Becoming A Category of One
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Why I Read this Book: There is no category more powerful than the one with no competitors…
Review:
This is another one of those books that goes so far beyond its intended purpose. The book is based upon the premise of building a successful business by creating a category in which you are the only one who is in and will be in that category. The reader quickly sees how this relates not only to businesses but to life in general.
Calloway starts by pointing out that we are in a new age of business and competition. So many more companies are entering the competitive playing field and offering the things that used to be “above and beyond” products and features. Now a feature such as product quality, which used to be a huge differentiator, has become mere table stakes to compete. We, as consumers, expect and refuse to accept anything that is not high quality. Due to this example and many more, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out as more and more industries become commoditized. In order to avoid this commoditization trap, you must go far beyond what is required and expected, and create your own category of one.
This book is filled with techniques and ideas that have led companies to their respective category of one.And of course it would not be complete without numerous real-life company examples to show the power of becoming categories of one and what i required to get there. Examples like these have always been a huge plus for me as a reader.
There are a few category of one concepts on which Callow focuses a great deal of energy. One is getting full employee support and buy in. This starts with the creation of a company wide mission that is supported by every member of the organization. This concept has been emphasized so many times in other books on this site and it is certainly a very valuable concept to me. A company must create a mission statement that embodies their purpose for being and this must be lived every day by every employee. In order to do this, every employee must provide input for the mission and in turn feel ownership for it so they want to continue to live it. Among many other huge benefits of a mission, one is that it allows you to make decisions in advance. Once you have a mission statement you are able to stand any project or decision up to it and ask yourself if it is in line with your mission, if not then that’s the end of it. Having a clear mission makes these decisions for you.
Something else Calloway focuses on that has allowed me huge success, is focusing on the customer. At the end of the day the customer is who decides if you are better than the others, what your brand really is and if you are a category of one. We can try as hard as we want inside the four walls of our business, but if the customer does not see it the same way we do, nothing matters. The strongest advantage a company can have and the most probable way of becoming a category of one is to know your customers better than anyone else in the world.
-Reading for Your Success
