Describe Your Biggest Success

I was recently asked in an interview what my greatest success was and could I describe why. Over the course of a 30 year career, there have been many successes, each one the greatest in the moment, each for their own reasons. As I think through my career there are moments that pop out, those are the ones that mean the most to me. Here is perhaps my most favorite, the one that truly embodies why I love this field of marketing so much.

It was 2009, a year earlier I had decided to transfer my experience to the retail environment, because OF COURSE the summer of 2008 seemed like the best time to go into retail marketing! The company was a large pet supply eCommerce retailer. After creating new marketing strategies, tactics, approaches, internally and externally, we attended a commercial trade event in New York City.

At one point during that event a woman came up to me in our booth and asked if she could give me a hug. I obliged. As she hugged me I realized she was crying. She told me that the recession crash had affected her tremendously and she was so very thankful that she had found us and was still able to pamper and spoil her dog because of us. She went on to explain that her dog had done absolutely nothing to contribute to the recession, and it was unfair that he would have to suffer because of it. But finding our site, and knowing we provided both quality products at a reduced price, gave her the peace of mind that allowed her to pamper the one who gave her the most comfort.

And with that I began to cry, too.

That is exactly why I do what I do. No single strategy, no measurable tactic or outcome, no ROI data point can capture THAT measure of success.