The Category Killer!

If I asked you to name a fast food hamburger restaurant, what would you say? How about a dandruff shampoo? All of these questions create a category in your mind. Becoming a category killer is the goal of most entrepreneurs, because if you can create one you will garner the majority of business in that category in the region you serve.

 

I would like to share with you one client who has done that in the category of liquor: Trig’s and Trig’s County Market. Trig’s is named after its founder Trig Solberg. Trig and his team have taken a grocery store liquor department and truly redefined it with their Cellar 70. Perhaps it’s the barrel-curved ceiling with tongue and groove cedar that sets it apart? Maybe it’s the wine displayed in wood carriers that dominates the store that sends a strong message?

 

Might it possibly be the wood beams adorned with chandeliers that hover above you (yes, chandeliers that match the décor perfectly)? Finally, maybe it’s the fact that you would have to take a course at a local university on wine selection and wine making to know as much as a Cellar 70 manager does; that kills this category.

 

I think it’s a combination of everything mentioned above (and I haven’t even discussed the rare beers and exotic liquors Cellar 70 offers). You simply need to take a special trip to one of their five locations from Stevens Point up through the Northwoods to experience it firsthand.

 

All across the country businesses are standing out and becoming category killers, from the single boutique businesses to the multi-store small chains. You can do it too. You can do it within your job right now. What little noticeable actions can you take to help you get started? Might there be an opportunity to be a category killer in what you do? It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a strategy and doing small things everyday that build the experience and the reputation.

 

So let’s raise a glass and toast the category killers who make our buying decisions so much easier and, as always, drink responsibly!

 

Joe Kiedinger

 

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