Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison (Paperback)

~ Joe Calloway (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this no-nonsense guide to beating the competition, Calloway, a branding and competitive positioning consultant with clients like BMW and IBM, offers hope to companies confronting a constantly changing and increasingly competitive marketplace. Success, he says, lies in distinguishing yourself from others and forging emotional connections with customers. Before you do anything else, Calloway says, you must answer the question, "Who are you?" unambiguously and with fervor. If your response is vague and uninspiring, Calloway predicts failure, since a lame answer signals lack of vision, focus and commitment, elements he considers essential just to be in the running. An advocate of corporate language that reinforces company identity and motivates employees, Calloway shuns empty slogans and fashionable buzzwords. He snappily makes his point by asking what would have happened if Martin Luther King Jr. had proclaimed, "I Have a Strategic Plan" instead of "I Have a Dream." In no uncertain terms, he asserts companies must pay close attention to each customer and focus marketing on individuals, not abstract demographics. Anyone spacing out while Calloway exhorts innovation and hard work to connect with the customer base in ways that Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and others have will hop to when he has a hypothetical customer ask, "Why should I do business with you?" A company without a compelling answer, Calloway believes, will see the customer go elsewhere. But Calloway emphasizes triumph is possible with disciplined application and provides case studies, interviews and anecdotes illustrating successful approaches for earning customer loyalty and for setting businesses apart in their fields.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

very strongly recommends this book to business leaders and students of management& -- getAbstract.com, April 2004

“… very strongly recommends this book to business leaders and students of management…” (getAbstract.com, April 2004)

Price, product, and even quality don't cut it anymore when it comes to raising above the competition. So says brand consultant Calloway, who offers an energetic piece on branding, company culture, and customers. He looks at the likes of Harley-Davidson, Starbucks, and lesser knowns such as the Nashville-based Tractor Supply Company to show how they have differentiated themselves by creating their own categories. Calloway advises companies to begin by figuring out who they are and what their corporate culture is like. He continues with a discussion of branding, explaining how customer perception of the company actually creates the brand. He then urges companies to break away from the pack by connecting with customers better than the competition does. Calloway includes ample real-world examples from his clients, and the customer-service experiences he cites from his personal and professional lives ring especially true. With companies scrambling to survive in this dicey economy, the book is apropos for all business collections. —Carol J. Elsen, Univ. of Wisconsin Lib., Whitewater (Library Journal, August 2003)

In this no-nonsense guide to beating the competition, Calloway, a branding and competitive positioning consultant with clients like BMW and IBM, offers hope to companies confronting a constantly changing and increasingly competitive marketplace. Success, he says, lies in distinguishing yourself from others and forging emotional connections with customers. Before you do anything else, Calloway says, you must answer the question, "Who are You?" unambiguously and with fervor. It your response is vague and uninspiring, Calloway predicts failure, since a lame answer signals lack of vision, focus and commitment, elements he considers essential just to be in the running. An advocate of corporate language that reinforces company identity and motivates employees, Calloway shuns empty slogans and fashionable buzzwords. He snappily makes his point by asking what would have happened if Martin Luther King Jr. had proclaimed, "I Have a Strategic Plan" instead of "I Have a Dream." In no uncertain terms, he asserts companies must pay close attention to each customer and focus marketing on individuals, not abstract demographics. Anyone spacing out while Calloway exhorts innovation and hard work to connect with the customer base in ways that Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and others have will hop to when he has a hypothetical customer ask, "Why should I do business with you?" A company without a compelling answer, Calloway believes, will see the customer go elsewhere. But Calloway emphasizes triumph is possible with disciplined application and provides case studies, interviews and anecdotes illustrating successful approaches for earning customer loyalty and for setting businesses apart in their fields. (Aug.) (Publishers Weekly, June 23, 2003)

[this books is a] "no-nonsense guide to beating the competition." -- Publishers Weekly, June 23, 2003 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (August 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470496355
• ISBN-13: 978-0470496350
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #104,275 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And you thought it belonged to you!, September 7, 2003

By	Susanne Houdek (Marietta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison (Hardcover)

If you take only two (of many) things away from this book, it is 1) your brand belongs to your customers and 2)once you've achieved Category One status, the price of your product is (almost)immaterial.

Joe makes a very simple point that ends up being one of those "slap your forehead" moments: Do all the corporate-like things, such as have a mission and vision, build an ace culture, walk the talk, etc. but ultimately it is your customer who decides whether you deliver on your brand promise. And that customer is a doozy: intelligent, educated, demanding and able to look through a smoke and mirror tactic in a second.

Speaking of Mirrors...Joe unashamedly plugs his restaurant "Mirror" in Nashville - not because he needs the advertising (although being a bit of a gourmet and a lot of a gourmand, I was about to relocate at the mention of "blue cheese polenta fries") but because the restaurant is a Category of One enterprise. Everybody in that place and all the other case studies Joe talks about have one thing in common: a laser focus on the customer and what she wants - and then delivering it, every time, flawlessly and with a big smile. That customer will come back time and again. Not because you have the best prices - in fact - your products may be significantly more expensive, but because she likes doing business with your people.

Reading Joe's book is like having a conversation with him. I found myself nodding and agreeing out loud (in the privacy of my home, of course). Overall, it re-emphasized the importance of strong leadership, a value system that is constantly talked about, and all employees knowing why they get up in the morning.
Needless to say, but I will anyway: Read it!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudo's for this one-of-a-kind book, September 3, 2003

By	S. Horn "America's Intrigue Expert - Communic... (Washington DC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison (Hardcover)

Joe Calloway practices what he preaches. The author is not content to rehash what others have written about the topic of branding. He offers innovative suggestions that can give you and your business top-of-the-mind awareness in your industry. Packed with fascinating, real-life examples and results-producing suggestions, this book should be required reading for entrepreneurs and CEO's because their success depends on their ability to distinguish themselves from competitors. Read it and reap.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, August 29, 2003

By	John Patinella (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison (Hardcover)

This book is terrific, a must read for any organization looking for a solid, no nonsense way to diffentiate themselves from the competition without focusing on product or price. Sure, there are alot of customer service books out there, but this one hits it on the head! It's PEOPLE and the experience they create for the customer that are your brand.

The book in clear fashion outlines the easy to grasp ways a company can truly diffentiate themselves from the competition without placing the major focus on product or price.

The author writes in plain, fun, and easy to understand english with many real life examples to illustrate the message. While the book is a quick read, it is packed with very good material. One of the most important business books I have ever read. The book itself is in a Category of One! (Sorry, pun intended).