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.


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 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)


Review
“… 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)


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


Review
"I'm given many management/business books by friends, colleagues and business partners but have little time to read. As a result, a book I read cover to cover has to resonate with me...Calloway's book is one that strikes that cord..." —Chief Executive Officer, Michael Perry, of IndyMac Bancorp


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


Book Description
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, author, 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 University, Owen Graduate School of Management, author Respect: Women and Popular Music and Managing with the Wisdom of Love: Uncovering Virtue in People and Organizations "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 "For anyone looking for the inspiration, the road map, or the reason to take their business to the next level, Becoming a Category of One is definitely it." –Tony Alessandra, PhD, author The Platinum Rule and Collaborative Selling "Becoming a Category of One isn’t about theory or fads. It’s a real-world look at what will help your company create and sustain success. Buy it and start reading it today!" –Tom Connellan, author Sustaining Knock Your Socks Off Service and Bringing Out the best in Others!


Book Info
Text shares business lessons the author learned by watching great companies get ahead of the pack and stay there. Shows how these companies do what they do, and provides the tools and ideas needed to emulate them. DLC: Benchmarking (Management).


From the Inside Flap
Renowned consultant Joe Calloway has made a career out of helping businesses create competitive advantage through unsurpassed customer service. He knows from experience what separates ordinary companies from companies that dominate the competition. In Becoming a Category of One, he shares the proven business lessons he learned by watching great companies get ahead of the pack and stay there. Ordinary companies compete in their categories, or even lead them. Extraordinary companies create their own categories by doing what no one else does–in effect, becoming a Category of One. Here’s how they do it: they get to know the customer better than anyone else in the business and connect with that customer better than anyone else can. They transcend commodity by offering more than just a product. They defy comparison by doing what their competitors can’t or won’t do. Becoming a Category of One shows you how these companies do what they do so well, and gives you the tools and ideas you need to emulate them. Full of case studies and personal reflections by leaders of Category of One 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. With his guidance, you’ll learn what makes some of the best companies on earth so successful–and then learn to apply their winning strategies to your own business. You’ll learn what makes Tractor Supply Company different from any other retail chain and why LensCrafters is the only household name in eyeglasses. If your company is treading water or losing customers, you have a difficult choice to make. You can hold on to the ideas and techniques that got you this far and hope they work again, or you can find a new way to give customers what they can’t get anywhere else. If innovation frightens you, then put this book down now. If you’re ready to take your business to a new level, then read on . . .


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, author, 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 University, Owen Graduate School of Management, author Respect: Women and Popular Music and Managing with the Wisdom of Love: Uncovering Virtue in People and Organizations "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 "For anyone looking for the inspiration, the road map, or the reason to take their business to the next level, Becoming a Category of One is definitely it." –Tony Alessandra, PhD, author The Platinum Rule and Collaborative Selling "Becoming a Category of One isn’t about theory or fads. It’s a real-world look at what will help your company create and sustain success. Buy it and start reading it today!" –Tom Connellan, author Sustaining Knock Your Socks Off Service and Bringing Out the best in Others!


About the Author
JOE CALLOWAY is a consultant on branding and competitive positioning whose client list reads like a Who’s Who in business–from newspapers in Sweden, hotels in Great Britain, and computer companies in South Africa to world brands like BMW and IBM. He speaks frequently on business trends, and has been inducted into the International Speaker’s Hall of Fame. Joe owns an award-winning restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife, Annette, and daughter, Jess.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Renowned consultant Joe Calloway has made a career out of helping businesses create competitive advantage through unsurpassed customer service. He knows from experience what separates ordinary companies from companies that dominate the competition. In Becoming a Category of One, he shares the proven business lessons he learned by watching great companies get ahead of the pack and stay there. Ordinary companies compete in their categories, or even lead them. Extraordinary companies create their own categories by doing what no one else does -- in effect, becoming a Category of One. Here's how they do it: they get to know the customer better than anyone else in the business and connect with that customer better than anyone else can. They transcend commodity by offering more than just a product. They defy comparison by doing what their competitors can't or won't do. Becoming a Category of One shows you how these companies do what they do so well, and gives you the tools and ideas you need to emulate them. Full of case studies and personal reflections by leaders of Category of One 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. With his guidance, you'll learn what makes some of the best companies on earth so successful -- and then learn to apply their winning strategies to your own business. You'll learn what makes Tractor Supply Company different from any other retail chain and why LensCrafters is the only household name in eyeglasses. If your company is treading water or losing customers, you have a difficult choice to make. You can hold on to the ideas and techniques that got you this far and hope they work again, or you can find a new way to give customers what they can't get anywhere else. If innovation frightens you, then put this book down now. If you're ready to take your business to a new level, then read on ...

SYNOPSIS

Praise for Becoming a Category of One

Renowned consultant Joe Calloway has made a career out of helping businesses create competitive advantage through unsurpassed customer service. He knows from experience what separates ordinary companies from companies that dominate the competition. In Becoming a Category of One, he shares the proven business lessons he learned by watching great companies get ahead of the pack and stay there.

Ordinary companies compete in their categories, or even lead them. Extraordinary companies create their own categories by doing what no one else does—in effect, becoming a Category of One. Here’s how they do it: they get to know the customer better than anyone else in the business and connect with that customer better than anyone else can. They transcend commodity by offering more than just a product. They defy comparison by doing what their competitors can’t or won’t do.

Becoming a Category of One shows you how these companies do what they do so well, and gives you the tools and ideas you need to emulate them. Full of case studies and personal reflections by leaders of Category of One 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. With his guidance, you’ll learn what makes some of the best companies on earth so successful—and then learn to apply their winning strategies to your own business. You’ll learn what makes Tractor Supply Company different from any other retail chain and why LensCrafters is the only household name in eyeglasses.

If your company is treading water or losing customers, you have a difficult choice to make. You can hold on to the ideas and techniques that got you this far and hope they work again, or you can find a new way to give customers what they can’t get anywhere else. If innovation frightens you, then put this book down now. If you’re ready to take your business to a new level, then read on . . .

Author Biography: JOE CALLOWAY is a consultant on branding and competitive positioning whose client list reads like a Who’s Who in business–from newspapers in Sweden, hotels in Great Britain, and computer companies in South Africa to world brands like BMW and IBM. He speaks frequently on business trends, and has been inducted into the International Speaker’s Hall of Fame. Joe owns an award-winning restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife, Annette, and daughter, Jess.

FROM THE CRITICS

Daniel Burrus - author, Technotrends

"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."

Ken Blanchard - author, The One Minute Manager

"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."

Dr. Dorothy Marcic - Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management, author Respect: Women and Popular Music and Managing with the Wisdom of Love: Uncovering Virtue in People and Organizations

"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."

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. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Price, product, and even quality don't cut it anymore when it comes to rising 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 Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. Read all 6 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Tony Alessandra

"For anyone looking for the inspiration, the road map, or the reason to take their business to the next level, Becoming a Category of One is definitely it."  — PhD, author of The Platinum Rule and Collaborative Selling

Michael LeBoeuf

"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."  — PhD, author of How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life and The Millionaire in You

Jeffrey Gitomer

"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."  — author of The Sales Bible and Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty Is Priceless

Tom Connellan