Blazing a trail of ethics, morality and social interaction

If you read us regularly you know I am a huge fan of Zappos. My dedication to this company is born from their dedication to me – their customer – which I have now been for several years. I have purchased dozens upon dozens of shoes and other goods, outfitting my wife, myself and our 4 kids.

My relationship with them began a year before I actually purchased. I used the site to search for products and read the content but was not, like many consumers, always ready to start shopping immediately. While real estate still grapples with how to deal the passive web shopper, trying like heck to corral them with lead generation and capture mechanisms from the first visit, Zappos, hung back. Chillin’. It waited for me and, in the meantime, gave me access to everything. One day, I became a customer.

And then things got great.

I am also blown away by their CEO, Tony Hsieh – the man – and the clarity with which he guides his company. I don’t know him personally. And I don’t have too to understand his dedication to the process. I do know this for sure: Every decision he makes must bow at the alter of the Zappos brand promise and answer to the question: How does this increase the level of super service we offer our customers?

I read his blog. I follow him on Twitter and continue to marvel at how he exudes positive thoughts during these challenging times.

Today, Tony published this Blog post correlating the skills he’s amassed as a businessman to the game of poker. It’s pointless to pull a few quotes. It’s best to read this in its entirety but clearly, in his world, being humble, friendly, appreciative and always open to the possibly someone knows more than you are the key takeaways for me.

Zappos is more than a vendor of apparel. In fact, they are more than a company that provides great customer service. Zappos is fast becoming a model of ethics and morality for those looking to blaze a trail forward in the world of online social interaction.

I get it.
I’m grateful for it.  
And I grow as a result.

– Davison 
Twitter: 1000wattmarc