You could earn up to $75 in Sears gift cards from Manage My Home

Nov

12

2009

Manage My Home is expanding to handle everything from pets to personal electronics, and we’d love to know how you get things done. Until December 11, we’re giving away free gift cards to find out.

To receive your $25 Sears gift card, just share a video or photo presentation of how you handle one of our latest projects from three of our new categories. And you can win three times – just submit video or photos in each of the new projects and you’ll get a gift card for each one!

But hurry! We’re only giving away gift cards to the first 25 respondents in each category.

Get started!

Alex, Marketing Manager
ManageMyHome.com

Get Answers on Twitter - @ManageMyHomeBob

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. See official rules.

Sears Hometown Shop Talk – Take a Little Raford with You

Sep

30

2009

Most people will read this title and think to themselves, what could “take a little Raford with you” possibly mean? To me, it is personal reminder of how important the customer is in retail.  It is easy to get caught up in the daily activities or running a retail store or working for a large corporation and forget about the most important asset that any retailer has.  It is not the inventory, the store location, the land or even the brand image, it is the customer.

 

On my first trip to Northern California with my wife some years ago, we were stumbling through the Russian River valley with no real plan.  It was a fly by the seat of your pants vacation, no plans, we will figure out as we go along.   Looking for a place to stay one night, we stumbled upon a bed & breakfast with a couple of palm tress in the front yard and I said “we have to go in here”.

 

Well, needless to say,   that was my first Raford House experience and now I cannot go to California without a stay there.  The inn is always neatly kept and clean, not fancy, but not shabby by any means.   The difference that this inn has over any other in the area is the innkeepers, Rita and Dane.  Both go out of their way to make sure every guest in their home is comfortable.  They make you feel as though you are one of the family and not simply a patron who is paying to stay there.

In the morning, Rita makes one of the best breakfasts that you will have and Dane is always there to greet the guests and to talk about what plans they may have for the day before he heads off to work.   He makes sure everyone has directions to where they are going and points out the best place to stop for lunch, wine or if you want to canoe on the Russian River.  The thing that stands out the most to me is this: Before Dane leaves and the guests head out on their daily adventures, Dane gathers Rita in front of the fireplace, thanks everyone for spending part of their vacation with them, wishes everyone a great day full of fun and exploration, and for those who have to leave and go home to make sure and “take a little Raford with you” wherever you go.

 

All departing guests are given a special gift when they leave. It is not a 10% off coupon for your next stay or a bottle of wine; it is a large bear hug from Dane.  Many people have probably read Jack Mitchell’s book, “Hug Your Customer”.  I would venture to say that Dane has not read Jack’s book nor did he go to business school to learn the theories of customer satisfaction and the best methods for customer retention.   It is the simply the theory of making a personal connection with every customer and making them feel special.  It is as simple as thanking every customer who decides to walk through your door, even if they are not buying, and make them feel as though they are the most important asset that you have. Help all of your customers “take a little Raford with them” as they leave your store.

 

I would like to hear about a customer service experience that was above and beyond what you expected.  Please reply to this blog post and let me know about your experience

About Me

 

My name is Jon Phillips. I am the Director of Field Business Development for the Sears Hometown Stores. I look forward to hearing about your great customer service experiences.

 

About Sears Hometown Stores

 

Sears Hometown Stores are two Sears store formats located away from shopping malls. Hometown Store is locally owned and operated Sears stores and Home Appliance Showroom is the leader in home appliance shopping. Our friendly and knowledgeable store owners and showroom managers proudly serve your local community and offer you largest selection of home appliances, tool and lawn and garden equipment, and home electronics, exceptional customer service, best price guaranteed plus credit, delivery, installation and protection agreements.

 

Sears Hometown Stores established in 1993

www.SearsHomeTownStores.com

 

Sears Home Appliance Showroom established in 2007

www.SearsHomeApplianceShowroom.com

 

Sears in Spanish

http://espanol.sears.com

    

Sears Hometown Shop Talk – Fall Clean Up

Sep

25

2009

As I gather my things together to head to work, I catch a glimpse of a tree outside, and all I see are branches. The ground is covered in leaves. No, I tell myself. It’s not over yet.  We still have a few days left before, before…I can’t finish the thought.  But it is time to rake leaves and shut down the fun summer outdoor activities. 

 

Do you look forward to Fall Clean Up? I’d much prefer a day at the beach and I’m all for anything to make life easier and to improve the process of raking leaves. I’m new to the Sears Hometown Store team and I’m amazed at the breadth of Sears products available for Fall Clean Up. Best of all, these are high quality Craftsman products. 

 

We just moved from Ohio where we had 34 trees in our backyard. I know because my kids counted the trees. Imagine full grown, 50 foot tall, beautiful trees. It’s amazing how many leaves fall to the ground from 34 trees! My family (my husband, my two kids, and I) were armed only with a rake. THAT was the extent of our Fall Clean Up tools. So, we raked the leaves onto a tarp. Then, we dragged the tarp from the backyard to the front curb. And, the city had a special truck, which drove through the neighborhood and vacuumed the leaves piled high at the curb. I’m sure my kids counted how many times we dragged the tarp to the curb, but we have all blocked that from memory. And, when it rained, the wet leaves made it a heck of a work out

 

Now at Sears, I see a Craftsman blower vac, a self-propelled Craftsman lawn vac, and much more for fall clean up. The self-propelled lawn vac sounds really cool and works like a mower but it picks up leaves with a hose attachment that helps get under bushes and in tight spots. Soooo much better than a rake and tarp! What a great invention!

 

But, before I head to my locally owned and operated Sears store for my Fall Clean Up projects, I’ll send my kids out to count the trees in the backyard and hope for a number less than 34 (fingers crossed).

 

About Me 

My name is Marty Kozar and I am the Division Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Sears Hometown Stores, LLC. I have two kids that are very proficient in counting.

 

About Sears Hometown Stores

 

Sears Hometown Stores are two Sears store formats located away from shopping malls. Hometown Store is locally owned and operated Sears stores and Home Appliance Showroom is the leader in home appliance shopping. Our friendly and knowledgeable store owners and showroom managers proudly serve your local community and offer you largest selection of home appliances, tool and lawn and garden equipment, and home electronics, exceptional customer service, best price guaranteed plus credit, delivery, installation and protection agreements.

 

Sears Hometown Stores established in 1993

www.SearsHomeTownStores.com

 

Sears Home Appliance Showroom established in 2007

www.SearsHomeApplianceShowroom.com