ChoiceStream

Yesterday we had the incredible good fortune to host Alfred Lin, Chairman and COO of Zappos, technology guru and ChoiceStream advisor Esther Dyson , Joe Chung of Allurent, Ed Macri of CSN Stores , and Harvard professor Richard Zeckhauser . This diverse group launched into an insightful discussion about trusted brands using what they know about a consumer's preferences to improve the consumer's every interaction with the brand — for instance, personalized recommendations while shopping, targeted offers in email, and advertising that gets noticed not because of its size or flash, but because of its personal relevance. We shared our visions of the future, and debated the logic of getting there from here — how consumer demand for relevance will (or won't) move brands to pool their information to benefit consumers, how brands will communicate their policies on data to their customers, and Esther's favorite — giving control to the consumer so when she's in market for a product or service, brands can readily find her and bid for her business. No evil in this room — everyone recognized that consumers are in the driver's seat.

This visit was made even more memorable when Alfred spoke to all of ChoiceStream's employees — at what we called our first 'All-Feet' meeting, in honor of the visit from the biggest shoe retailer in the world, Zappos! At Zappos, they emphasize delivering WOW through service — going above and beyond what's expected — and there is no question that this core company value at Zappos (among 10 in all) contributes to the company's success.

A lot has been written (and tweeted) about the culture Zappos has created, and people want to know the secret. I think what impressed all of us yesterday was the simplicity of the goals Zappos created years ago — break the billion dollar sales mark and be recognized as one of the best places to work. Zappos achieved both before their 10th anniversary last month.

When Zappos was founded 10 years ago, industry analysts and pundits predicted the certain demise of the start-up determined to sell shoes over the Internet — after all, 'Who would ever buy shoes online?' Zappos decided people would buy with the right kind of service. If shoppers could easily buy, try, and return, then shopping for shoes on the Internet — or for apparel of any kind — could become as commonplace as buying books, music, or electronic gear. Well, $1b in sales and millions of pairs of shoes later, it turns out a lot of people would, and do.

Alfred talked about how Zappos' culture of a relentless focus on delivering WOW through customer service helped the company prove the naysayers wrong. The focus on service permeates everything Zappos does—from how they train their employees, to their call centers and shipping practices, and everything in between.

Alfred's talk was a great reminder for ChoiceStream to strive for WOW in every interaction with our customers and to keep improving our technology to put the WOW in the personalized experiences our customers are creating for their shoppers. 'Good enough' is never good enough. Not for Zappos. And, definitely not for ChoiceStream.

We look forward to working with this first class team. Thanks Zappos!