I had an opportunity to interview Rob Harles, VP Social Media and Community at Sears Holdings, and ask him about this social media phenomenon that is not only winning awards but building tremendous customer loyalty.

MM:  Thanks for joining us, Rob.  When did you launch MySears?

RH: The MySears community had a soft launch in June 2008 under the Web site sk-YOU.com, which quickly attracted a large and growing membership of more than 200,000.

In May 2009, Sears Holdings officially announced the launch of the MySears community, allowing customers to share their insights, experiences and product reviews by creating a two-way dialogue between the retailers and their customers through discussion forums, blog entries, ratings, reviews, polls and surveys, and an exciting new idea suggestion area and platform to leave comments.

MM: What was your original mission for the website? Has it changed?

RH: Whether it’s improving how customers shop online, in-store, through mobile applications, or finding ways to enhance Sears’ offerings and learn more from customers, our mission has always been to empower customers to shop how they want, when they want and where they want, and helping them better manage their lives.

The MySears community launch supports Sears’ belief in the power of community and in creating new and better ways to engage its customers, associates and vendors who are invited to register, create a profile, upload photos, share their personal experiences and ideas, and connect with each other.

This ability to engage and interact with our customers via the MySears community is an important part of our goal to improve the shopping experience for everyone.

MM: What are a couple of the most important things you’ve learned about your customers through MySears?

RH: Since the launch of the MySears community, we’ve learned more about our customers and what they like from us. One of the key learnings is that our customers really want us to succeed. Our most engaged customers want to share their ideas and thoughts about how we can accomplish that, and we’re open to input and ways to make our customers’ lives better.

One of the other big lessons learned is that we need to do more than just listen, so Sears absorbed the information and worked to make customers’ suggestions come to fruition.

MM: Do you know what percentage of MySears members are women?

RH: A little more than half of the membership is women, and that has shifted over time as we have broadened our outreach and appeal.

MM: Do you find that women use the site differently from men?

RH: From interacting and engaging with customers frequently, Sears learned that women in the MySears community do tend to be very vocal and offer more suggestions compared to male members.

In addition, we asked our members how they use the site and if they were heavily engaged in social networking during the initial launch. The response was interesting as many were not comfortable with Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, but they were comfortable on MySears rating and reviewing products, sharing experiences and meeting people who were more like themselves.

We capitalized on that initially by not pushing the social elements of the experience until people got comfortable. That too, has begun to shift as the mix of members has changed balancing the sexes and pulling in younger age groups.

MM: Any future plans for MySears?

RH: The MySears community will continue to evolve with the help of our customers. We have said that the community essentially belongs to its members, so we will continuously engage with them to make it a place that aligns with their needs. The future of social media is constantly changing, and Sears will do its best to learn and incorporate features and tools to benefit the lives of our customers over the next few years. As long as our customers keep talking to us, we will have a community.

Thanks again, Rob.  It will be exciting to see where MySears goes from here.

If you are interested in building a community like MySears for your business, I suggest you sign up for a free membership on MySears.com.  There are dozens of lessons to be learned from what the site is doing, and by pulling just one or two ideas from their strategy, you can build a powerful online community no matter what the size of your company.

I’ve long been fan of Wen’s incredible portrait photography.  Hers is a family enterprise, with husband Sean sharing business duties.  They have a unique sense of marketing on a shoestring, and a knack for taking advantage of all opportunities.

Case in point:  Blizzard 2010.

On Friday, February 5^th, Wen looked at the snow falling outside her window and knew that she wouldn’t be the only one snowed in.  So she went on to the Facebook fan page for Wen McNally Photography and created “The Blizzard of 2010 Snowed-In Contest.”

Fans can vote on the senior portrait of their choice, and may cast up to 5 votes. The first place winner wins a $100 gift card to the store of their choice and a “poster session” with their friends.  Second and third place winners win a mini-studio “Facebook Friend” session.

Of course, in order to have the ability to vote, you have to become a fan of Wen’s page.

The contest started three days ago; it ends at midnight tonight.

As of this writing, Wen has added more than 650 new fans to the page and gathered more than 2,000 comments.

650 new fans, all friends of the seniors featured in the contest.

650 new potential customers, who can now view Wen’s amazing work.

All it took was a little time, a $100 gift card, and an attitude that seeks out small opportunities rather than large obstacles.

Most times, I’m pleasantly surprised.  Sometimes, my experience is so great I feel that I should be paying them for the privilege.

Such was the case this week with Wine Entre Femme, an organization of professional women in the wine industry.

Holly Buchanan and I traveled to Napa Valley to discuss marketing with this group of women, who had traveled from all over the globe – France, South Africa, Japan, Turkey – to learn, share, and explore.

This is the cream of the crop – vice-presidents of marketing, chief financial officers, vintners, owners.  Both Holly and I were immediately struck by an extremely rare balance of professionalism and personal friendship.

After rocking the house with our presentation and three 30-minute roundtable discussions, I came away with this:

These women know their sh**.

Whether a third-generation grower or second-career vintner, each of these women has immersed herself in the creation of wine.  She sees the big picture of all that’s required to make a successful business, from research to finance to marketing.  She isn’t afraid of hard work, and often laughs at the “romantic” perception people have of owning a winery.  As one woman told me, “Our way of life is hard work – it’s agriculture.”

These women see the big picture.

They do their homework, think big, but try to make business decisions based on reality.  Should we create an off-shoot label with a cute name to attract women?  How do we protect the integrity of our original brand?  Do we even have the financial and operational collateral necessary to give it a try? They realize that sometimes, the answer is no.  Holly and I spent a great deal of time talking to this group about “owning” whatever segment of the market they focus on, not just to follow a fad in marketing.

These women are family first, competitors second.

With literally thousands of wines flooding the market, these women are competing with each other for distribution and shelf space.  But they recognize the power of relationships.  The Wine Entre Femme members not only come together to learn; they share their secrets with each other and bond in ways that empower them all.

Holly and I broke bread (and drank plenty of wine) with these women at their Farewell Dinner on Monday evening, and laughed till we cried at the love these women have for each other and each others’ wines.

Women running up and down the Barrel Room of Trinchero Family Estates, grabbing the wines of their friends and telling others to try some.

Women telling stories of battling Mother Nature and bankers in suits.

Women who realize that in coming together and growing as a force to be reckoned with, they will break down the barriers of a male-dominated industry.

Every industry could learn from what this group does and believes in.  I know I have. I miss them already.

The company has chosen something as ordinary as fabric softener and customized it for individual consumer need and desire.

Five scents are hers for the asking, ranging from Almond Cream Bliss to Spice Blossom Dare (and check out that black bottle for Orchid Allure – it works!).  The containers have been designed for a feminine, elegant feel, yet are easy to hold in your hand.  Form follows function, for a change.

The ad campaign is an excellent example of how to acknowledge and speak to consumers that reside in different personality neighborhoods.

Reminiscent of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, the 30-second television ad nails the message to consumers through visuals, copy, and music.  Simple, light, easy… and appealing.

Every woman has many sides.

Downy Simple Pleasures…. Feel more.

The website follows suit, with more detail on the products, a tool to help you select your scent, and a reminder of choice in either liquid or dryer sheet form.

Like I’ve said here dozens of times, a woman has many sides.  It’s nice to know that Downy is working that knowledge to its advantage.

Over the last year, my instinct has told me that the business category that will continue to do well will be health and wellness (as long as they provide excellent services and customer experience).

The recession has caused people to stop and take stock in what’s most valuable in their lives, and what’s often most important is taking better care of their overall health.

It’s not rocket science.  I’m sure you’ve probably thought the same thing, too, as you’ve reflected on the recent changes with the economy and longer-term shifts in cultural attitudes.

It looks like GNC has been thinking about that as well, and may be entering a new era of growth for the company.

A recent article in The New York Times details GNC’s continued success during the recession, and its strategy to make the GNC brand more relevant to female customers.

For the first time, GNC will be advertising in magazines like Self, Yoga Journal, Glamour, and O, promoting its new line of Wellbeing products for hair, skin, nails, and nourishment.

The former muscle-bound company is trying to speak the language of the customer, with black-and-white ads featuring healthy women and an elegant presentation of product lines.

And while I’m not necessarily crazy about packaging in pink or lavender, GNC did listen to women in determining what the obstacles were to purchase, namely the size of pills (for easier swallowing) and coating (for better flavor).

GNC has also opened a pilot store in Pittsburgh, designed to appeal more to female customers.  Bravo to GNC for not going overly feminine – simple changes in lighting, width of aisles, floor space, and colors (brighter, not pastels!) should definitely act as a magnet for male as well as female customers.  Remember:  what her eyes take in is the first impression she has of your business, and goes a long way toward planting your brand into the reward behavior area of the brain.

If you find yourself near a GNC, drop by and take a look at their new line of products for women. I’d love to hear what you think – does GNC hit their intended target, or is it a big miss?

This morning, I returned the call via her direct line.  The phone rang several times, and I mentally prepared myself to leave a voicemail.

Someone picked up the phone – a man.  “Good Morning – Chase Bank at Pinnacle Peak.”

Thinking I had dialed incorrectly, I asked for Alicia, and was put on hold.

A few seconds later, Alicia came on the line.  When I started to apologize for dialing the wrong number, she stopped me.

“You dialed the right number.  We just don’t have voicemail anymore.”

It turns out that Chase has made a corporation-wide decision to eliminate voicemail systems in all of its branch banks.

Effective this week, my branch has switched over to a new phone system.  During business hours, I will get a live person who has been trained to answer the phone and take detailed messages, if needed.  After business hours, all calls will go into one voicemail box, which will be transcribed and sorted first thing the next day.

Alicia says, “Chase feels that real, live customers deserve real, live customer service.”

This is smart marketing that, for me, just made Chase seem a little less like a corporate behemoth and a little more like “the bank around the corner.”

Have you encountered any positive communication changes with businesses like this lately?  Have you instituted changes within your own business?  Tell me about them!

A good student takes lots of notes.

A great student takes action.

Tom McMinn owns McMinn’s Furniture, based in Odessa, Texas.  After participating in one of my six-week online workshops, Tom went to work applying the Four Neighborhoods of Women principles to his own advertising.

I asked Tom for his permission to share some of his recent radio ad scripts with you.  He said he’d be delighted, and even sent over the produced 30-second spots for you to hear.

Thirty seconds isn’t a whole lot of time to say your piece (100 words or less), so creating a message that hits your customer like a laser beam is critical.

Here are ads for three of the four “neighborhoods” Tom studied. He did a terrific job of thinking about each customer type’s time horizon before putting pen to paper (note the phrases highlighted in red), and it made all the difference. (He also does a great job of voicing his own ads – adds to the authenticity factor, don’t you think?)

Spot #1:  Regal Queen (Spontaneous) – Time Horizon: “In the Moment”

McMinn’s Spot 2 (Regal Queen)

Tired of that boring old room? Hey, you’re not dull. Your living space shouldn’t be either! Hi, this is Tom McMinn from McMinn’s Furniture, where you can give your room an “instant makeover” TODAY. Drop by to see one of our “room stylists” at McMinn’s Furniture 3323 Andrews Hwy in Odessa. We’ll help you rearrange your current furniture, add a piece, or even totally redo. And we’ve got what you’ll need in stock, so your new room can be a reality in no time at all. It’s your space. Make it live the way you want it to!

Spot #2:  Healer (Humanistic) – Time Horizon: “Leave a Legacy”

McMinn’s Spot 1 (Healer)

Dreaming of a home where family and friends love to be…where sharing the warmth of a cozy fire and the comfort of a simple family meal? Hi, this is Tom McMinn for McMinn’s Furniture, your home owned, family operated furniture store. At McMinn’s, your dreams can become a reality.  We’ve been helping family folk just like you create happy homes for more than 37 years. Why not let us help with yours?  Let’s get together soon, at McMinn’s Furniture, 3323 Andrews Hwy. in Odessa.

Spot #3:  Warrior Princess (Guardian) – Time Horizon: “Leave a Legacy”

McMinns Spot 3 (Warrior Princess)

Don’t you hate those furniture stores where some self-proclaimed “designer” spends YOUR precious time telling you what SHE thinks YOU should want? Hi – Tom McMinn from McMinn’s Furniture here, where we “get it.” You’re a grownup. You KNOW what you like.  What YOU’RE looking for is expertise and knowledge. At McMinn’s, we’ll measure, help you arrange, and share with you about quality, budget and style. Then we’ll get out of your way and watch YOU create the perfect room for YOU. Shop McMinn’s Furniture TODAY, 3323 Andrews Hwy. in Odessa.

Stop thinking you have to speak to all women in every ad you create.  By narrowing your focus to one “neighborhood” at a time, your message will have much greater impact and be much more persuasive.

Greater Impact = Higher Level of Persuasion

Higher Level of Persuasion = Increased Sales

Why not give it a try? If you want to learn more, check out my posts detailing how very different the Regal Queen, Healer, Warrior Princess, and Sorceress are from each other.

Do you have any ads or copy that focus on the neighborhoods of women?  Do you have examples you’d like to share?  Send them my way – I’d love to read what you’re doing to improve your marketing to women strategy and messaging. C’mon… don’t be shy!

Even when I have a minor meltdown over corporate decisions on advertising and target markets, I still have a strong love for the shoe itself.  And like any shopper who wants to save time, I often order online through New Balance Web Express. They follow the Zappo’s business model, with pre-printed shipping labels and free returns.  They also seem to be taking a page from the Zappo’s customer service handbook.

I recently ordered a pair of running shoes, under a new model number.  I hit the jackpot with shoes that come pretty close to running on a cloud, and I made a mental note to immediately order a second pair as a replacement.

A couple of days after receiving my package, I got a personalized email follow-up from NB Web Express customer service, saying they hoped my shoes were serving me well.  On a whim, I answered back saying that not only were the shoes great, I’d be ordering a second pair AND I really appreciated the customer service follow-up.  This led to a short flurry of pleasant correspondence, and that was that.  I ordered my second pair of shoes, and went about my business.

A few days ago, I received another customer service email from NB Web Express.  They wanted to thank me, they said, for not only being a good customer but also for being so nice to their customer service department.  The email included a gift certificate for $50 off my next purchase.

As a business owner, how many times do you think of offering a discount or a gift card to a disgruntled customer as your way of saying, “We’re sorry”?  How many times have you thought of doing the same as a nice surprise for a customer who’s been especially pleasant to deal with? You already have a happy customer in the palm of your hand – why not cement that relationship by going over the top to say “Thanks for just being you”?

I have a couple of retail clients that I’ve convinced to give this idea a try – I’ll share the details in an upcoming post.

But I’ve been wrong before.

Today’s story on NPR’s “Morning Edition” about the new Herald Square store made me think that JC Penney just may have some things going for it, not the least of which is their commitment to serve the typical Manhattanite’s “need for speed.”

New York just seems to be a very fast-paced city, and everyone is kind of over-planned out,” says Jeff Bank, CEO of Alicart, which owns the New York restaurants Gabriela’s, Carmine’s, and Artie’s.

“Speed is essential,” he says. Customers “want to get to where they’re going. They’re going to their show, or they’re going to catch a bus.”

Fast service is “very important” to New York shoppers like Clare Posnack, who was sweeping through Penney’s early one afternoon last week.

“I have very little time to shop, and I’m on a lunch hour, so I want to do everything as fast as possible,” she said.

What does she do when she goes to a store and service is slow?

“I leave,” she said tersely.”

JC Penney obviously did its homework before the grand opening.  Placing a priority on efficiency, the company:

• Built 8 dressing room areas with 63 stalls, all fully-staffed
• Created a warehouse system (based in Connecticut) that makes a steady stream of store deliveries
• Developed an electronic customer queuing system for smooth transactions
• Stores extra cash registers that can easily be swapped out if one breaks down

If JC Penney can match the quality and style of its products with this level of service, the company’s bold move could prove to have a big payoff.  The company was flexible enough to address the specific needs of a geographic region and in the end (if they’re smart), can apply what they’ve learned through this new business model to more urban stores in the future.

It is New York, after all – if they can make it there, they can make it anywhere.

Sleep Squad is a mattress retailer based in greater Chicago, and is using every weapon in their arsenal when it comes to capturing customers.  Sleep Squad has no need for bricks-and-mortar retail stores.  Why stay in one place when the company can come to you?  Michael Cote has reinvented the mattress business with a fleet of portable showrooms that pull up to a customer’s door and offer a customized mattress-buying experience.

As writer Thomas Prais, recently wrote, “… Cote’s out-of-the-box thinking wasn’t even ‘inventing the wheel’ kind of innovation – he just applied one long existing business model (pizza delivery) to another long existing business model (mattress sales), seasoned a dash of Internet, and Voila!”

Be sure to read Cote’s extensive interview, where he talks about how he started the business, the over-the-top experience the company aims to deliver, and plans for the future.

Here are just a few critically important quotes from the interview:

It wasn’t like I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to be the mattress king. I wanted to find the worst experience and turn it into something people could brag about to their friends. After we did that, we tried to figure out everything about shopping for mattresses that people really despised.”

We carry over 150 different skus. We carry more models than the average mattress store in Chicago, which has about 45 models on the floor. We inventory our selections, which enables us, if someone calls us up at 8 a.m. and needs a mattress by noon, and they need a twin, Simmons, BeautyRest classic pillow top, we can have it there by noon, along with two or three other very comparable selections.”

Instead of commissions, we give bonuses based on customer satisfaction, whether there’s a purchase or not.  [When it comes to hiring] We prefer to hire people who have never been in the mattress industry before. We’d rather not spread that cancer.”

We have a process checklist that our employees go through on every single appointment. So in addition to making sure the jacks are down, and the showroom is level, and the merchandising wall is fully stocked, we also make sure that every single customer introduction is the same. So we explain why the shade is one-quarter closed to begin with, we explain that between showing every mattress we’re going to leave the showroom whether the customer asks us to or not, so the customer can try the mattress in privacy.”

…we’ll shovel the sidewalk right up to the front door, and that way even if there’s a foot of snow people can put on their slippers and try the beds in privacy and comfort.”

These are just a bit of the very revealing insight the article has to offer.  In these days of competition from the Internet and an economy in distress, this kind of extreme retailing is what the smart entrepreneurs are doing to achieve cult brand loyalty.