Whether you align more with the strategic imperative or Category design helps your customer success team Part IV: the tactical weapon approach, category design shouldn’t provide customers with a clear idea of the problem How to Talk With be a decision you make capriciously. It needs to pursued they will help them solve. And when the right because there is a specific business outcome that you expectations are set, churn is likely to be lower. Your Team About could not achieve by competing in an existing category. • Partnerships. Businesses can only afford to Category Design Remember: category design helps invest in so many relationships. If you can use (and Get Them every team win the process of category design to demonstrate that you’re poised to become the leader of a new Excited) It goes without saying that category design helps your market, you’re more likely to attract high-value marketing and sales teams win. But the reason it’s partnerships. Those partnerships can be used called a business strategy is that it helps nearly every to add to your momentum, helping make your department succeed. leadership potential a reality. Here are a few examples: • Product. Remember, category design provides • Finance. A big part of finance’s role is to attract a lens for where your company needs to head investors. But attracting the right investors and the problem it wants to solve. That lens can can be pretty tough if you don’t have a great be extremely informative to product decisions. story to tell. Yes, past financials are a part of Asking yourself “does this decision move us closer that story, but in a growing startup, what to building and dominating our category” can investors are really looking for is future growth. provide tremendous clarity. A company poised to create and lead a new Furthermore, “Category design can also provide category will usually look more attractive than product managers, designers, and engineers with a one competing for a slice of an existing one. boost of excitement and creativity,” says Anna Schena, “Talented people love the chance to live up to a According to Bruce Scheer, a longtime B2B challenge and be recognized for their efforts. Category sales and marketing consultant and the CEO design delivers the opportunity for both.” of InspireYourBuyers.com, “Category design • Employee retention and recruiting. This one communicates to investors that you have a unique shouldn’t be a surprise. People want to stick with market insight – that you see the blindspots in teams that are doing new and exciting things. the problem being solved and have a solid plan to Category design shows them that you have big address it.” plans and aren’t just conducting business as usual. • Customer success. What’s the bane of customer Likewise, having such a strong vision can help you success’s existence? Churn. And a big driver of churn attract better talent to your company. is when customers sign up for the wrong reasons. • Leadership. Category design provides a “north star” Perhaps they were confused about what the on where your company needs to get. It can (and software was intended to do. Or about who it was should) provide guidance on strategic decisions. for. Or why it will help them succeed in the future. Having such clarity can only help your leadership team to be more effective. The Newcomer’s Guide to Category Design 36