The Zappos Story
“Envision, create , and believe in your own universe, and the universe will form around you.“- Tony Hsieh
I’ve been sent more than a few books to review here on the blog but I’ve only done 2 so far and they were ebooks.
I’m admittedly a nerd who loves when stuff shows up on my door step and I figured I just had another awesome amazon package showing up. However upon opening it I found it was not one but two advanced copies of the Zappos Story: Delivering Happiness.
I guess in the world of Zappos that’s like sending the customers shoes overnight when you think it’s going to be 2 days. I was like, WOW Cool. It’s just a part of the Zappos model of wowing everyone in their path.
- Paying new employees $2000 to quit
- Making customer service the entire company not just a part of it
- Focusing on Company Culture as the #1 priority.
- Apply research from the Science of Happiness to run a business
- Help employees grow both personally and professionally
- Oh and make some money too
It’s all standard operating procedure at Zappos.com
This book for me was about stepping up my game and seeing a much bigger picture so stick with me because I’m going to give you a chance to get a free copy of it yourself. I seriously hope it does for you what it did for me.
Story Behind The Story
If you don’t know what Zappos.com is then you really want to dig into this read. Zappos.com isn’t just an online company that sells shoes. It’s a model for pushing new boundaries of thought, true happiness, creativity and practicing excellence.
One of the things I dug the most was how Tony Hsieh (Author and CEO of Zappos) shares the successes he had way before Zappos ever even came into the picture.
He shared the story behind the story.
Many times I hear or read about lots of marketers or business owners that paint this effortless picture of overnight success with their primary business however he sheds light on everything that lead up to the current success of Zappos.
I had no idea he had the kind of success that Tony Hsieh had already discovered previously to Zappos. His hard work, dedication and commitment to culture early on had a lot to do with his transformation and application of happiness at Zappos.com.
Marketing Customer Service
A “Customer Obsessed Company” would be one way to pen Zappos but now after reading the book I realize just how obsessed with the customer experience the company is. This concept transcends into the very core of the company and is what makes it work.
In Delivering Happiness you see exactly this works currently within the company but even more importantly exactly how it grew from day one within the company and even before. I really got the evolution that not only the company went through but how it all started which was by knowing all of Tony’s history.
Tony really digs into the fact that it’s always been more than just the money, even though Zappos merged with Amazon.com for an insane amount, Tony says in the book it’s always been about creation. After knowing his full story, you really get that.d
“Another common trap that many marketers fall into is focusing too much on trying to figure out how to generate a lot of buzz, when really they should be focusing on building engagement and trust.“-Tony H.
How does Zappos focus on building engagement and trust?
Via some serious kickass customer experiences.
Those experiences start from the inside out and are are based on 10 core values. That to me, transcend just business.
10 Core Values
“Many companies have core values, but they don’t really commit to them. They usually sound more like something you’d read in a press release.“-Tony H.
By really committing to core values it means you willing to hire and fire based on them. Imagine as a solopreneur or a small business living by that credo yourself?
I tell you it’s made me think on a whole new level even as an individual working from home.
- Deliver WOW Through Service
- Embrace and Drive Change
- Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
- Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
- Pursue Growth and Learning
- Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
- Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
- Do More With Less
- Be Passionate and Determined
- Be Humble
Now imagine just living those 10 core values in your personal life, regardless of having a business or not?! This is one of the reasons Zappos.com employees dig working for the company. It’s not just a way of business, it’s a way of life.
These values are broken down individually step by step and you’re shown exactly how they were implemented into this successful companies culture. This part of the book alone is worth the time to read.
The Stories
There are pages and pages of stories of employees sharing their unedited insights, stories and true experiences of working at Zappos. There’s no better way to put your core values to work than to be utterly transparent with your employees experiences.
How else would you realize they are really working?
Sure companies may be profitable but how happy is the company from the inside out?
Do you think uninspired or unhappy employees could truly create an amazing customer experience?
I don’t care what size business you have or hell I don’t care if you have a business or not period. There is an amazing amount of value you can extract from this book and apply to your personal or professional life. I know I did.
- Looking to be inspired?
- Are you looking to run your business with a breath of fresh air and be happy?
- Looking to re-difine the rules of how a business is supposed to be run?
- Looking to find purpose, passion and profit in your life finally?
Go grab a copy of Delivering Happiness today.
People don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it as Simon Sinek says and it’s never more clearly outlined how to accomplish this than in the Delivering Happiness book.
Book Contest
So here’s what you do next to get in the drawing for the Free Limited Edition Copy of Delivering Happiness:
In the comments below pick one of the 10 core values above and share with me what 1st step you plan to take to implement it this week. As you can see, it can be personal or business based on the values. I’ll pick the one that I think rocks the most and send you a Free Copy of the book!
Think about it, whether you get the book or not you totally win!
Be sure to leave your comments below and I’ll pick the winner by this Friday as well as feature their entry and announce who they are here on the blog next week! Let’s get to it!
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I saw Tony present on the Engage Today replays and was very impressed with his clarity and focus on values. I work with nonprofits, which often have a closer connection with values and mission than the corporate sector, but don't know how to make money at the same time. This book would be an excellent resource to explore in nonprofit leadership training programs–a real life example of how to live your vision and make money at the same time. Transforming the culture is the tricky part and I'm looking forward to reading the book's advice on how to build that bridge. Exciting stuff. Please put my name in your draw.
Thanks for your input Maggie 🙂
Culture is so important in an organization and Tony really really nails it with Zappos. Thank you for entering!
Awesome review! You are making me want to go out and get this book. I have heard about Tony Heish and Zappos before so i am somewhat familiar with the company, but i never knew a lot about the details of what they do and how they do it. It sounds like Tony has built a company that has a culture and work environment that is the way things “should” be. So many people are fed up with their work and their careers b/c they do not enjoy their work environment and do not grow as a person. I am going to implement step 2: embracing and driving change. I have had some changes recently in my business & instead of resisting the change (as i usually do in my life) and i going to embrace it and look forward to change & keep me eyes open for the new opportunities that await.
When I first heard about the new book based on Zappo's enormous success based on their employee culture, I wanted to read it (and haven't yet.) So this contest is a great motivator + I love the terms you set for doing it!
The country of Bhutan has established happiness as the measure of its Gross National Product and I always wonder how our own country might be different if we set that as our goal as opposed to some other metric. I know I attempt to apply it in my business — which is a small arena but still. . .
For this contest I am going for Item #3: Create fun and a little weirdness. I have been working on a new membership site and I honestly think this is what it's missing. This week I will be exploring what we can do with this principle to make things fun and a little weird for the members. If we can pull this off, it's going to sizzle!
Thanks for your vision and heart 🙂
Nancy
Outstanding Nancy! I love the insight about Bhutan.
Let's definitely create some fun and a little weirdness. (I think I have the market cornered on closet weird but I'm sure you'll come up with something cool 😉 )
Please keep us informed of what you implement in your membership site. I'd love to hear what you come up with!
Thanks for your entry!
Rats, I forgot the plan! It seems to me that you can't really work on one of the values on this list without also developing several of the others. The most practical place to begin with nonprofits would be in developing open and honest relationships through communication. People who work with volunteers, and volunteers themselves, often tend to be 'careful' rather than open and honest with each other. The result is a lot of Teflon relationships. Focusing on ways to connect more deeply and share more honestly would eliminate a lot of the conflict and hassle between individuals, and let people look on the wider issues of organizational culture, client service and the need for change with fresh eyes. Having a better sense of control as individuals can lead to greater willingness to transform the organization. At least, I'd hope so.
Thanks for posting such an interesting review and offering the chance for me to really think about how I'd go about using Tony Hsieh's ideas in my work. It sounds like a book that should be offered as a door prize at all of my trainings!
Fantastic insight Maggie!
What we resist persists so I think that's one big reason why Tony not only encourages embracing change but “driving” change. Those are the people who are game changers. I think Tony has a company full of game changers and it's one big reason for his success.
Thanks for you entry and keep us informed of your successes!
You're very welcome Maggie and thanks for giving your plan more thought here on the blog. I like the “teflon” relationships results. I also come to know them as a veneer relationship. Simply on the surface and no deep connection.
I like your ideas and would like to hear about how they come to fruition.
Good luck! In the contest!
Very interesting! One great Tony reviewing another.
Love Zappos.com values! These are truly ones that transcend business.
It was a great reality check to see how I'm doing.
I appreciate the huge reminder for me to deliver value #1: Deliver WOW Through Service.
This is for both my business and personal life. I remember listening to Ken Blanchard's Raving Fans CD about not only delivering consistently but also to overdeliver with unexpected positive surprises to create raving fans.
I commit to delivering WOW through service to 1) my wife and 2) current and past clients by giving them an unexpected surprise.
1st step to create a raving fan out of my wife is to plan a great evening out with my wife (she loves food, wine, and desserts) and buy her a gift she's been wanting for awhile.
1st step to create a raving fan out of my past and current clients is to create a training that instantly positions them as the #1 expert in their field that allows them to attract more clients, increase their fees, and increases their confidence given free as a thank you.
Thanks Tony! This was a much needed reminder. =)
Eiji
Eiji that's an awesome outline brother!
Raving fans completely rock but they don't come without investing in. Love the input and thanks for your entry!
How can anyone loose when putting our minds and bodies to work like this 🙂
Great, passionate review Tony. I've heard so much about Zappos.com and really would love to read the book! I'm pretty much working on all of those values right now (maybe my problem is that I'm a bit scattered in my efforts). So, for this contest I'm picking #4. I tend to let fear hold me back. So I'm going really work on being adventurous and creative this week. I'm giving my very first public presentation about Reiki on Sunday. I've been putting off developing the presentation and the flyer and other materials because I'm afraid they'll suck. But I'm going to work on them right now and they are going to rock! I'm going to be creative and open-minded about my approach. I'm going to put a muzzle on my inner critic. I'm going to go out and help people by introducing them to this simple yet powerful healing therapy that they can learn to do themselves! I'm going to help people help themselves. Thanks for the inspiration Tony!
You rock! Congratulations on your first public presentation on Reiki!
I'm proud of you for stepping up and saying why you've been afraid to do the tasks (Afraid the results will suck) However you know they will definitely suck i you don't do them at all lol.
Being creative, open minded in your approach and putting a muzzle on the inner critic. I LOVE that line!
You've inspired ME now with your excitement. Please let me know how well it goes after Sunday and thank you for entering!
I like # 3.
I like people that just do what they want to do and to hell with what people think!
I remember one time I came back to work at lunchtime with a water pistol.
It was a blast!
Haha, as it should be for the most part Annie! Watch out for the Pistol packen Annie 😉
Thanks for contributing!
Great post 😀
Tony, I like this post very much and appreciate that you pick this conglomerate of attitudes as important.
When I look at the list of core values, I convinced that the most important of all is number 10 'Be Humble'. When you misses this aspect of the attitude you may risk to be self convinced. And so you may not be sensible enough to the reactions of your customers, or your family and friends. And I realize that this is the risk I I'm regularly in. So this post is a welcome reminder to take the time (at the mints once a week) to self evaluate the way I behaved and was it in a way to get the most out of it for everybody.
Thanks
Cees, I'm glad you got value from the post and I'm happy to see you're taking time to evaluate yourself each week. Way to go!
Hi. Thank you for such an awesome and inspiring post.
There is so much to learn here on so many levels, I can only imagine what the book teaches . More than anything, books and posts like these re-affirm one's belief in basic goodness in life and business, rather than putting the self first. So I choose the first value. Deliver WOW through service. Am trying very hard to live from the heart and this only furthers that goal. For service is giving, true giving, ensuring others, all others benefit, grow and smile. How do I propose to do this . 1. To write only and only from my heart in my new blog. Not to write about myself but about what I learned so others may engage and smile from it. To express the fanastic wisdom in life so we can all bask in its joy.
2. To provide service to all I meet, family and friends. To provide service by truly listening to them and not judging hence accepting them. To listen to what they really need and give it. example chocolate mousse for my brother (he loved it and it will be my first time making a chocolate dessert so he will be surprised I hope). To listen to my friend as she makes a new job decision.
Finally how does one truly provide wow service. Answer to me is by putting myself aside and looking at the others core and seeing what they truly need, heart to heart communication, chocolate mousse and a smile.
Thanks for a great post and truly making one think. God bless
You're quite welcome.
Great steps you've outlined and I'm sure you'll have nothing but good stuff come from implementing it! Chocolate mousse and a smile. I dig it!
Thanks!
Hey Tony, Hi there! How are you? I was looking for a little inspiration tonight and one of my top 5 choices was spending a great deal of my time on your blog. I always love knowing what your up to and what kind of blogpost if brewing up in your world lol!
I enjoyed this post! I always admired Tony. Tony & Marci Shimoff was truly my ultimate inspiration for my ‘happiness odyssey. I read Tony’s story over and over. He is exactly a story of true innovator with a HUGE heart. I love what his done with zappos. And the fact that employess does not think about quitting at all but evolving within their work reflects so much about Tony’s own philosophy. His definitely a great role model for business & life.
Thanks for this Tony! I know your contest is over. But i was just wanted to come over and say Hi to you my good friend.
This week I will work on:
Embrace and Drive Change
Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
Thanks Tony
Love & Light
Therese Miu
Hey Tony, Hi there! How are you? I was looking for a little inspiration tonight and one of my top 5 choices was spending a great deal of my time on your blog. I always love knowing what your up to and what kind of blogpost if brewing up in your world lol!
I enjoyed this post! I always admired Tony. Tony & Marci Shimoff was truly my ultimate inspiration for my ‘happiness odyssey. I read Tony’s story over and over. He is exactly a story of true innovator with a HUGE heart. I love what his done with zappos. And the fact that employess does not think about quitting at all but evolving within their work reflects so much about Tony’s own philosophy. His definitely a great role model for business & life.
Thanks for this Tony! I know your contest is over. But i was just wanted to come over and say Hi to you my good friend.
This week I will work on:
Embrace and Drive Change
Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
Thanks Tony
Love & Light
Therese Miu
I'm so honored to be your inspiration tonight! (Last night now) Top 5! Kick ass 🙂
I totally thought of you and your happiness journey for the next 6 months when I read Tony's book! It's such a a huge inspiration no doubt.
The contest may be over but the lesson lives on. 🙂 No one loses, everyone wins when we make the decision to start living again!
Wonderful qualities to work through this week Therese.
Live out loud!
Your friend in Love & Light
Tony
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awww the contest may be over but the lesson lives on =) WOWWEEE A very Tony Teegarden philosophy. Thanks again!
And you're so very welcome 🙂
I've always loved Zappos and what they stand for.
Having worked in the restaurant industry for years, exceeding customer/client/guest expectations is a simple concept but difficult to excel at on a consistent basis. It is so amazing though when you succeed at providing a client or customer with something they didn't even know they needed!
It's called anticipating needs and if done properly can TRULY separate you from the competition in customer experience and satisfaction.
One small example from my server days was with something as simple as a warm towel with a lemon on it for guests who ordered ribs. I learned early on as a server that you could wow them if you delivered it just before they even realized they “really” needed it. Or the realization that if someone ordered coffee or a “foo foo” drink prior to their meal, that about 4 bites into their meal they'd probably really prefer a drink of water to wash down their sandwich. Something they may not have realized they wanted until they realized it was something they wanted… if that makes sense.
These things seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often simple things like this are actually put into practice. The key is finding the ones in your business and executing them on a consistent basis. The only way to know what they are is to know your customers.
The reality is, no matter what business you're in opportunities like this present themselves continuously. That's how Zappos has been so successful at separating themselves from the competition. It's all about experience and experiences happen with people.
MSC Industrial Direct has similar culture and is doing great
Jared, I'm not sure how I missed this awesome comment but I just now noticed it! (Missed email?)
So true. I've often thought to myself that if I was a server that I'd serve people at the level of expectation that I have…and then some. I admit that I've been disappointed with my dining experiences in the past because I just didn't get that WOW experience that I know I would have delivered.
The great news is I get to do this in my own business here at TonyTeegarden.com. The Rib analogy was so dead on brother.
The opportunities are always there and it's just a matter of stepping back an asking, how can I WOW someone today?
Thanks for the inspiration brother! Great comment!
Thanks man. I Googled their site. Good stuff!