Nobuyuki gave me a scrutinizing look.
(It surprises him. But he doesn't know why…)
Not off-putting or threatening. But the sort of face you might give to green jello mold at a company potluck. It was expectedly unexpected.
“When I saw you speak, it was as if you were a talking dog.” He made his case with such honesty and conviction that it was hard to be mad. It felt almost like he was confessing.
Now it was my turn to be confused.
Nobuyuki was my classmate during grad school in Japan. With a student body that was roughly half Japanese and the balance from all corners across the globe, awkward conversations were par for the course.
But no one had ever called me a talking dog before.
He was referring to my ability to converse fluently in Japanese. Given the hundreds, no thousands of hours I had put into studying the language over the previous three years—countless nights spent with headphones on my head, painstakingly mimicking the intonations and cadence on my Walkman—I was pleased my efforts to master the language were paying off.
Compliment accepted. People notice when you put in the work.
Gil, customers scrutinize your brand much in the same way Nobuyuki looked at me that day. They notice the details. Then they try to place you in a frame of reference. What you say gets noticed. But how you say it gets remembered.
How you say it.
Your.
Brand.
Voice.
And with the amount of content everyone is producing, cultivating a distinct voice that gets you noticed is more important than ever.
Oh, and that same relentless effort I put into studying Japanese. That same effort can be found in my newest messaging tool, The Unforgettable Brand Voice Workbook. I created this workbook to make it easy for you to communicate in a brand voice that is clear, compelling, and unmistakably yours. It comes with all the required tools and exercises and is designed to guide you through the process, step-by-step.
Download it today and unlock the power of u n f o r g e t t a b i l i t y.
So go ahead and cultivate your unforgettable brand voice. I can't promise that you will be called a talking dog. But I can say it will take you a looooong way toward leaving an unmistakably unique impression.