon you will have all the resources and insight you need to be positioned to create a brand message that moves past people’s apprehensions, gently caressing their hearts. Your brand message will also help you grow your business, earn more money and put a smile on the faces of the many. A message that is distinct in a world where everyone seems to be saying, doing and promising the same things.

Together, we will reach into the fabric of what is innate to you and construct a brand that does justice to who you are, who you serve and the many more you will serve. You will also experience greater personal satisfaction, confidence and peace of mind. All of which naturally arise when your work feels like your holiday—your vocation, your vacation.

Personal and professional success are inseparable.

What I share in this book may take months, or even years to implement. But when you follow the process with the persistence and consistency of a sage, for even 15 minutes a day, you will be amazed at what unfolds naturally.

My masters taught me that distinction is the cumulative sum of small but potent efforts that you commit to for an extended period of time. My wish for you is to have a brand of distinction.

Construct it by choice. Summon the life you are meant to live.

Section 1: A Brand Of Distinction Is an Extension Of Your Life

1

Branded by Choice

Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline. — Jim Collins

Picture this—two people running at a local track oval. They are neck and neck as they zoom by, kicking up dust, and overtaking almost every other runner on the track. No doubt they are high performers, and it doesn’t take you long to figure out that these two runners are in direct competition with one another.

As they approach the finish line Runner A throttles up the effort and gains a whole body length of distance ahead of Runner B. With only five steps to the race’s completion, Runner B has no chance of catching up. Runner B has lost, so it seems.

But let’s take a closer look at what is going on in Runner A’s mind and life. In his mind, he repeats things like I can’t lose! I won’t lose! and I’ll show them who is best! For most of his life, Runner A has been in competition and in fear of losing. He has done whatever it takes to avoid being looked down upon. However, deep down Runner A knows that if he had nothing to prove, he would rather relax and spend his time searching for the lady of his life. He dreams that one day he might be able to settle into a healthy relationship and raise a strong family. Though he performs well athletically, maintaining it is stressful and distracts him from the life he’d rather be living.

Let’s look at Runner B. As he crosses the finishing line he looks at his watch. He timed his lap, and it says one minute and nine seconds. A personal best that’s two seconds faster than his previous time. At this, he smiles. He is satisfied, and he is grateful that Runner A helped push him to a greater height in his personal performance. We find out that Runner B is optimizing his cardiovascular health because he wants to stay in good shape to have more energy to travel the world and build his international business. It’s what he loves, dreams about and talks about all day long, so he doesn’t mind that day’s loss against Runner A. It doesn’t bother him. He is happy that every second he claws back in his run is supporting his way of living.

Who really won the race? We can’t say for sure. It’s a matter of perspective. Something that is going to be a very important pillar of exploration in this book. Keep this anecdote in mind as you read because before we craft your brand of distinction, you must first understand what branding is, and how branding differs from other aspects of business building and development, such as marketing and sales.

In this first chapter I provide you with a foundational perspective on exactly that. That way you can clearly discern the difference and maximize the value you extract from this book as a whole.

In the chapters that follow, we will explore how seemingly unrelated aspects of your life are of great significance to your brand. For example:

What do your earliest memories as a child, have to do with your brand of distinction?

How do we transform seemingly mundane aspects of our life to build a brand that stands out in the market?

How can we make sure that nothing you have done to date in life goes to waste? (No matter what you are currently doing).

We will also explore the amazingly unexpected results that can arise when you craft your brand of distinction. For example:

A café worker becomes a solo-entrepreneur who earns a living as a specialist writer in the self-help industry.

A project administrator ends up getting paid five-figures to get on stage to sing and move the hearts of their audience.

A qualified and practicing psychologist becomes a paid stylist and fashion designer in a matter of months.

We have lots of ground to cover! So let’s get started.

1 - Branding is Distinct From Marketing

The disciplines of branding and marketing are often confused. And it can mean a big loss of opportunity if you are looking to earn more money, grow your practice and impact more lives. Whether you are an entrepreneur, coach, therapist or healer, understanding the difference is key.

For one, many people who teach you about marketing your business will teach you things such as how to develop a sales funnel, identify your client’s wants and needs, communicate your value in terms of their needs, answer objections, ask for the sale, and even how to upsell.

This is great standard practice for marketing. After all, many businesses fail to bring in more clients and revenue because of a lack of process or a lack of a system that works. However, therein lies the problem. Your competitors can replicate your marketing. Just when you think you have one over them, they get one over you, beating you at your own game.

Simple examples include; Want to earn more money?, Sick and tired of your job?, Are you ready to move on? You’ve heard them before. All these are all marketing hooks that are easy to copy and paste. Anyone can make the same promises and use the same unique selling points. Anyone can obtain proof for their claims by asking a friend or strategic business partner to provide them with an endorsement.

What’s not replicable however, is a brand of distinction. Well, when it is done right. Everything a business does communicates a message. A brand message. Often confused with marketing and sales, branding must precede all marketing, web design or sales campaign you ever do. A brand represents an emotional experience, personality and promise that cannot be copied. Especially when it is done right. It is the seed of all your business operations.

Without getting clear on your brand message and what you stand for, you end up competing with everyone else in the market who all look the same, sound the same, and promise the same things. But if you get your branding right, you won’t look the same, sound the same or have to promise the same. In fact, it’ll become very difficult for people to pigeon hole you. And that’s great news.

Think, for example, of Apple Computers. They have a personality of their own, while happening to offer computer, phone and technology products. You don’t get the Apple experience anywhere else. It represents a lifestyle and a way of living, all by way of their design. From the experience of using their smartphone, to their website, to their physical stores, the look and feel is the same. And the lifestyle that Apple represents is something people are willing to protect and are fiercely loyal to. Their loyal customers fight to preserve their way of living, of which Apple happens to be a strong part of.

That’s why, despite financial struggles and economic uncertainty, millions of people still find the resources and means to purchase their products. They might find something similar or comparable in the market but they won’t hesitate to tell you, It’s not quite the same.

A brand is a beautiful thing. Enormously powerful. Enormously fragile. Building a brand takes vision. It takes passion and sweat. And perhaps most importantly, it takes discipline. The discipline to never waiver from your brand’s DNA and what your message to the world will be. — I Love New York

They refuse to settle for anything different. So they do what it takes to get what they want. To get what they need. Even if that means camping out in a queue for a new product at three o’clock in the morning! And isn’t it amazing that the Apple brand is something so many people use as an exemplary of business and brand success? Without even intending to, by positively referencing the Apple brand in this book, I am inadvertently building their brand.

How does a brand insert itself this strongly into the lifestyles of the many? Great question. A brand occupies what brand masters call mind-space. This means that once someone is properly attached to your brand, they will only go to your brand for their specific needs. And that brand of course, includes you, your personal brand.

Without a proper brand, marketing and sales efforts are diluted in the game of competing for attention, whereas branding occupies mind-space, meaning that customers and clients become blind to the competition. In the digital age, branding couldn’t be any more important. A 2015 Deloitte publication demonstrated that 76% of US consumers interact with brands or products before even arriving at the store. With branding, we are talking about a battle for mind-share that takes place on both electronic and physical real estate, regardless of whether someone has buying intention or not.

Picture this—someone walks into a supermarket to buy the same loaf of bread he has eaten for the past five years. He loves the texture, taste and healthy composition of the dough. As he thinks about spreading butter on it and having it with his morning coffee, a myriad of memories that define his life come together. That bread has been with him every single day of his life for the past five years; before a good day, before a bad day, and during the most significant turning points in his life. To him, that label of bread isn’t just a name. It doesn’t just have a nicely designed logo. It is a symbol of an ever-evolving, complex relationship he has had with it for the past five years.

As he walks through the store, someone tries to sell him a new bread. The sales rep promises him it is organic, top notch and even dips a little bit of it in olive oil for him to sample. The rep assumes that the taste of the bread and the fact that it is organic is important to this man. But he just continues to walk. It is as if that sales rep didn’t even exist in his reality. He continues down the aisle until he reaches the shelf to pick up his favorite bread. It’s not only the singularly logical choice for him, it is the only choice in his mind.

This is what you want to create for your brand. You want your brand to occupy mind-space. You want a brand so strong, so distinct, and so valuable—that it becomes the only choice in the hearts and minds of your customers. And if you get your branding right, your customers will be blind to your competition. Can you imagine what it would mean for you and your business if you were the only choice that arose in a customer’s mind whenever they thought of product x or service x or experience x? Imagine what it would mean for your business if even while you slept, clients and customers were talking about you every time your subject matter or market was mentioned?

When branding is done right, there is no competition. You stop looking for customers; they start looking for you. It is not about bait and hook tactics; we are talking about a strong sense of gravity. One that draws them to the complex construct called your brand. And your marketing channels help reinforce brand familiarity, loyalty, engagement and mind-share through frequency and congruency in your presentation. Like any good relationship you need to check-in regularly to maintain it.

Representing your brand is not just limited to customer service of course. I’m talking about any point at which your brand and business has an interaction with someone. It governs everything you do in a business; who you employ, who you work with, how you serve customers, how your shop is designed and decorated, brochures, websites, business cards, social media, dress codes, rhetoric, etc. It also governs what marketing and sales channels you should explore, what message you can and can’t communicate, and more importantly, what channels you have to ignore.

How does it feel?

How does your brand converse?

How does it dress and present itself aesthetically?

What does it stand for in the world?

What does it stand against, if anything?

What defines its philosophical way of living?

Who does it partner up with?

Where do you find it?

Many questions. All of which must be considered, with rigor. This is the level that the best brands play at.

Crafting your brand of distinction is not by accident, it is by design. It’ll take time, diligence and dedication to crystallize the seeds of your brand. And there is an extensive process to follow in order to crystallize that brand, one that will unfold over the course of this book.

2 – Brand Awareness and the Benefits of Branding

Who’s that? and What’s that? These are two phrases you probably don’t want to hear if you have a brand that is delivering value in the market. It refers to brands that are unknown. It refers to brands that are forgettable and hence forgotten.

Think about someone you’ve met before, and whose name you have forgotten. Their face looks familiar, but the very next time you meet them you are embarrassed to ask the question, Sorry, what’s your name again? You feel bad about it, impolite even. But consider that it might not be your responsibility. It might be theirs! It’s very possible that they simply didn’t present themselves in a way that was worth preserving in your heart or mind.

Now think about someone who’s had a heart-felt impact on your life. Whether they made you happy and inspired, or whether they really ticked you off, either is fine. It’s whoever comes first to mind. Got it? Great. I wouldn’t be surprised if you recalled them by name. I wouldn’t even be surprised if you could recall the visual of their face. Like that person, you also want your brand to stick in the hearts and minds of people in the market.

This is referred to as brand recall, which is the ability that consumers have to correctly retrieve your brand in their memory. And the more easily it is retrieved, the stronger your brand awareness is—which is