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The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and WOW [Hardcover]

Joseph Michelli
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 8, 2011

Make every day a WOW day for your customers, your staff—and your bottom line!

“In your hands is a manifesto on how Zappos completely blew away the standard of delivering a consumer-centric experience and a revolutionary company culture. Joseph helps us all understand how to achieve a little more of that Zappos magic.”
—Eric Ryan, method cofounder and person against dirty

“If you’re looking for an inspirational path for creating a likable, trustworthy, and wow! organization, you’ve hit the mother lode.”
—Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist of Apple and author of Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions

“This book provides a roadmap to a successful business by taking inspiration and examples from one of the most innovative, progressive companies of our time. Don’t just read it; use it.”
—Tony Hawk, professional skateboarder and author of HAWK —Occupation: Skateboarder and How Did I Get Here? The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO

“Thanks to Joseph Michelli, you can learn exactly how Zappos hit it big and how you can too. By using the five principles Joseph has distilled, you can supercharge your efforts and start down the path to legendary success.”
—Mark Sanborn, President, Sanborn & Associates, Inc., and author of The Fred Factor and You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader

“Often, business owners look at media darlings like Zappos with their mouths agape, full of awe but unable to take action. For those eager to do more than watch, Joseph Michelli deconstructs the Zappos story and makes it attainable.”
—Seth Godin, author of Poke the Box

About the Book:

ZAPPOS. The name has come to stand for a new standard of customer service, an amazing online shopping experience, a great place to work, and the most impressive transformational business success story of our time. Simply put, Zappos is revolutionizing business and changing lives.

Now, Joseph Michelli, author of the internationally bestselling business books Prescription for Excellence and The Starbucks Experience, explains how Zappos does it—and how you can do it in your industry.

The Zappos Experience takes you through—and beyond—the playful, offbeat company culture Zappos has become famous for. Michelli reveals what occurs behind the scenes at Zappos, showing how employees at all levels operate on a day-today basis while providing the “big picture” leadership methods that have earned the company $1 billion in annual gross sales during the last ten years—with almost no advertising. Michelli breaks the approach down into five key elements:

  • Serve a Perfect Fit—create bedrock company values
  • Make it Effortlessly Swift—deliver a customer experience with ease
  • Step into the Personal—connect with customers authentically
  • S T R E T C H—grow people and products
  • Play to Win—play hard, work harder

When you enhance the customer experience, increase employee engagement, and create an energetic culture, you can’t help but succeed. Zappos has woven these five key components into a seamless strategy that’s the envy of business leaders.

Now that strategy is yours.

With The Zappos Experience, Joseph Michelli delivers a package for instant success right to your doorstep. All you have to do is open and use it.


Best Value

Buy The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and WOW and get The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary at an additional 5% off Amazon.com's everyday low price.

The Zappos Experience: 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and WOW + The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., is the bestselling author of Prescription for Excellence and The Starbucks Experience. He is an internationally sought after speaker and organizational consultant who has been featured on The Glenn Beck Show and CNBC’s On the Money.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 8, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0071749586
  • ISBN-13: 978-0071749589
  • Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello, I am an author, professional speaker and business consultant. My goal is to catch what is right in the world and playfully spark people and businesses to grow toward the extraordinary. In addition to writing books like The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary, I provide free weekly podcasts at http://drjosephm@podbean.com


Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
(16)
4.7 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Virtual Review October 28, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Length: 4:58 Mins
Virtual review of The Zappos Experience.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Using Core Values to be Distinctive May 28, 2012
Format:Hardcover
I read this book for a client who asked me to use it as the inspiration for their staff retreat which I facilitated. I will be forever grateful to this client for introducing me to Zappos.

The book is organized around 5 core principles:
1 - Serve a Perfect Fit
2 - Make it Effortlessly Swift
3 - Step into the Personal
4 - Stretch
5 - Play to Win

In addition to containing excellent content on how to use core values to be distinctive, the book also has a website with additional information, videos, and resources.

Finally, because the book is about Zappos, where one stated value is to create fun and a little weirdness, this book is not a dull read. And yet, there is much to learn. Enjoy!

Karen L. Jett, CMA
Author Grow Your People, Grow Your Business
Facilitator and Creator of Strategic Plan-ting(TM) Workshops
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! December 16, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book for a book report in one of my MBA classes. I LOVED it! The book is organized well, and the Zappos culture is very interesting to study. I highly recommend this book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A sales person must. December 4, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If your a sales associate in retail or starting your own business this is a must read.....it's all there, spelt out.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring story September 23, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Zappos Experience was an inspiring story about how Tony Hseih took a simple concept and turned it into a successful company. It seems like he took business back to the basics and expanded on how to value both customers and employees in uncommon ways in today's business world. And from all I can tell, he has stuck to those principles while making Zappos an enviable place to work and do business with.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Customer Service Transformed into True Customer Care October 21, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Length: 7:04 Mins
What separates Zappos--quite distinctively--from the vast majority of companies who claim to give top-tier customer service? Author Joseph A. Michelli says, "Ordinary brands often take a 'one size fits all' approach to service, but legendary companies like Zappos find ways to create individualized experiences that extend beyond their solid service platform."

My video review discusses:

--Why Zappos "seeks culture fit before skills fit"
--The "video cover letter" an applicant submits
--How far Zappos goes beyond the traditional day-long employee orientation
--Option a hired employee gets when the training session concludes
--What Zappos does to compensate for a moderate pay scale
--The incredibly lengthy telephone conversation Zappos devoted to a customer's problem
--Zappos' work climate resembling an "overgrown frat house"
--The highly unusual "culture book," available to anyone who wants to read it
--Why service that is merely predictable isn't good enough

Also, I quote directly some of the book's best "nuggets."

If you're looking for a playbook for your staff and employees, get this one. As I suggest in the video, use the Zappo principles as a yardstick for measuring your own customer care.

Please note: McGraw-Hill invited me to review this book. This invitation from the publisher did not influence my review in any way. In fact, if anyone asked me to review a book only if I guaranteed a favorable review, I would decline the opportunity instantly, regardless of the prestige of the author or publisher.
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13 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you want a positive example of a progressive company, than this book provides a comprehensive view of Zappos as an example. In that regard it is a 5 star book about Zappos. If you want to understand everything about what make Zappos a powerhouse in eCommerce, then read this book. If you want to understand how they got there, the tough decisions they made, the failures and what they learned, then you will need to look elsewhere. In that regard it is a two star book. Joseph Michelle has written a book that is more tribute than teaching about Zappos, why it is the way it is and how you can apply those lessons.

Overall the book is recommended for people who want to read about the positive aspects of a dynamic and unique business. Those looking for a more analytical, balanced and critical view will need to look elsewhere. Michelli provides a view of the company that is more than overly positive and based on the premise that whatever they are doing is right because they are getting good results. The book would have been much more powerful if it had shown the discussions, trade-offs, decisions, false steps etc.

If you can get past the single direction and positive shout out tone of the Zappos Experience, then there are more than a few things you can learn from reading this book. First it is organized around the five main principles of the company:

Principle 1: Serve a perfect fit -- a discussion of culture, its importance and what culture in operation looks like.
Principle 2: Make it effortlessly swift -- A discussion of how you raise speed through having engaged and knowledgeable people.
... Read more ›
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My great-uncle and great-grandfather were talented shoemakers from Italy. They likely could have never envisioned selling their hand-made shoes to customers on a computer network called the Internet. After reading The Zappos Experience by Dr. Joseph Michelli, I imagine that they would appreciate a company that uses modern technology with an old-world humane touch. What other company pays new hires a severance payment to leave after one month if they are not happy?

"I was intrigued by the prospect of a third party spending time embedded in our company and providing a comprehensive analysis of the key aspects of what makes Zappos tick." Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos.com, Inc., quoted on page ix in the Forward.

If Dr. Joseph Michelli spent any more time embedded in the culture and phenomenal customer-centric success of Zappos, they would create an icon for him on their home page. He takes a comprehensive look into Zappos from the CEO down through the ranks to pages on their website. This book chronicles the company and produces a blueprint for its unique success.

Organized Format

There are eleven chapters, a conclusion, a precisely detailed notes section, two appendices and a helpful index. The chapters are divided into five sections, or "Principles," to reinforce the learning aspect of the book. The author writes in an enthusiastic, informational and entertaining style. He also included interviews with a variety of Zappo's team members, outside consultants, vendors and customers to paint a meticulous portrait. For example, Rafael Mojica, a senior user experience architect at Zappos:

"It is an obsession to make our website - and ultimately all Zappos touch points - more user-friendly...
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful
This is how real companies should function and if more companies would value their customers and employees, we would have a better business climate.
Published 1 month ago by Siggi Nagele
5.0 out of 5 stars I love Zappos!
I bough this book for a research paper I was doing on the company. Very insightful. I also liked that throughout the book there's a bunch of those QR codes that bring you to... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andrea
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
I'm always on the lookout for good business books with advice and ideas I can use in my own company. I wish more businesses were like Zappo's in their culture and hiring. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Shaughn Shepherd
4.0 out of 5 stars WARNING: You will realise how outdated your company is when reading...
Customer Video Review
Length: 6:14 Mins
Published 11 months ago by Tony J. Ridley
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read on the success principles of Zappos
As a small business owner, I found this book to be a very easy read in a positive delight to understand and once again remind myself of all the basic principles of making business... Read more
Published 12 months ago by aliciaqu
3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly basic...great insight into Zappos...lots of cliches
Part of our business book club at work, I found this book to have some good examples and practical advice, but also loaded with clichés and repetition. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Donovan Mattole
5.0 out of 5 stars How and why Zappos demonstrates that happiness should - and CAN - be...
I have read and reviewed all of Joseph A. Michelli's previous books and consider each a unique and brilliant achievement. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Robert Morris
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