eBay in Person: Bill Cobb
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Bill is always passionate about the Community |
Bill Cobb became president of eBay North America late last year. Recently, he spent some time with The Chatter team and shared some of his insights and priorities.
What is the most unusual thing you've ever bought or sold on the site, and what is your feedback score?
I'd say the most unusual thing I've ever bought on eBay would be an electric golf cart. My feedback score is 81.
What is the most important thing you learned while leading eBay's international business that you've applied as president of North America?
In my first role in the US as head of marketing, I spent very little time with Customer Support. In my last two years running eBay's international business, I learned a lot about Customer Support, which is an integral part of each country team. Customer Support adds a lot of value for the Community overseas, and I'm bringing that emphasis around Customer Support to North America.
What do you see as your top priorities for eBay in 2005?
That one is easy! I have six priorities:
- Improving natural search so that more of our sellers' listings are discovered by potential buyers via Internet search engines;
- Growing the Business & Industrial category, which I believe still has a lot of untapped potential;
- Expanding the eBay Motors marketplace;
- Continuing to add value to eBay Stores;
- Developing tools and programs to make shipping easier;
- And for the longer term, improving the finding experience on eBay.
After your letter to the Community in February, how many emails did you receive, and what were the most important things you learned?
Well, we stopped counting at 40,000 emails. I'd say there were two things that really stood out for me: One is the passion that the Community has around Trust & Safety issues. Rob Chesnut and his team are leading a world-class effort to keep the eBay marketplace safe and fun. [Click here to access the archive of the audio Town Hall with Bill Cobb and Rob Chesnut from April 21.]
The second big thing I took away was the amount of interest around shipping issues. Shipping is the next big friction point (after payments, which was solved by the integration of PayPal) that we need to solve for our buyers and sellers. This is why it is such a big priority for me.
Since you assumed your role as President of eBay North America late last year, you've hosted three audio Town Halls (click here to go to the Town Hall archives) and you've even been spotted posting periodically to the discussion boards. Can you let us know why you feel this is so important?
I think that the Community needs a person that they can look to for leadership, for insights, and, frankly, for someone to complain to and offer suggestions. eBay has always been a person-to-person marketplace, and personalizing communication is important.
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Bill spending time on the Feedback Board in April |
And actually it's not just me who is becoming more visible on the site. Our many leaders in the company and key staff (see the General Announcements board) are making themselves more available via email, Town Halls, workshops, on the boards, and in other ways. I think as we grow, it is easy to slip in this area, so that makes it even more important that we redouble our efforts to stay engaged with our Community.
If you could have dinner with one person in history, who would it be?
I would probably have to say Abraham Lincoln, because I've been a Civil War buff for a long time, and I have always been struck by the tough decisions that Lincoln had to make in what apparently was a lot of time spent by himself. I'm intrigued by what a solitary person he was in such a visible position and what his decision making process must have been like.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Kids and golf! Our work schedules at eBay are pretty intense, and I do have to carve out time to spend with my three boys (ages “almost 12, almost 10, and almost 7”) and all their activities. But when I can get free from them – it's on to the golf course!
