The Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Secret To Growing A Billion-Dollar Business

Just got back from David Neagle’s Experience The Reality Of Success seminar. Wow, where do I start?

David and his team truly know the meaning of the word “overdeliver.” Case in point: 2 guest speakers: Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.com, and Ivanka Trump.  That’s me with Tony in the picture.  If he looks younger than me, that’s because he is.  (But not by much!)

In case you don’t know Tony, here’s something to ponder: under his direction, Zappos.com grew to a billion dollars in annual sales in under 8 years. How did he do it?

“We don’t think of ourselves as an online retailer,” Tony says.  Zappo’s is a company that provides incredible customer experiences. And they’ve designed and built the entire culture of the company around that mission.  “Get the culture right and everything else takes care of itself.”

Now you may be thinking, “That’s great, Elizabeth, but when it comes to my biz, I’m a single guy or gal.  I’m not building a billion-dollar enterprise.  I don’t have corporate culture.  I’m a lone ranger!  What does this have to do with me?”

For starters, here are 2 things:

1. Thanks to building outstanding customer experience into Zappo’s, Tony now has an army of happy customers marketing his business for him. (And it’s the best kind of marketing – word of mouth.)

2.Want more clients in this economy?  Want even more clients when the economy recovers?  Want to offer your clients incredible value and charge premium prices for your services?   Create incredible experiences. Start now.

The buzz is spreading about Tony and his achievements at Zappo’s.  (“It’s nice and all, but we pay more attention to our customers,” Tony says.)

“Create incredible experiences” is not news; indeed, it’s something I advise my clients on all the time.  Tony and Zappo’s just did it… in a huge way.  Now, in the worst economy since The Great Depression, they’re on the rise.  (Dare I say bullet-proof?)

Tony’s presentation was worth the entire trip to Vegas.  In a later post, I’ll share his “7 Steps For Building A Brand That Matters.”  In the meantime, have a gander at my ERS photo album on Facebook.