Quite simply, your brand is your identity in the marketplace.

In 1997 when Tom Peters wrote one of the first articles on personal branding in Fast Company Magazine, The Brand Called You, he said you have to be your own brand, the CEO of Me, Inc. In other words, you have to differentiate yourself from everyone else.

If you are serious about being in business for yourself or being the top performer on your job, you must become devoted to your brand. It all begins with you.

Your dress, the way you answer the phone, the way you speak, the way you network, your business card, your website, email address, all the way down to whether or not you return phone calls, your personal brand is broadcasting what you stand for - what you believe in - your best selling features.

We all fall short at times but personally, my pet peeve happens to be people who don’t return phone calls in a timely manner or not at all. I like to call them people who are not concerned about their brand.

John Williams, one of America’s leading image and branding authorities says, when it comes to branding, a negative impression can cause a potential customer to take a detour just as a positive reaction can influence a potential customer to buy. The goal in branding must be to package and market yourself so that you are the most desirable choice for the consumer.

What does your brand say about you? Does it say you’re someone people need to know?