In part one of this two part series with Dev Singh we explore the topics of personal branding and differentiation, and how so many get it wrong. Think that’s a lot? Just wait for part two! There I ask Dev to share his thoughts on one of the topics from session 14, packaging, as well as ask him to share his own personal pricing and packaging strategy. Episode outline: When trying to build a business, many want-to-be success stories spend their time focusing on "cool catch phrases," "slick slogans," and the colors of their logo, thinking that if they get that right, they’ll be on the fast track to business glory. While it would be nice if this was true, doing this in isolation, like so many do, will achieve very little or nothing at all. Dev suggests that focusing on these things can actually be your secret way of convincing yourself you are busy whilst procrastinating from all the important tasks involved in growing your business, such as learning how to run one. Branding and marketing – Where does differentiation fit? [Tweet "The experience that your customers and clients have and their relationship with you - Dev Singh"] Definition of branding Dev suggests that you shouldn’t just try to differentiate based solely on the products and services you provide, but instead incorporate the true value and experience that you offer to the client that no one else can. An expert "like everyone else" A common mistake for people wanting to be perceived as an expert is to follow the "me too" plan. This is a tick box process that includes things like create a fancy website, get great testimonials, produce a video, put together a quick book, and my favorite: launch a podcast. Dev suggests that these are all great brand assets, however, for them to work they need to be congruent with your history and experience, and you need to be ready to share them with the world, not hide behind them. Don’t get lost in the hype Getting an awesome website doesn’t mean people will automatically flock to it. The best logos, brand colors, and unified messages are all worthless if you’re not out there projecting it to the world, and you can’t do that if you're busy creating your version of the next hyped-up method of getting success. Figure out your plan, find one mentor, and follow their advice. About Dev Singh: Dev Singh is a world renowned business strategist, executive coach, and entrepreneur specializing in brand optimization. He is also a certified coach, Master Practitioner of NLP, founder and director of strategy at Sketchpad Ideas, and hosts his own podcast, "The Life: Optimized Show." How can I find out more about Dev Singh? Check out http://www.devsingh.net and http://www.sketchpadideas.com Don’t miss a thing: As the podcast will have sessions both in video and audio, make sure you subscribe to both the audio and video versions of this podcast. Here are the links: Video podcast - Click here to subscribe Audio podcast - a href="http://itunes.apple.