Excerpts from RevZilla Negotiations are Always Amusing

I just posted a note to our RevZilla customer base explaining the lengths that we go to offer them the best experience. I think it's funny. Maybe you will too.

I hope everyone sees the humor.

Read High Noon in West Texas on the RevZilla.com Blog

2009 New Years Resolutions Recap - Revisited by Line Item

This writeup has been sitting in my draft folder since mid-December. I was about to write another post tonight and when I did I found this gem, which I barely remember writing.

This would be my list of 2009 resolutions and then a commentary on how they went down last year - in their full unapologetic glory.

1. Have 1 phone that lasts the full year without getting destroyed or thrown.
- Didn't Make it. Not even close. 3 iPhones this year. Loss.

2. Care more about parking tickets. ie try to avoid getting them.
- Got new house with 2 spots in Old City and RevZilla's new DC has Parking. I Cut PPA donations from thousands to probably a couple hundred bucks for the year. Winner. Win.

3. Be more detail / roi oriented in the office.
- Always have room to improve, but am happy with gain. Push.

4. Make it to 2010 without losing a fight with another credit card terminal.
- I actually think I pulled this off. No stitches or bloody clothes in 2009. Win.

5. Be more patient with everyone.
- Meh. Push.

6. Get a piece of my once strong tolerance back.
- Parenting got more manageable. Tara and I bounced back a bit socially. I can hang again. Win.

7. Build a halfpipe in my warehouse and ride it.
- Shockingly I pulled this off. I can do 7 tricks. Win.

8. Strive to continue to grow RevZilla smartly and organically
- blew the doors off it during a frickin recession no less. Such a win.

9. Be more humble
- I was the same humble. Push.

10. Start buying and wearing funny t-shirts again.
- Not taking off my glasses, LMAO, Santa is Coming - Busted Tees. Win

11. Start my own lifestyle clothing brand.
- Gracefully abandoned it for more profitable ventures. Focus is a virtue. Loss.

12. Practice what I preach 100% of the time
- So tough. Had my moments of hypocrisy. Loss.

13. Play more guitar and start learning piano
- Absolutely picked the guitar back up, now doing it with my daughter. I sing and play she sings (jibberish) and dances. No piano though. Half Win.

14. Surround myself with more people who I aspire to be like
- Met some great new friends in 2009 and grew stronger friendships with solid current acquaintances. Win.

15. Go from journeyman to ninja of Analytics, SEO and SEM
- Not there yet. Loss.

16. Hang out with Tommy Lee, Axl Rose and Mr. T & See a good concert.
- Hung out with none of them, but talked to Charles Barkley (fav athlete of all time) twice. Also saw Motley and Def Leppard from the 5th row. I'm taking a win on this.

17. Retire the Trash Truck.
- Still have the trash truck. Wife drives it. Sucks. Loss.

18. Blog more about biz.
- I twittered more about biz. Doesn't count. Loss.

19. Start shooting skeet / trap again with my Dad.
- Nope. Bummer. Maybe in 2010. Loss.

20. Read a great book a month if not more often.
- Nope. Didn't have the frequency. Loss.

21. Learn 3 more staple dishes that don't involve a grill or beef.
- Yep. Asparagus, Baked Chicken, Fajitas and Fish. Win.

22. Snowboard with my wife at least once.
-Damn. Maybe in the next 60 days. Loss.

22. Reduce my red meat intake.
- Nope. Delicious murder all year long and was on a lamb kick earlier in Q1 of 09. Loss (secret win).

24. Spend more time with Family.
- Getting better at compartmentalizing. Win.

25. Stop and relax more often.
- Kinda Sorta, but not really. Loss.

26. Be less competitive outside of the office.
- Ugh. Just give me the fail whale. I still want to conquer it all. Ambitious to a fault. Loss.

27. A/B test when available rather than making a gut decision.
- More A/B testing than not. Its a good thing and we stepped it up. Win.

28. Meet more east coast tech rockstar vc's who shall remain nameless for the time being. Its a short list.
- I met them all. Mission accomplished. One of my favorite things about this year is that I forged some great new relationships with some really interesting smart and accomplished folks. Honored they would share their time with me. Big Win.

29. Become a better listener.
- Incrementally beter. If I was a 5 now I'm a 6. Push.

30. Take more pictures.
- Pictures, Video, Streaming Media etc. This was the year I became super-media focused storage is free or cheap. Why not record it all? Win.

31. Go on more fun "dates" with my wife.
-Mos def. Win.

32. Wear more gold chains and velour track suits around South Philly. (submitted by jody ferry)
- Even though I could, better judgement still got the best of me. Loss.

15Wins - 13 Losses - 4Push

I batted .535 this year. Not bad, but there is always room for better. I still need to make my 2010 list.

We will have to see how it goes.

Parents Guide: 8 Tips For Getting the Most Out of the "Mall Santa"

We Took Isa to see the Mall Santa. Hilarity ensued. Enjoy. I love when my wife lets me make guest videos for her Mommy Blog. See the Full Post on BabyMommablog.com

Anthony

Article in KeystoneEdge.com on RevZilla.com

Got some other electronic "ink" this week from KeystoneEdge.com about RevZilla.com.



"Bucci proudly calls RevZilla's small and talented team the company's biggest marketing expense and encourages the under-30 crew play hard as well with pinball machines and a skateboarding halfpipe at its 18,000 square foot warehouse in Philadelphia, where it features a high-end showroom that regularly attracts visitors from more than two hours away. "

Finally a journalist tech-savvy enough to actually understand what we do! I was beginning to get jaded.

Check out the full article here: Three friends rev up the motorcycle market with eCommerce horsepower

Anthony

Interviewed for Starter Stories

I was interviewed last Friday for the Starter Stories video series. It was a fun experience looking back - and looking forward.

You can see the rest of the Starter Stories Video Series here.

Anthony

My Wife vs. The RevZilla Ramp

Tara has infiltrated the "man room" at RevZilla HQ. I know its been a lot of half-pipe blogging lately, but it is still new and has brought a lot of joy.

Watch Tara vs. the Ramp. It's amusing. I promise.



Anthony

The Best Customer Feedback RevZilla has Received in 2 years

This is how my Monday morning started this week. I am still grinning. It's nice when customers really "get it".

=============== Begin Email ================

FROM: Bill S.
TO: RevZilla Customer Service

Once in a great while, like in almost any circumstance of life, you run across someone or something that's doing it well.

You feel good about having worked with them.

A collaboration of sorts.

Like a custom set of Snap-On's box end, open end combinations.

Ta Da.

Revzilla needs to recognized and thanked, and I'm here to do it.

From the word "Go," I had a smile on my face for the entire marketing trip.

The website is easy to navigate, there's a price off, and you get it in my hands in a hurry.

Another company includes 2 day delivery in their price, recognizing that the purchase high is starting to wane at that point.

Putting the product in the customer's hands at that point, extends the enjoyment of the purchase.

OK, I'm off my soap box.

Follow-up (some inaccurately call this post sale or back room) was beyond its pedestrian duties of taking the money and putting the product in the consumer's hands;

Would that be called the actual, instant of the sale ?

Sometimes, we forget the sale takes place at the point of exchange.

Where the rubber meets the road, even.

Many organizations, on-line and off, never get the shiny side up.

They leave the customer ambivalent, at best, at the end of the sale.

No loyalty is created.

It takes so much money to make that first sale, it's cheap at almost any price now to make that customer come back.

Revzilla is doing that.

My gosh, you've even got admirers for the way you're handling yourselves!

You even go right to having the product either drop shipped or coming directly from a mechanized warehouse, I would suppose, with minimal handling and in mfr. wrap.

However you do it, it's delivered in an acceptable range of days.

It's certainly a psychological distance from over a week (8 - 10).

Now cap that off with an icing of Olympia packaging.

Superb.

Better than the norm.

It looks good even in the box.

The folding adds to the selling of the product.

The included hangers will continue to advertise Olympia from the closet, every time the door is opened, for years.

This is a far cry from pulling it off a rack in a store, and dealing with a clerk that is working to get discount pricing.

The requisite "Thank You" note is 8 1/2 X 11 no less.

You're serious about this.

You mean it.

But, sales.

Smooth.

My memory of it is nothing.

Seamless.

Invisible.

An example to be emulated.

Thinking back, I can't remember a time I was sped along so quickly to the sale.

The guy I worked with, not even ordered from, worked with. . . .

Have him teach how he does it.

Collaborative.

You've got this marketing thing dialed in.

From here out, it's fine tuning.

The tough part.

You've done the first 80, no, 86 % percent so well.

Now, it gets tough, but, you guys are so far ahead of the curve already.

My advice to you is to hold onto your hats.

You really see the customer as more than a number.

Maybe you got some of the good Markeing MBA's, those that go behind the research and numbers, get out from behind the screen.

I just wanted to tell you Revzilla's on track.

Wow.

You're a breath of fresh air in the on-line retailing business.

Thank you for the transaction.

Bill

=================== End Email ==================

No, thank you, Bill. You made my day.

-Anthony