Marketing & Branding

Marketing is an art, a process and a science. It is your left brain ... right brain ... common sense and soul.

I was talking to a colleague yesterday about branding. When a client says that they need "branding," what do they REALLY mean:

• A new name, logo and/or color scheme?
• Branches that are all designed consistently?
• One consistent message that resinates with every communication they send out?
• A well trained team who can provide consistent service from location to location ... from day to day?

The answer is ... YES! It's all of these. Your brand is every interaction - be it face-to-face, brochures, ads, ATMs, facilities, parking lot, online access or word of mouth - that an individual has with you. Ultimately it's the way a customer feels when they walk into your front door ... and more importantly, how they feel when they walk out!

Think about every possible way someone can come in touch with your institution ... try to see it from your customer's point of view. When you look at the sum of the parts, what is your personality? If your bank or CU was a person, what would they be like? Fun? Serious? Sloppy? Are they the life of the party, or do they shy away? Are they introverted or extraverted? Do they try to help? Are they a volunteer in the community?

THAT is your brand.

Take care,

Eric

On the Clock...

If you are a football fanatic, you were in 7th heaven over the weekend! 

The NFL Draft!

Think about the draft...lots of information and statistics surrounding each player, but truly they are untested against the ranks of other NFL players.  Some highly touted players never reach their potential and yet others, like Jerry Rice, rise to prominence from obscure small schools.

So what is the lesson to be learned?

It's all about heart!

We hear it all the time...we have big competitors that we cannot compete against.  Our markets are too big to be effective.  Our budgets just cannot match our competitors.

To each of these statements, I answer "where there is a will, there is a way!"

• Find the way to be different in your markets...
• Find staff that are hungry to compete and WIN...
• Find customers that want a different experience

They are ALL out there...you just need to find them!

The challenge for this week...you are ON THE CLOCK!

Your time to "draft" new customers, "select" new staff, acquire new "free agent" customer deposits and loans....is now!

Get a plan...get a focus...get momentum...and be on your way to results!

You are now ON THE CLOCK!

Make it a great draft for your team!

Cheers!

Bruce

When to Outsource

As I write this blog, I have contractors in my house finishing my basement to make more room for the kids to play (and, hopefully, a place to hide their toys!!!). Over the last week or so, I've been reminded exactly how much work goes into building a simple room: framing, wiring, lights, moving plumbing, drywall, flooring, etc., etc., etc.

Now, I'm a fairly intelligent guy and I have a lot of the tools that these guys are using. I know how to use a tape measure and a saw and I can read Do It Yourself websites. What I'm trying to say is that I might have been able to do this job myself ... BUT...

I simply don't have time. Between the important day-to-day work like mowing the lawn, doing the laundry, house cleaning, basic home maintenance, taking care of two kids and the like, I simply don't have time to do the bigger jobs. Besides:

• It would have taken me ten times longer because I don't have the same skill set as a contractor
• I don't have ALL of the tools that I'd need
• IF I was able to finish the job, the quality wouldn't be nearly as good

Does this sound like your situation at work? Between dealing with changing regulations, squeezing margins and internal management issues, the important day-to-day work can take time from the bigger strategic picture that will drive business and impact the bottom line.

The way I had to find the right contractor, it may help to find a marketing partner that has:

• The experience of creating and implementing strategic plans, building differentiating brands, segmenting and targeting the right customers and training sales staff to deliver on the marketing promise, ...
• The marketing tools that you may not have, be they creative, PR, media, strategic planning, etc., and ...
• A proven track record of quality specific to your industry.

What I've learned this week is that having the right people help you get the job done, makes for a better end product, a more restful nights sleep and more time for me to do what I want to do, like hang out with my kids.

Take care,

Eric

Can Customers and Prospects Talk to You?

As you can imagine, in my role with MarketMatch, I spend a great deal of time on the telephone talking to (or should I say trying to talk to) banks and credit unions. Often, I have only the main telephone number of the institution and have to depend on the quality of their telephone system to allow me to reach the appropriate person.

I have found the process frustrating at best. Many times I have navigated through the automated options only to have my call dropped just after I select what I think is the final option before I get the individual I am trying to reach. Other times, I have found the only way to talk to a live person is to talk to customer service and then asked to be transferred. Even then, half the time the call get dropped.

When I do encounter a telephone system that is either answered by a "live" person or a system that allows me to key in the last name followed by the first name of the individual, you would be amazed at how the call is answered. More often than not, the individual does not identify themselves or the institution. Even more rare is the greeting "how may I help you."

Don't even get me started on voice mail messages. Voice mail messages are "all over the place" from very rude to very helpful.

How long has it been since anyone at your institution has taken a look at your telephone system?

The cost of telephone systems has dropped dramatically over the last several years. Every institution can afford a quality telephone system.

How long has it been since your institution has discussed telephone etiquette?

Institutions spend a lot of money on branding, web sites, merchandising, etc. but often overlook what is in many cases, the first customer/prospect touch point an individual has with the institution.

Does your institution have a standardized voice mail message?

If not, creating one would probably be a good idea! If you decide to create a standardized voice mail message, refresh it frequently. Remember it is OK to "sell" via the voice mail message!

Bottom Line - Make sure your telephone system represents a "great" customer/prospect touch point because your institutions reputation for quality service is "on the line." No pun intended.

Have a great week!

Mike Witsken

A Lesson From A "Sandwich"

By now, I'm sure you've heard about the abomination from KFC called the Double Down. In case you haven't heard about this beast, it is a bacon and cheese "sandwich" housed between two pieces of fried chicken. It's essentially calories, cholesterol and fat ... it's a heart attack in a sack.

I in no way endorse this product or encourage you to eat it - in fact, I see it as another reason why we have one of the fattest and most unhealthy countries in the world. But, there is one marketing lessons that can come from this product that should have it's own chapter in the Healthcare Bill.

Rethink Your Existing Packaging

Since the aristocracy, we have considered a sandwich as anything that is jammed between two pieces of bread. KFC said, "Why not chicken - it's what we do best?"

Likewise, in banking, our bread-and-butter account has always been checking. Well lets scrap the rules for a second. It's 2010, the prime driver of these accounts is less and less about the check book and more about electronic access, right? Wouldn't our staff be more likely to promote and our customers be more likely to accept key products like e-statements, debit cards, online banking, text alerts and online bill pay if we dropped the "C" word and called these "Access Accounts" instead?

I'm sure we can apply Double Down thinking to many of our traditional products and help "fatten" our products per customer numbers. Have an idea? Share it in the Comments section of this blog.

Take care,

Eric

It's Here!! Monday!

Greetings and HAPPY MONDAY!

Today is a great day...spring has sprung, the weather has turned and I have actually mowed my grass 2x already!  The best times in grass mowing?  The 1st time of the season...and the last time of the season!  However, each time in between adds to the look of your home and displays your attitude toward your neighbors.

To that end, I share my blog for today...

Action is required by everyone.

Monday's are all about action.  You had the weekend to rest and relax (or have a crazy schedule with baseball, soccer, dinner's cookouts, etc...but still relaxing stuff!) and think about the coming week.  So, today's action has to be to put your thoughts INTO action!

Just like mowing your grass is a reflection on you and your neighborhood, so is your Monday actions! Your actions reflect on your attitude and desire to be successful as well as your attitude toward your co-workers, your company and your customers.

Come out firing away and getting things done...it sets the tone for a GREAT week and let's everyone know that you are ONBOARD with success--- your's and theirs!

So...put your weekend thoughts and considerations on the front burner and get them INTO action.  You will find success comes, the week speeds along, and people gravitate to you.

Afterall, success (like honey) attracts good things!

Have a great MONDAY and even better week...

Cheers!

Bruce

TGIF...Getting ready for TGIM

Greetings and Happy Friday!

Today is a great day...and three specific reasons:

1. It's Friday...
2. Client work is rolling great
3. Monday is only 2 days away!

I know....sounds crazy right?  Well, when you have the benefit of working with great clients, both bank's and CUs, you have the best of the best in all facets of the work we can produce.

So...I have two items to share with everyone today...

(1)  Make today count!
(2)  Make those around you feel counted!

Simple words...but VERY impactful!  I just completed a proposal for a large potential client that deals with realigning their internal communications and the entire process reminded me how important those two simple steps can be to supercharge an organization.

Making Today Count!
We only have 365 days in a year...so we HAVE to make each on count!  How?  Put your best efforts forward, do things that are relevant, and MEASURE what you do.

Making Those Around You Feel Counted
This is all about empowerment.  We have all worked with people that have a "job" versus a "career"  Being the marketer, it is your mission to make sure everyone takes their job and their impact and sees it as a"career" while they are at your institution.  Share info, thank people for their efforts, communicate needs, ask for help...all small actions that make those around you feel counted!

Have a great Friday...and see you for a supercharged Monday!!

Cheers!

Bruce

Nature Quotes to think about this Monday

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle--when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

~Roger Bannister

First man in history to run a sub-four minute mile

"Wolves do not aimlessly run around their intended victims, yipping and yapping. They have a strategic plan and execute it through constant communication. When the moment of truth arrives, each understands his role and understands exactly what the pack expects of him."

~Twyman Towery

Wisdom of Wolves

The thoughts for this Monday?

• Are you the lion or the gazelle?
• Have you hit this Monday running?
• Are you running around your competition "yipping and yapping," or are you following a plan?
• Are you constantly communicating your strategic plan to the rest of the pack?
• What is YOUR role in the hunt?
• Does your entire team know what the pack expects of them when the moment of truth arrives?

Thank God it's Monday!!!

Take care,

Eric