Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison - Softcover

Calloway, Joe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471768073 ISBN 13: 9780471768074

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2006

Synopsis

Learn how extraordinary companies do what they do so well, and obtain the tools and ideas you need to emulate them. Full of case studies and personal reflections by leaders of exceptional companies, this book is designed to help anyone transform their run–of–the–mill business into an extraordinary company–whether you operate a multinational corporation or a mom–and–pop shop. Calloway doesn’t offer any mumbo–jumbo or flavor–of–the–day buzzwords, just simple lessons that lead to real, proven results.

About this title

Review:

" ... 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 thequestion, "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) " ... very strongly recommends this book to business leaders and students of management... " ("getAbstract.com, April 2004) [this books is a] "no-nonsense guide to beating the competition." ("Publishers Weekly, June 23, 2003)

From the Back Cover:

Praise for becoming a category of one

"Becoming a Category of One shows what it takes to build a brand on something more than just product. This book inspires us to go for greatness and to win by using our hearts as well as our minds."
Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager

"If you want to be successful and you want a successful company, read Joe Calloway′s book. It′s as simple as that. It′s the how–to manual that every manager and every employee should be required to read."
Dr. Dorothy Marcic, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, author, Respect and Managing with the Wisdom of Love

"If you could have everyone in your company read just one business book, this should be it. Becoming a Category of One is very straight talk about how it′s everyone′s responsibility to help build the brand."
Daniel Burrus, author, Technotrends

"Becoming a Category of One is simply an outstanding book. With a highly readable style that makes you feel like he′s talking directly to you, Joe Calloway provides valuable insights for anyone who wants to separate themselves or their business from the pack."
Michael LeBoeuf, PhD, author, How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life and The Millionaire in You

"Becoming a Category of One will delineate how you can differentiate yourself from others who do what you do, how to become positioned in your marketplace, and how to make your customers love you and need you."
Jeffrey Gitomer, author, The Sales Bible and Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty Is Priceless

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0471768073
• ISBN 13: 9780471768074
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240