Most Popular
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Profit Pirates - That's our story and we're sticking to it!August 17, 2009Inner brandingBy Bernstel, Janet BighamPublication: ABA Bank MarketingDate: Tuesday, April 1 2003While trying to institute any new initiative in your bank, you're bound to run into the profit pirates. These are the "We've tried that before and it didn't...
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>Are you putting the "Un" in Unadaptable?August 19, 2009>Still refuse to use a cell phone? This “email” stuff is a fad, I’m sticking with the fax machine! Still playing 8-track tapes instead of mp3’s? Wi-Fi and High-Def... what’s that? If my customers want it they’ll ask for it!...
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Leaders - Deposit Acquisition - Resistance is Futile!September 28, 2009To all Presidents and Retail leaders,We are now into the fourth month of our intense focus on Deposit Acquisition (DAQ). At least 80% of leadership is currently supporting the DAQ process. Unfortunately only 40% of branch employees and 33%...
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Strategic Planning - Community BanksOctober 13, 2009Over the past 30 days we have been directly or indirectly involved in the development of several bank strategic plans. The first thing you notice is how many of last year's objectives were not met. The next thing you...
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The QuestionOctober 22, 2009"How did you hear about us?"That's it. That's the question. Every employee that opens accounts at your bank should be asking this question of all new customers. If an existing customer is opening a new account, the employee should ask... "What...
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In A HurryNovember 25, 2009My wife and I went to Sonic the other night with a friend. This friend also happens to own two Sonic franchises. When the young lady brought our order out my friend asked how she was doing. She let out a...
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Advocacy - Relationship Banking on SteriodsJuly 21, 2010It seems as though a new article is coming out almost every day about the return to relationship banking. Many in the banking world are beginning to realize the one insurance policy that can protect them from continued regulation like Reg...
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Talk About RelationshipsAugust 12, 2010Ask your customers this question. What do you like most about your other banking relationships? It’s safe to make the assumption that your customers are doing business with other banks. Then listen. If you’re customer says you are the only...
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Phase 1 - Implementing Innovation!September 2, 2010An interesting article we came across...What the Little Engine that Could and Nuclear Physics Have to Do With Ignition Strategieshttp://www.pymnts.com/what-the-little-engine-that-could-and-nuclear-physics-have-to-do-with-ignition-strategies/?nl=
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I Can Predict the FutureSeptember 9, 2010I'm convinced I can predict the future. We conduct phone shops each month for many banks and I'm convinced more than ever that I can predict the score of a future shop for the majority of the managers at these banks...
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Phase I - InnovationSeptember 23, 2010In order to implement any significant change you must follow a phased in approach. During the innovation phase you will need to involve no more than 10 percent of your employees and customers. The team that you select (both employees and customers)...
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Advocates are the DifferenceSeptember 30, 2010I heard a great story this morning from one of my favorite bankers. It goes like this... There is a man running for the U.S. Senate named Joe Miller that had only 8% name recognition in his state just a few...
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Motivating Your StaffOctober 5, 2010Take a minute to listen the audio of Nolan Knight as he answers the question... How can I figure out what motivates an employee. The member section of our website has a library of audio files with answers to many of...
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Add 100 basis points to your ROA for 2011!October 6, 2010There are certain actions that are within your control as leaders and managers of community banks that will allow you to substantially add to your net income in 2011. Over the next few days we will be sharing a few of...
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Add 100 basis points to your ROA for 2011 - Low cost action - The PhoneOctober 7, 2010Be professional on the telephone starting now!Do you wonder why your latest marketing campaign flopped? Why that new product didn't take off? Why that new branch isn't meeting expectations? News Flash! It's the way you answer your phones. It's the way...
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Don't Ignore the Phones!October 7, 2010Listen to these two brief audio clips as Nolan explains what the scores on our phone shops mean as well as what to do when an employee can't meet basic phone standards. This is too important to ignore.Phone Shop Performance Scale...
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You Can't Be This Bad!October 11, 2010If you think Bank of America is your competition then maybe you're as bad as they are. We do tons of shops and with many of the big banks it's usually the same. They're horrible on the phones and they don't...
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Hello world!October 11, 2010Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!
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What Is Your Impact?October 14, 2010It seems like one of the most difficult things we do at SCMG is convince managers of the importance of meeting with their direct reports on a daily basis. So we’re going to rename the daily meeting to the “Daily Conversation”....
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Deposit Acquisition (DAQ) - Mobile Banking OverviewOctober 14, 2010The future of banking is mobile banking! Mobile banking is the ability to perform the majority of banking transactions over a mobile phone. The primary benefits of mobile banking are:ConvenienceTransactions are completely portable and do not require an in-person visit or even...
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A Management Non-NegotiableOctober 19, 2010Take a couple of minutes to listen as Nolan Knight explains a key component of coaching.... belief in your direct reports. This is a clip from a recent session on Coaching.http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtpOjEyODg2MjIzO3M6NDoiY29kZSI7czoxMjoiMTI4ODYyMjMtN2M0IjtzOjY6InVzZXJJZCI7aToxNzY5MjM0O3M6MTI6ImV4dGVybmFsQ2FsbCI7aToxO3M6NDoidGltZSI7aToxMjg3NDQ5Nzk1O30=&autoplay=defaultCoaching - Belief
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Managers Beware - You may not want to join the "rebel alliance"!October 19, 2010This is the time of year that leadership will often make decisions that may upset even the most engaged managers. Under no circumstance should you ever express your concerns in front of your direct reports. It is only acceptable to go...
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There Might Be A Problem...October 20, 2010Bank of America has been losing 18% of its checking accounts annually according to CEO Moynihan. Other large banks are in the same position. If your bank is not growing the number of net checking accounts by 15% a year there might...
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Being RemarkableOctober 21, 2010Take a quick minute to read the success story of Katie, a teller supervisor and remarkable employee at a remarkable branch, explaining how she generated business for her branch and helped a friend at the same time.Katie's Story...When our bank went...
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Who's Replaceable?October 25, 2010There are times as a manager and leader when an employee has to be replaced. Take a minute to listen to the audio and hear which two types of employees should be replaced. Listen to the full Q&A for this topic...
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Be a Life Giver!October 25, 2010They key to a successful business is having a network of Advocates singing your praises. It's called word of mouth marketing and it works every time it's implemented. One aspect often neglected in an Advocate Culture is making yourself an advocate...
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Burn the BoatsOctober 27, 2010Take a few minutes to watch this video of Andy Andrews “Burn the Boats”. This video can apply to all areas of life. As you watch it, think about your commitment to your company and your career. We talk a lot...
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Grandma's Gonna Love Mobile Banking!November 1, 2010Ready or not, mobile banking is here and it's not just for the Gen-Y'ers. Check out the linked article below. Also, take time again to read our recent post on Mobile Banking.Older Customers are Heavy Users of Mobile Banking
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All Managers should read this articleNovember 2, 2010If you're a manager you should read this article. Click the link below.Bosses Overestimate Their Managing Skill
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Superman and Wonder WomanNovember 3, 2010This is the time of year we spend in evaluation and planning. Part of the evaluation process is looking at the core scores and determining which managers are managing or not managing. During this year’s analysis we broke our managers into...
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How Effective is Your Weekly Team Meeting?November 4, 2010Take a few minutes to listen to this recording of Nolan explaining the rules that need to be followed in order to hold an effective weekly team meeting.
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Non-Essential EmployeesNovember 5, 2010As winter approaches I begin to think of last year’s winter. Will it be as cold? Will we get snow in south Louisiana again? I remember last year, Washington, DC got hit with some pretty bad weather on a few occasions....
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To Do or Not To DoNovember 8, 2010Very few leaders and managers work from a list. In fact over 80 percent do not have an updated disciplined approach to daily management. This is the primary reason so many of you say you are “too busy.” We have not...
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The Last ThingNovember 9, 2010Have you ever heard the the saying... "The last thing you do is the most important thing you do"? I can't tell you how many movies I've watched over the years that were quite good, up until the last thing. Either...
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Greatness is not a Function of CircumstanceNovember 9, 2010We couldn't begin to tell you how many times over the years we've heard leaders, managers and employees say these words... "It's different here". It's the universal excuse for not being remarkable and not implementing an advocate culture. When leaders and...
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The Next 7 DaysNovember 12, 2010Our most popular blog posting over the past two months has been a post called "Motivating Your Staff". In fact, this post has received almost twice as many views as the second most popular post. Our training sessions on motivation over...
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Your Stop Doing ListNovember 16, 2010Want to become more organized? Make a “Stop Doing List”.The reason for this list is to identify your most significant roadblocks to becoming more organized and reaching your goals. Everyone wastes time but the best employees and managers have the discipline...
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Good IntentionsNovember 17, 2010We love this quote... "Good intentions are no excuse for incompetence" - Peter Drucker Every time you are about to make an excuse for yourself or your direct reports for under-performance, think of this quote. Then ask yourself if you are matching your...
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Don't Be CruelNovember 18, 2010One of the most interesting and sad things we see in organizations is managers that keep an underperforming employee on their team when it's obvious to them and even people around them that this employee is just not qualified for the...
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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff? Think Again!November 19, 2010One of the things we hear working with different organizations is the comment... "You're really not showing us anything new. These are common sense, basic things." While we agree that many of the things we recommend and train on are nothing...
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Thank Your AdvocatesNovember 22, 2010Quick, name your top 3 advocates! If you hesitated, that's not good. Your top 3 should always be top of mind. They are the customers that have sent you the most (profitable) business this year. Take some time over the next...
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THEYNovember 29, 2010Who are "They"? If you don't know who "They" are and you don't know how to identify "Them", nothing will ever change. You'll see the same growth or lack of it, the same issues, the same excuses. Take 5 minutes to...
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Management Do's and Don'tsDecember 1, 2010Take a minute to read this article "14 Management Do's and Don'ts". It's just another source that reinforces what many of you have heard us say countless times over the years. Remarkable management is critical to increasing employee engagement. What are...
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The Best of the Adequate... WoooHooo!!!December 2, 2010It's sad in the banking industry when we've come to the point of having survey questions that want to know if people are "not unhappy" with their bank. In a recent Harris Poll it was found that 41% say their bank...
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Do As You SayDecember 6, 2010We've just finished another round of phone shops and the average bank out there is a train wreck. We hear the employees and just cringe... you almost have to try to be bad to be this bad. Then the funny thing,...
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The #1 ExpectationDecember 8, 2010Take 90 seconds to listen to this audio of Nolan Knight discussing the number one expectation you should have, as a manager, of your employees.
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C'MON MAN!December 9, 2010Former football player, now NFL analyst for ESPN, Chris Carter has a segment on ESPN's Monday Night Football show called "C'MON MAN!". Basically, Chris Carter finds a player or team doing something irrational, boneheaded or anything that just defies common sense...
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Giving your best deal to your worst customers!December 10, 2010I was recently at one of my favorite restaurants in Louisiana when I noticed a group of older men complaining to their waiter. They were upset about the cost of their beer (a fifty cent increase that had been in place...
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A Safe AssumptionDecember 14, 2010We've made the statement in the past that one shouldn't assume. However, we also know that there are instances where you can make a pretty safe assumption. For example if you jump out of a plane without a parachute, it is...
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Ask the Right QuestionsDecember 15, 2010We've talked in previous days about finding out what your customer values. What's most important to your customer in a banking relationship. When we conduct phone shops it's very rare to have an employee ask more that two profiling questions. It...
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Richard Branson on "THEY"December 16, 2010We talked about THEY the other day in a post. Today we read this article by Richard Branson from Entrepreneur magazine where he talks about "They". I wonder if he's been reading our blog??? Take a couple of minutes to read...
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This is your competition!December 21, 2010Listen to this 30 second clip of one of our competitor phone shops of OMNI Bank in New Orleans, La. We were on hold for about 2 minutes and couldn't keep from laughing when hearing this brief statement, "where the difference...
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Are the big banks getting it?December 27, 2010Read this article from USA Today, "Banks Smarten Up Branches to Woo Customers". Banks like Bank of America, Citibank and Chase are now saying they want to "deepen relationships". Just because they want to doesn't mean they will succeed. That being...
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Goals for 2011December 30, 2010What are your goals for 2011? If they aren't written down and readily available for you to review on a regular basis then you really don't have goals. You might have a wish list or dreams, but you don't have goals.A...
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Layups and Common CourtesyJanuary 5, 2011This is another clip of Nolan from a recent management meeting. As a manager, you can't allow your branch to miss the "layups", the easy cross-sells. You can't allow your branch to give just "good" service instead of truly remarkable service....
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Management DefinedJanuary 12, 2011"What's the definition of management?" We asked this exact question in a recent management meeting and the resounding answer was... it was... we kept waiting... wow! No one answered. When we asked a group of managers this question, managers that have...
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Someone is Watching YouJanuary 14, 2011Have you ever had the sense or feeling that someone is watching you? Maybe you're having a "bad hair day" and you feel like all eyes are on you. Or maybe you're the one doing the watching, when you're at Wal-Mart,...
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Stupid Inc.January 19, 2011We came across this article about "Stupid, Inc." telling about some of the stupid things companies do to turn away loyal customers. Click the link below to read the article. We see this all the time in banks as well as...
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Plan on GivingJanuary 24, 2011We've had discussions about being a "life giver" on some of our recent webcasts. Whether you have been on one of these webcasts or not, if you haven't implemented a plan for giving to your advocates you need to begin this...
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What are you changing?January 28, 2011What are you doing differently this year? If your branch deposits and net checking accounts are not growing annually by 15% then some changes should be made. If you're not scoring consistently over 120% on your phone shops then changes should...
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Got a Minute?February 1, 2011It's amazing the difference just one minute makes. When we talk with employees about being remarkable on the phones, one universal excuse we hear for not being remarkable is that it takes too much time to do everything we ask. Sound...
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The Weekly Meeting... Get It?February 3, 2011Are you getting tired of the weekly scoring meeting? If you answered yes, then be careful because you may not quite "get it". We've been hearing excuses and complaints for over 15 years about weekly scoring meetings. These are the meetings...
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Take the Lead!February 7, 2011I had breakfast this past weekend at a place called Hub City Diner. I always enjoy eating there because the food's great and the service is remarkable. Right when you enter you're greeted by a few different employees, all with smiles....
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How long does it take to know if you have made the right personnel selection?February 9, 2011I was asked this question in an executive management meeting yesterday. The answer is: Immediately, regardless of experience!Body language indicated that this answer was not believed by at least 7 of the 11 managers present. I explained that when promoting or hiring...
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4 Be'sFebruary 10, 2011If you want to grow your business you need to grow your relationships. Your relationships are the foundation. The larger the foundation, the greater your capacity for growth becomes. So what's the best way to build these relationships? Here are four...
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Don't Take Me For GrantedFebruary 14, 2011I've had insurance with State Farm since I first started driving many, many years ago. I have auto, home and health insurance just to name a few. Anytime I've bought a car I'd call State Farm. I didn't shop around. They...
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Why wouldn't your customers move their checking to another bank?February 14, 2011Take a minute to read this article (see link below) from the Wall Street Journal. The "big banks" are targeting your checking accounts. After reading the article and the deals the big banks are offering, ask yourself the question... Why wouldn't...
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Managing What Might BeFebruary 15, 2011Take two minutes to listen as Nolan explains the role of the manager in moving your corporate culture forward.
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Jack Welch... "Lay off the bottom 10%"February 24, 2011Great article on Jack Welch, former CEO of GE... Here are a few of our favorite lines from this article. "We played business like it was a sport, you make a game of it, you field the best team and weed out...
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Drive it in... Drive it away!February 28, 2011It's always interesting to see the large sums of money banks spend on advertising and marketing in order to drive business into the branches while at the same time seeing how little time and money is spent on making sure employees...
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Trying to get a CD rate at Regions...March 1, 2011Recent call trying to get a CD rate from Regions... Take the CD rate challenge and see if you can reach a real person!!!http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtpOjE0MjAwNDI5O3M6NDoiY29kZSI7czoxMjoiMTQyMDA0MjktM2I0IjtzOjY6InVzZXJJZCI7aToxNzY5MjM0O3M6MTI6ImV4dGVybmFsQ2FsbCI7aToxO3M6NDoidGltZSI7aToxMjk5MDIwMDcwO30=&autoplay=defaultRecent Regions Bank Phone Shop
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And the survey says...March 3, 2011Check out this press release from J.D. Power and associates about their "2011 U.S. Retail Bank New Account Study". A couple of our favorite findings...Fees and interest rates carry little weight in influencing customer purchase decisions.Banks that are not providing a...
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It's the Relationship...March 3, 2011Listen to what a senior executive, and one of our favorite bankers, of a community bank had to say about the importance of the relationship in retaining deposits.http://www.divshare.com/flash/audio_embed?data=YTo2OntzOjU6ImFwaUlkIjtzOjE6IjQiO3M6NjoiZmlsZUlkIjtpOjE0MjE5MjI1O3M6NDoiY29kZSI7czoxMjoiMTQyMTkyMjUtZmI0IjtzOjY6InVzZXJJZCI7aToxNzY5MjM0O3M6MTI6ImV4dGVybmFsQ2FsbCI7aToxO3M6NDoidGltZSI7aToxMjk5MTg2MzY2O30=&autoplay=defaultIt's the Relationship
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Relationships... Are you getting it?March 7, 2011Here's another great article on the value of the relationship. Community bankers really need to get this. Here are a few of our favorite points in the article...Cultivate an over the top customer service culture. In our words... a relationship based...
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Community Bankers... We have a problemMarch 7, 2011We posted a recorded phone shop of Regions last week. Today we're posting a recording of a community bank. On the Regions shop we couldn't get a person on the phone. Believe it or not that was better than getting a...
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Coaching is ManagingMarch 11, 2011We've just finished scoring phone shops for several banks. It's always interesting to see the competitor shops and how poorly they do. It's also interesting to see how some of the branches we work with consistently score above the expected standard...
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Reinvention, No... Management, YesMarch 17, 2011After reviewing several scores over the past few days we've found a common thread. Of the branches and teams that failed to meet standard on phone shops and those that struggle to get cross-sells and those that rarely if ever get...
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Americans Switching Banks!March 22, 2011Take a minute to read this article (see link below). We've been stating the obvious for quite some time and this is just another article that backs it up. Banks are raising fees on checking. Customers don't like it. They are switching...
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Expectations and AccountabilityMarch 23, 2011It never ceases to amaze us how managers and leaders will change systems, processes, goals or expectations in order to get a different and more positive result from the same employee in the same job. Until an employee is held accountable...
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I Don't Have TimeMarch 30, 2011Advice for the day... don't use this phrase any longer. And if you don't say it, we know you hear it fairly often just like we do. Here's the reality, we're all busy, it's just that some people manage their time...
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1 in 4 Managers UnpreparedApril 6, 2011An interesting survey from Career Builder found that 1 in 4 new managers say they are unprepared to do their job. 58% said they have received no management training. We also know that over 90% receive no ongoing management coaching.The biggest...
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Don't expect to get something back that is different than what you give...April 13, 2011I like the story Nolan tells of a bank teller that said she gets all the crazy customers at her window. You know the ones... the mean customer, the unforgiving customer, the over-demanding customer, etc. In typical Nolan fashion he tells...
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Overcoming the "Price" ObjectionApril 20, 2011We often assume customers are price-sensitive when 85% of them are not. Sadly, we've trained many of those 85% to be price-sensitive by being too quick to negotiate rates, by offering less than remarkable service and by not building relationships. If...
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You might not know who the customer knowsApril 27, 2011I was told of a situation this week that recently occurred at a doctor's office. What made the situation interesting is that I know all the people involved. Here's what happened...A person needed to set up an appointment to see her...
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What kind of friends do you have at work?April 29, 2011We ran across a great article yesterday titled "Are Your Friends at Work Holding You Back?". Take a couple of minutes to read it. It's all about your internal network. We talk quite a bit about networking and building advocates but...
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5 Biggest Mistakes Managers MakeMay 3, 2011Here are five of the most common mistakes we see managers make. These mistakes hurt team and organization performance, team unity and limit the positive impact of each employee and manager to the bottom line of the company. These mistakes are...
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Remarkable Service MattersMay 5, 2011Take two minutes to read this article that references a recent American Express survey on customer service. We've been talking for years about the impact of remarkable service, word of mouth marketing and how the service at many companies is getting...
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Problems Employees? Fire Them!May 10, 2011This is an article you really need to read, especially if you are or ever want to be a manager or leader.How to Deal With Problem Employees: Fire Them!
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You think your employees aren't losing you a ton of money?May 12, 2011This post is to all of the leaders and senior executives... If you think your phones are handled well based on what you hear walking through the lobby, you better think again. Try having one of your friends call your bank and...
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Big Banks Losing 13 Million Checking Accounts!May 16, 2011Read this article from the Detroit Free Press and see the tremendous opportunity for your bank. Are you getting your share of these accounts? Are you seeing significant growth (10% - 15% minimum) in your bank's net number of checking accounts?...
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DemotivationMay 24, 2011No deep meaning here... just thought this was funny. It comes from one of our favorite websites with "demotivational" posters, video and other things.DEMOTIVATIONSometimes the best solution to morale problems is just to fire all of the unhappy people.www.despair.com
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False PraiseMay 25, 2011One of the easiest and most valuable things you can do as a manager is to recognize an employee for a job well done. You should be looking for specific things you can recognize an employee for on a daily and...
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Newsflash!!! Employee gets new customer from a phone call... Go figure!June 7, 2011What? A customer moves her banking and investment business because of a remarkable job on the phone? For those of you who don't think the phones are a big deal, listen to this hero story of an employee driving in new...
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Focus on 10% to grow 30%June 9, 2011Take two minutes to listen as Nolan explains the importance of focusing on just 10% of your customers to grow your deposits by 30%.
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Workplace Etiquette for DummiesJune 15, 2011Check out the link below to an article "Top 6 Workplace Etiquette Blunders". These seem obvious but many just don't get it. This is a great read for any employee. Be honest with yourself and make the needed changes.Top 6 Workplace...
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People do business on the phone...June 16, 2011A few days ago I had to place an order for 500 printed t-shirts for a political campaign. To a small local business that's a pretty good size order, not to mention likely future orders. Guess what I did? I called...
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We Are CoachesJune 26, 2011Who needs a coach? If you're a manager, you need to coach. Remarkable employees seek out coaches. Remarkable executives have coaches. Take a minute to read the article linked below. Do you get it? Many People Coach; Few Are Coaches
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Fire all the Lazy People!July 1, 2011It's amazing how many lazy workers there are in the current economic environment. It's even more amazing that so many managers and companies put up with lazy people on staff. How do they get away with it?Bamboozling the Boss: When the...
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Word of Mouth on SteroidsJuly 7, 2011Read this article on how social media like twitter and facebook can impact your business. You've heard from us countless times about word of mouth marketing. Comments on social media sites can be like word of mouth on steroids. Most businesses...
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Don't bank with us!July 8, 2011After literally thousands of phone shops, we are convinced that well over 50% of bank employees don't want new customers. In fact, many employees will actually discourage potential customers from coming in to their branch by either being flat out rude...
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What are you doing today?July 13, 2011It's Wednesday morning and the question is... what are you doing today? If you're reading this and don't have a written action plan for the day then stop reading and start working on your plan. Try starting with just three action...
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What do you think?July 14, 2011Whether you're a leader of an organization, a department, branch office or a small team, you still have to lead. The effectiveness of your leadership will impact your ability to manage and it will impact other managers in your organization as...
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Another installment from... This is your competition!July 14, 2011Banks spend a tremendous amount of money driving in business. Most spend very little, to no money making sure they are prepared to handle that business when it calls in or walks into the bank. This is what happens to banks...
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Like attracts LikeJuly 18, 2011"Like attracts Like"... a favorite quote of ours by John Maxwell. Want people to smile? Smile at them. Do you seem to get all the crazy customers? Maybe you're bringing out the crazy in them. Think about it... "Like attracts Like"....
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A Missing Link in the ChainJuly 18, 2011True story... I was asked by a manager to add an employee to our score report tracking system. Reason... that employee is a new hire. Within 23 minutes I was asked by another manager in a different department at the same...
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Producer or Excuser?July 21, 2011As a manager and a coach, these are words to live by... Read it, Understand it, Do it. As an employee you should take these words to heart and live by them if you want a rewarding career. Over the years...
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Two Minutes to GreatnessJuly 25, 2011Take 2 minutes to listen to one of our favorite authors, Jim Collins, explain what he means by "Good is the Enemy of Great" (audio link below). I think we just lost half our readers! They're too busy to continue... Then...
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5 Signs You Might Be Part of the Entitlement CultureJuly 27, 2011Like it or not, we live in an age where the entitlement mentality is rampant. Many people have a sense that they are "owed" something for just being. We won't get political and discuss the entitlement culture in government but unfortunately...
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10 Techniques to Motivate PeopleAugust 1, 2011One of the biggest requests for coaching or training we get is... "How do I motivate my employees"? You can view several of our past blogs for direction on this but we thought we'd pass this article along which gives ten...
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Loyal is LeavingAugust 4, 2011After being a Directv customer for roughly 8 years, I just switched from them to Dish Network for my TV viewing pleasure. When I signed up 8 years ago I was given the NFL Package at no cost for signing a...
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Management Lesson: Dealing with Employee ComplaintsAugust 8, 2011We're sure you never receive employee complaints and as an employee we're sure you don't complain. However, when complaints do arise, maybe we can all learn from the folks at despair.com. When addressing employee complaints they use the "It could be...
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Be part of the 20%August 12, 201180% of sales people make contact and recommend a product to a potential customer just one time. 80% of potential customers don't buy the product until the fifth contact. There's a disconnect here. Want to increase sales? Start following up on...
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Call Bank of America and waste 5 minutes you'll never get backAugust 15, 2011Wait until the end of the day or when no one is in your branch to listen to this recent shop of Bank of America. We were trying to get a mortgage loan rate. After spending over 3 minutes in the...
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Deposit Acquisition is as simple as a phone callAugust 16, 2011Deposit acquisition... That's what the banks want. They pay trainers with all the latest techniques and recycled sales ideas, they buy complex and fancy customer management systems and mostly they talk about what they are going to do to gain deposits...
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Dream the Impossible Dream? I don't think so...August 18, 2011We read a blog post the other day by Seth Godin titled "Easy vs Do-able vs Impossible". When it comes to setting goals and expectations we're not seeing anyone try for the impossible which is a good thing, but sadly we...
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Another Top 10 List!August 25, 2011We came across this article titled the Top 10 Reasons for Roller Coaster Sales Performance and thought it hit home with managers and employees as to why you may not be hitting your sales goals or expected minimum performance standards on...
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Persistence Pays!August 29, 2011We hear stories every week of sales occurring after multiple contacts by the employee. Sales occurring 2 weeks to 2 years and longer after the initial contact. We also see countless contacts made with no follow up and those same employees...
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Leadership and VisionAugust 31, 2011We came across this article (see link below) about Apple CEO, Steve Jobs on Vision and Leadership. It wasn't mentioned in the article but you can also add this into the mix... Implementation. There is no doubt that Jobs knew what...
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What makes great employees outstanding?September 2, 2011Have you ever wondered if you're a great employee? Do you know what one looks like? Most often you can spot a great employee not because he tells you he's great but you can spot the great ones by what they...
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Don't be that bank!September 8, 2011I had a friend call me today to ask where I bank. He knows I work in the banking industry and he thought I might refer him to someone. His current bank is a community bank in my hometown of 12,000...
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8 Things You Must Do To Insure SuccessSeptember 8, 2011Ever wonder why some programs never get off the drawing board? Ever wonder why that last program or initiative failed or faded away after just a few months or even weeks? Why do some organizations seem to thrive in everything they...
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Where does the time go?September 13, 2011You can find countless articles and insight into the 80/20 rule where 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. Or 80% of your organization's production comes from 20% of your employees. If you run the numbers, the 80/20...
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Is work keeping you up or getting you up?September 15, 2011Are the stresses of your job keeping you up at night? Do you dread going to work each day? OR... are you so passionate about your work and what you do that you can't wait to get up in the morning...
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Know it alls!September 16, 2011This is an old quote but still one of our favorites... "Those who think they know everything are annoying to those of us who do."
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Attention Leaders... Respect is Earned.September 19, 2011I've heard this question or something similar to it over the years... "Is it better to be loved as a leader or to be feared as a leader?" I really don't like the question that much because being a great leader...
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What are you prepared to do?September 22, 2011We came across this quote the other day by former Alabama coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant... "It's not the will to win that matters - everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters." While we're not the biggest...
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Human See, Human DoSeptember 28, 2011“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery”. I’m sure you’ve heard that quote before. In addition to flattery, imitation can also quite embarrassing. Ever have a child repeat something you said that you thought was private? Think about it, you perform...
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What are you?September 29, 2011Are you a banker or do you just work in a bank? Are you a builder or do you just happen to work for a carpenter and drive nails? Pick your business or industry and apply the same question. Years ago...
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More Money, More Money, More Money???September 30, 2011Take a minute to read the attached article titled "What's Better Than a Big Fat Paycheck". Many of the things in the article seem familiar to what we've discussed over the years... Things like your goals, your attitude, loving what you...
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It's still possible to walk and chew gum at the same timeOctober 5, 2011It about drives us crazy when we hear people make the excuse of not doing something critical to their own success or the organization's success because they were doing something else. It seems as though the simple art of multitasking has...
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Closed For BusinessOctober 6, 2011Friday, Oct. 7th is "Fair Day" in my home town of 12,000 people. Fair Day means the fair is coming to town for the weekend and on Friday the town pretty much shuts down. The city is closed for business! Need...
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Show the Love!October 14, 2011I've heard comments from employees for years saying... "We love our customers", "We give great service, it's what makes us different", "Our customers love us"... you get the idea. Over the past month I've asked over a thousand employees if any...
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Vision and Strategic PlanningOctober 20, 2011We read an interesting article today that is an interview with Ari Weinzweig who co-founded Zingerman’s Delicatessen in 1982 with a $20,000 bank loan. Today, the company is an Ann Arbor, MI institution, and Weinzweig has branched out into a number...
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Top 10 Reasons You Might Have The Leadership Blinders On...October 21, 2011Having your blinders on is an old saying that basically refers to not being able to recognize or accept what is around you. Many leaders today are living their careers with the blinders on and at the same time are bouncing...
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Is it a mystery shopper or is it real???October 25, 2011When we phone shop banks it's always amazing to hear the number of employees that think they have it figured out as to when they are shopped. We've been told countless times by employees that they think they were shopped when...
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2 Minutes or Not 2 MinutesNovember 3, 2011We read an article this week about wasting 2 minutes (Waste 2 Minutes? Don't Sweat It). What caught our attention was the first part of the article which tells a story of how one person's actions can affect many people. Take...
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What do you see?November 7, 2011Every leadership book I've read, every seminar or workshop I've attended on leadership and every article on leadership that's worth anything has had one thing in common... the assumption of a Vision. What's interesting is they don't all show you how...
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Tips on getting your email read and answeredNovember 10, 2011We came across this article on tips to get your email read and answered. In addition to getting your email read, these tips will also make you look much more professional as well as show others you respect their time. Whether...
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Are you cutting it?November 15, 2011We came across this article, 'How to tell a newly hired employee may not cut it', that has a few good tips on spotting an employee that may have been a bad hire. But as we read this we thought about...
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Money for Nothing!November 17, 2011Years ago when I was a kid, my grandfather used to ask me if I would be good if he gave me a dollar. Of course I would! He'd then ask if I'd be good if he gave me a quarter....
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Do you have an A-Team or a bunch of Morons?November 29, 2011We heard an interesting comment this week from Ohio State's new football coach, Urban Meyer. He said as a coach this time around he plans to stay in "center field". He explained that staying in center field basically means to trust...
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Are you protected from Leadership Mayhem?December 2, 2011Allstate Insuarance has a series of commercials out about protecting yourself from Mayhem. Some of them are kind of funny and they all make a pretty good point. The ad campaign has obviously been successful due to the number of commercials they've produced...
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Give Your Team a Flu ShotDecember 6, 2011We just saw this headline last week... "84% of Workers Looking to Leave Their Jobs". We saw another survey in the summer saying that 32% of workers were seriously considering leaving. Are 84% of your employees going to leave your company?...
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When Leadership and Management Collide - The Team MeetingDecember 12, 2011A common problem in many organizations today is the ineffective meeting. We've all been in them and odds are, several of you reading this blog have led those meetings. We're talking about the team meeting that lasts an hour or longer...
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The Personal Impacts the ProfessionalDecember 14, 2011We talk a good bit about goal setting, vision casting and planning as it relates to your career and business but we don't spend as much time discussing the personal side of things or non-work related things. However, it's important to...
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Breaking TraditionDecember 16, 2011Tradition - Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid We love these posters at www.despair.com. They're pretty funny and say what a lot of us are thinking at times. Many of them also make pretty...
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Your "Top 10's" of 2011December 20, 2011One of my favorite things about the end of the year besides the obvious, Christmas!!!, is the different shows and articles about the top 10's of the year. The top 10 songs, the top 10 movies, the top 10 news stories,...
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Flatlining and not even aware of itJanuary 4, 2012Want to get off to a good start this year? Make sure you have a finger on the pulse of your organization or team. We read an article about Rex Ryan, the coach of the New York Jets, with his assessment of...
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Control What You Can ControlJanuary 5, 2012Check out this video blog of John Maxwell on Self Control. Well worth one minute of your time.
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ODD - Organizational Disconnect DisorderJanuary 11, 2012Organizational Disconnect occurs when leadership, management and employees are seeing and operating at different levels of vision. The larger the organization the worse the problem can become. 30,000 Foot Level – Senior Executives, Leadership The vision of the future is clear (or at...
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Are You "In the Loop"?January 12, 2012Communication should be one of the non-negotiables of your organization. While it may never be perfect there are things we can do to make it better. Communication issues are probably one of the top concerns we hear from leadership all the...
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90% are in the 90%January 17, 2012Implementation... without it, nothing gets done. Lot's of things get started, even more things get talked about. That's what 2-hour meetings are known for... all talk and no implementation. We came across an article this week that classifies different types of...
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The Status Quo ProtectorJanuary 18, 2012The Status Quo is formally defined as the existing state of affairs. Regardless of whether your organization is growing, stagnating or shrinking you should never be satisfied with the status quo. In fact, if you become satisfied then you officially join...
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Hat's off to the great leader!January 23, 2012Great leaders spend their time taking hats off, not putting them on. If you're a leader that's a quote you should know and live by. Let's look at leaders that put on more hats. This is the leader that has to have...
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Leading Like A Weather GuyJanuary 26, 2012Credibility as a leader may be your greatest asset. Just to be clear, credibility is the quality of being believable or worthy of trust. This is a quality I want in my leaders and a quality I want to have as...
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A Leader In Name OnlyFebruary 3, 2012Can anyone be a leader? Are leaders born or made? We believe some people have a gift to lead and those who develop that gift become great leaders. We believe many people can be taught and coached to lead effectively. We...
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You Can't Soar Like an Eagle With a Vulture MentalityFebruary 6, 2012We see motivational posters about soaring with eagles. We hear quotes like "you can't soar with eagles if you're hanging around a bunch of turkeys". Everyone seems to want to be like an eagle or so they say. While many say...
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Are You a Status Quo Leader?February 7, 2012As a leader, are you protecting the status quo? We talk a lot about the status quo because we are constantly confronted by its protectors. In some cases we have described these protectors as Profit Pirates and Snipers. Sometimes they are...
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The Bizzaro World of the Insane LeaderFebruary 9, 2012Welcome to the Bizzaro World... Where the sky is green and the grass is blue. Where everything is the opposite of what it should be. Ideally, the bizzaro world would only be seen in comic books, TV shows, the movies or...
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What's the deal?!?!?February 15, 2012As a good friend of mine would say... what's the deal? P90X, The Insanity Workout, The Atkins Diet, Jane Fonda's Buns of Steel, Jared the Subway dieting guy (pictured) and the list goes on. For decades, Americans have been obsessed with diets...
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Stop Thinking and Saying and Start DoingFebruary 27, 2012Have you ever taken the time and listened to a state of the union address from the president? Any president? It doesn't matter who the president is, they're usually all the same. Lot's of empty rhetoric filled with emotion and promises...
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Your Score vs The Customer ExperienceMarch 8, 2012Over the past 14 years we've conducted thousands of mystery phone shops. Over that same period we've had countless numbers of employees approach us saying they were "just shopped". Some were right buy many more were wrong. In fact, we've had...
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Are you extraordinary?March 13, 2012Take a minute or two and read the article we've linked to below. As you read, be honest about where you are; where your team is; where your organization is. Most don't want to be be extraordinary... Are you part of...
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The 40% LeaderMarch 20, 2012Great leaders spend 40% of their time in the field with their people. This is a primary discipline of great leadership. Unfortunately, many leaders, unbeknownst to them, have voluntarily checked out. In other words, by not spending this time in the field...
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Closed for "Whatever It Is Day"March 21, 2012Schools in my area are closed today. The reason... it's raining and there is a threat of a thunderstorm... really??? This isn't an area of the country that gets serious tornados where it may be best to yield on the side...
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Deja Vu 5 Years LaterMarch 28, 2012I was in a pretty interesting meeting this past weekend. A leadership team invited a special, and highly successful, guest speaker to give them a few words of wisdom and direction on moving their organization forward. His key word was "Vision"....
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A 50-Foot Waste of TimeApril 2, 2012I was doing a little channel surfing Saturday morning and came across a movie I've heard about over the years but never had the occasion to see. The movie was none other than the 1950's sci-fi classic, Attack of the 50-Foot...
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10 Things to Stop Sharing at WorkApril 4, 2012We're all about being a team player and getting to know your coworkers. One of our non-negotiables is "sharing and receiving openly". We encourage business developers to share customers to become a center of influence. We encourage team members to share...
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Selling Refrigerators!April 11, 2012Check out this video of a comedian explaining how refrigerators are sold. It's pretty funny but sadly this type of selling might be considered remarkable in many businesses. In fact, a lot of businesses won't even put out this much effort....
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People Pleasers = Status Quo AppeasersApril 12, 2012People Pleasers are quite possibly some of the most destructive individuals in any organization. They come across to many as the person everyone likes, especially to those in leadership. People Pleasers are those in an organization that don't want to ruffle...
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Is Your Organization Squeaky?April 16, 2012We've all heard the phrase, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". What amazes me is the sheer ineptness of leaders and managers that actually apply that philosophy to their organizational culture. In fact, it's the complete opposite of an advocate-based culture,...
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Are You Managing Them Crazy?April 18, 2012A Person's Mental Health Gradually Improves in the Weeks After a Layoff. We saw this headline today on twitter from the Harvard Business Review @TheDailyStat. It goes on to state that at first when an employee is laid off his mental...
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How Thick Are Your Glasses?April 23, 2012This video from the A&E TV show, Duck Dynasty, is a pretty good example of what happens when your glasses get too thick. I'm not much into reality TV but for whatever reason this show has caught my attention. After watching...
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Know When To Get Out The 8-Track Tape PlayerApril 24, 2012One of the biggest obstacles to moving any organization forward is dealing with the old guard and the new guard. The operative word here is "guard". The old and new guard are guarding their own way instead of the best way. You could...
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Stop Dumping and Start SelectingApril 26, 2012Conventional wisdom says you should dump all you don't want to do onto your best people while the paycheck collectors keep on collecting. We've never been accused of being conventional and we know this is a sign of a manager who...
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Mixed Up Nuts Get CrackedMay 1, 2012Mixed Messages come from the Mixed Up Nuts that eventually get cracked. Are you feeling squeezed? Having a hard time keeping up with who you told what? Is your motto, "do as I say, not as I do"? Be careful... you...
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When It's Good Not To GraduateMay 4, 2012I've been getting lots of graduation cards over the past few weeks. It's pretty exciting to those seniors, having the accomplishment of completing high school. Many will begin a career and the next stage of their life and many will go...
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What are you doing on the busiest day of the month?May 14, 2012Branch Managers and Officers... Take 40 seconds to listen to this audio clip of Nolan speaking to a group of branch managers about "showtime" on the busiest days of the month. If you're a branch manager or a loan officer, what...
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You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticketMay 16, 2012I saw a tweet @johnmaxwellco today that asked, "What's one dream you would love to see come true?". My first thought was... To win the lottery! My next thought was it might be difficult to win being that I don't buy...
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What do you really think of your customers?May 17, 2012We hear comments all the time from bankers that "we love our customers" or "we care" or "we give great service". But what do you really think of your customers? Your actions often tell the real story. We've written a few...
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Incentives Gone BadMay 21, 2012I read an article the other day about a police department in Maryland giving away a $1 bill to drivers who have all occupants wearing a seat belt. Not wearing a seat belt? They'll give you informational literature and maybe a...
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Watching vs DoingMay 22, 2012Take a few minutes to read this article we came across today titled, "Newsflash: Facebook isn't real life". It's a great article on watching vs doing. As you read it, think about what you're doing today. Are you proactively doing... by...
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A Telephone DisconnectMay 24, 2012Whether it's a community bank or a national bank, the results are usually the same. When we shop a bank branch for CD rates, loans, checking accounts, etc. we get roughly 95% just going through the motions and treating the phone...
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Stop and Smell the RosesMay 30, 2012It's a common phrase and one we should listen to at times. Too often we get caught up in the day to day routine and it becomes such a routine that we get pretty good at going through it very quickly....
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Bored Out Of A JobMay 31, 2012I read this article from Forbes, "Bored in the Office: Is it the New Productivity Killer?". Pretty interesting piece and something to be aware of if you're a manager. The article mentions that employees who don't know the purpose for their...
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I'm Here For You... Just Not Right NowJune 1, 2012Most serious businesses and business people work by appointment. Need to see an attorney? You better have an appointment. Need a massage? Make an appointment. Have a toothache? Take a tylenol and call for an appointment. And then you have the...
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Are You Selecting Or Fixing?June 4, 2012Here's the management question of the day... Are you spending more time selecting the right people than you are trying to fix the wrong people? By selecting we mean the recruiting process as well as the process of matching talents to...
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Gangland in CorporatelandJune 13, 2012There's an interesting show on the History Channel called Gangland. The show visits different cities and gives the viewer an inside look into the activities of notorious gangs in those areas. What I find interesting is the culture of these gangs...
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Stop Doing the UsualJune 14, 2012We read this article, Five Things Remarkable Bosses Never Do, from Inc. Magazine the other day and thought they might be reading our articles! It's a great piece that just reinforces many of the things we coach and believe in. Take...
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A Bad Haircut DayJune 22, 2012I've been going to the same place to get my hair cut for the past 10 plus years or so. And yes, Sue, et al., I do have hair (inside joke)! Oddly, the place I go to hasn't seemed quite as...
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STOP IT!!!June 24, 2012Two words of wisdom to start your week... STOP IT! This two-minute video with Bob Newhart states the "Stop It" point well. Finding it difficult to have a good attitude? STOP IT! Still coming up with creative excuses for your non-performance?...
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Happy April Fools Day!July 3, 2012Ok, we know... That was a few months ago. But seriously, we keep coming across employees that must think we're all fools with the effort they are putting into their job. Do they actually think we don't notice? FYI... We don't...
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Have you done any of these things with a computer???July 3, 2012Sometimes the obvious needs to be stated... Take a minute or two to read this article we came across. Hopefully, you've never done any of these! 10 Things You Should Never Do With A Computer
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Unfinished Water ParksJuly 9, 2012If you travel on I-10 about 20 minutes from where I live, you'll see a site that I and many others see on a weekly or daily basis... an unfinished water park. It seems like some work might still be going...
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What Are You Hearing?July 12, 2012We came across a great article today, "5 Phrases That Will Get You Fired". We highly recommend you read it. If you're a manager and you begin to hear any of these phrases, you need to pay attention and act very...
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Make a U TurnJuly 17, 2012It's easy to go about life and work and point out failures of others and where they need to improve. It's easy to look at an organization and point out imperfections, criticize leaders or the boss. It's really easy to see...
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What's Your Secret? 5 to 1July 24, 2012We don't have anything really new to bring up today, but as we're talking to different banks this week we are stressing the importance of getting back to the basics of building your business. It seems that many people want a...
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5 Signs You Might Be The Last To KnowJuly 26, 2012Have you ever moved on to a new job or a different position in your organization or with a new company only to realize how unhappy and unproductive you were in the old job? It’s interesting that many of us don’t...
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I Swear?July 30, 2012We came across this article from Fox Business over the weekend titled, How Swearing At Work Could Ruin Your Career. Interesting article, but seriously, if you don't have enough sense not to swear at work or don't realize the negative impact...
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Miracle on 34th St. or Nightmare on Elm St.?July 31, 2012I remember the scene in Miracle on 34th St. where the Santa Clause tells a parent to visit a competing store for a product because it's cheaper and of a better quality there. Hey, it's all good in a Christmas movie...
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Stuck In a RutAugust 6, 2012I cancelled phone service with AT&T the other day. At the end of the call the employee said, and I quote, "thank you for choosing AT&T"... Really? That's what I call being stuck in a mind-numbing state of a rut. As...
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Leadership PeaksAugust 7, 2012Have you peaked? Hopefully your peak wasn't winning the spelling bee in 3rd grade or throwing the touchdown pass in the big high school game 20 years ago. If your goal is to get a little better each day then your...
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Looking Busy or Being ProductiveAugust 15, 2012I've come across a two good articles in the last few days that are worth reading. "Fight the Urge to Look Busy" and "4 Reasons to Skip Chores This Weekend". What I got out of these articles is this... Many people...
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Leading with Principled PurposeAugust 21, 2012This isn't a post about firing people, as much as it is about leading, managing and doing the right thing. Leading is about doing what is best for the team or the organization and too often we come across leaders that...
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"Stomping Ants While Elephants Are Running Wild!"August 24, 2012I heard this quote today and thought how appropriate it was for many organizations on a day-to-day basis. It's an indictment on how the day can be spent on things that don't matter much in the big picture and quite often...
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Share and Receive Openly - A Non-NegotiableAugust 27, 2012Take a look at this article, "The No. 1 Rule of Business Relationships". It pretty much drives the point home of the importance of sharing and receiving openly, which just so happens to be a basic non-negotiable of communication we often...
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Working Like a HurricaneAugust 27, 2012In Louisiana, we're no strangers to hurricanes and with Isaac approaching, everyone seems to be pretty engaged in preparing. We've been watching the weather for a few days, following the storm track. We check our water and food supplies to make...
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Start Believing and Stop FixingSeptember 6, 2012A primary principle of managing and coaching is believing in your people. If you can't or don't believe an employee can succeed then don't coach him and quit trying to fix him. Managing is about turning talents into performance and understanding...
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Email Wars and Hot PotatoesSeptember 7, 2012Have you ever been de-friended on Facebook or even worse, blocked? I have and it's actually kind of funny and sad at the same time. How about being given the silent treatment? Have you gotten into an email war where you...
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Ten Reasons Why People Lose Their JobsSeptember 10, 2012We came across this article by Thom Rainer that every employee at every level of an organization should read. If any of these 10 reasons describe you, your coworkers already know it. Don't be the last to know. Click the link...
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Endless Meetings!September 19, 2012Who likes long meetings and meetings where pretty much, nothing gets accomplished? Odds are you've been in one of those this week and it's only Wednesday. Take two minutes to read the linked article below for a few tips from CEO,...
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Getting Involved Might Get MessySeptember 20, 2012Getting involved often means getting messy. Maybe it's just me, but do you ever get criticized, attacked behind the scenes through the gossip culture or by those who skip the chain of command and create their own counter-culture within the organization?...
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Disconnecting From A Connected WorldSeptember 28, 2012I read two different articles over the last two days that both had a lot in common. One was about a "Do Not Disturb" feature on the new iPhone operating system IOS6. This new feature gives you the option to set...
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Let go and move forwardOctober 2, 2012I've been watching the latest on the new iPhone 5 that was introduced by Apple a few weeks ago. Lots of good press about the phone and also many complaints. Of course, some people are never happy and will complain about...
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A Bad HireOctober 4, 2012I read an article today, "The Mindset of Great Leaders", that had a few interesting statements on hiring that are worth repeating... We hire people based on the number of years of industry experience they have, and then wonder why our company is...
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Stay on PointOctober 16, 2012Staying on point seems to be one the most difficult things for people to do. You'll see leaders excited about their latest and greatest initiative, only to fall off point within months or sadly, even weeks. Managers will start off well...
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Talking the TalkOctober 17, 2012I like the old phrase, "if you're going to talk the talk, you better walk the walk". Your talk can define who you are as much as your actions can. But be very careful when your talk and your actions don't...
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Typos and Space Suit ColorsOctober 19, 2012Don't let minor issues get in the way of the big picture. Too often we get caught up in our own priorities and minor issues when they don't even line up with the overall objective of our organization. We allow these...
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Lying BrandNovember 5, 2012Take a look at this article, "Don't Make Brand Promises You Can't Keep". Now say your brand statement out loud. Are you laughing? Are you lying? Are you comfortable saying it? Does it match what your company consistently delivers? Does it...
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Doers and WaitersNovember 14, 2012Here's a simple truth. Leaders can be placed into two categories... Those that sit back and wait and those that get up and do. I've been around, worked with and observed both of these types of leaders and if you pay attention...
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10 Worst Communication MistakesNovember 20, 2012Most organizations have a problem in the area of communication. We've addressed this problem by introducing Communication Non-Negotiables such as no tolerance for gossip and following the chain of command. But there are other mistakes many people make in communicating that...
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Fire The Sleepy People?December 12, 2012Here's the headline of a recent article from Businessweek - "Napping Your Way To The Top". I'm at a loss... Can't say I'm overly surprised by anything I read or hear these days... but, really??? I read another article referencing this...
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What Are Your Righting?December 17, 2012I've always paid attention to the phrase, "people judge you by the words you use" or "it's better to keep silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove any doubt." While those are important things to keep in...
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Postcard Stamps and the Status QuoDecember 19, 2012Last week I needed to purchase a roll (100) of postcard stamps. No problem, I'd go to the local post office, pick them up, be back home in a few minutes. Simple enough... or so I thought. When asking for the...
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Disconnect and ConnectJanuary 17, 2013Watching this commercial really brought some things into mind that in the age of facebook, twitter, email, etc. It's easy to let electronic media become our main or even our only form of communication and networking. It actually seems like an...
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This is RealityJanuary 18, 2013Most community bankers, when asked what makes them different from the regional and national banks, will tell you their personalized service is the difference. That may be the case with some community banks, because we know a few of those, but...
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Tear Down vs. Build UpFebruary 4, 2013My partner, Nolan Knight, often tells the story of his daughters spending hours building a playhouse out of gym mats and how his 3-year old son can tear down their work within seconds. The moral of the story is that it's...
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Stepping Up Your LeadershipFebruary 5, 2013We came across this article, 10 Ways to Step Up Your Leadership Today, which is well worth a few minutes to read. Are you getting caught up in the weeds? Are you spending too much time trying to fix under performers?...
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4 Don'ts of ManagingFebruary 7, 2013Blog Post contributed by Nolan Knight All managers have a particular style of managing. In order to be effective as a manager you must also understand that you have strengths that relate directly to your management style as well as weaknesses that parallel...
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Bottom FeedersFebruary 14, 2013Striving for remarkable. Getting better every day. Always doing more. These are all mottos of the best employees, the actively engaged employees, the successful employees. What's the opposite of this? A Bottom Feeder. A Bottom Feeder is typically in the wrong job...
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Planning TimeFebruary 20, 2013A good rule of thumb is the more responsibility you have the more time you need to spend planning. If you start your day without a plan the slightest problem or situation will throw you and everyone around you into complete...
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Loose LinksFebruary 28, 2013We've discussed the chain of command on many occasions and the discussion is well warranted. A great deal of destruction to your organizational culture can take place when a few loose links with loose lips do their magic in organizational destruction....
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What Do You Expect?March 1, 2013Here's a phrase to always keep in mind... "Don't expect what you're not giving." It's probably not the most popular phrase or widely accepted phrase in the entitlement culture we live in today, but it's very accurate. Typically, most people expect way...
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The Disappearing BranchMarch 6, 2013My wife called our bank at 9am the other morning and no one answered the phone. She called back a little later and someone answered after the 15th ring. This is not uncommon when calling this bank. Once she reached a...
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Just when you think it's a shop, it's not!March 13, 2013A bank employee received a call the other day and thought it was a mystery shopper. Turns out it wasn't! The caller came to her branch and opened a new checking account. No surprise here because this employees is consistently remarkable...
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Can you finish the sentence?March 15, 2013Saw this tweet from Marcus Buckingham today... The most successful people can always finish this sentence. "This week I will stay laser-focused on...'
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The Best Become the WorstApril 2, 2013Check out this article from Forbes, In 42% of Companies, The Best Workers Are The Least Engaged. When reading it, think about how dysfunctional your organization or even your department is. Weak management and leadership will cause your best employees to...
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The Royal FlushApril 4, 2013There are some people that will spend more time trying to convince us of who they are, what they've done, what they can do and why they're so great, than spending time on doing the task at hand or meeting basic...
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Which is better? Phone Call, Voice Mail, Email or TextApril 12, 2013Are you sending an email when you should have just called the person? Are you sending a text when an email would have been more appropriate? Do you call when a text would have worked? How you choose to communicate, just...
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iPads and Cutting BoardsApril 16, 2013Are you using what you have in the most effective way? Whether it's your team, your time or your resources or your equipment, be sure to utilize all that you have in a way that will get the most value and...
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Don't Forget the Umbrella!April 30, 2013Last night at 8:15 my wife went to a store called ULTA Beauty. I waited in the vehicle. The store closed at 9pm. As I'm waiting I see a guy cleaning the awning that hangs over the entire front side of...
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It's a 24/7 World... Keeping Up?May 9, 2013We came across this article, The Jordan Effect, which really hits the mark when it comes to focusing on your work before or after you punch the so-called time clock. We get news 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,...
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Pushing Forward or Pulling BackwardJuly 19, 2013It seems that in life there are two types of people. Those that are pushing forward to new and greater things in the future and those that are pulling backwards just grasping to the comfort of the old glory days or...
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Protecting Lousy vs Inspiring Greatness - Part 1October 15, 2013I heard a comment the other day on sports radio of all places. "Do you inspire greatness or protect lousy?" It's a great question for all managers and leaders. Are your actions and words helping the best on your team become...
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Protecting Lousy vs Inspiring Greatness - Part 2October 17, 2013A few days ago we wrote part 1 of this two part post and mainly focused on the actions of those that are protecting lousy. In part 2, we are putting the focus on Inspiring Greatness. Oddly enough we could just say,...
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Would you like some fox with your donkey?January 3, 2014We came across an odd article the other day about Wal-Mart in China recalling donkey meat that was tainted with fox meat. Our first thought was, "who eats donkey meat?". But then again, when in China... Regardless, it got us thinking...
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Super Secret Grand OpeningJanuary 7, 2014I was driving by a small office building (very small) on a main road in my home town this weekend and noticed that the office area gained it's first tenant! Signs in front of the building said "Grand Opening"! There were...
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Trees Falling Silently On Your ProfitsJanuary 13, 2014"If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound"? Of course it does! If your employees are doing a poor job of handling your phones, but no one in...
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Proactive vs. ReactiveJanuary 17, 2014Proactive people recognize possible issues or complaints, own the issue/complaint and solve the issue. Reactive people wait for the complaint, pass it along to the next employee as quickly as possible or just kick the can down the road and hope the...
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The Dog Days of ManagingJanuary 23, 2014We come across articles on a weekly basis with some crazy ideas to make the workplace more productive and more worker-friendly. Here are two from this past year... 9 Take Your Dog to Work Day Tips - Believe it or not, the...
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Got the time?January 30, 2014We all have the same amount of time each day... 86,400 seconds to be exact. Protect your time, manage your time and respect other's time. Do these three things and you'll be amazed how far those seconds will go. Protect your time...
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From Terrible to BadFebruary 6, 2014We came across an article the other day titled, "J.C. Penny Shifts from Terrible to Bad". I guess you have to start somewhere, but I've always preferred the philosophy of "Good to Great" by author, Jim Collins. I'm sure the shareholders...
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It Must Be True!February 14, 2014This short clip of a State Farm commercial makes the point... It must be true if it's on the internet! As silly as this is, it's kind of sad, the stories some people will believe that are on the internet or...
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Sail Boats and the Status QuoFebruary 20, 2014Take two minutes to read this article from Forbes, "Impossible Is Outdated - Here's Why". Sail boats going twice as fast as the wind blowing them? Sounds impossible, but they are doing it. The boats racing in the 2013 America's Cup...
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Vimeo video postFebruary 27, 2014Aliquam id neque vestibulum, scelerisque mi sit amet, volutpat velit. Proin in nulla tortor. Quisque ultricies quam a imperdiet iaculis. Etiam ullamcorper imperdiet fermentum. Phasellus et libero vitae magna commodo auctor. Vestibulum felis ante, pulvinar convallis metus vel, suscipit iaculis urna....
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YouTube video postFebruary 27, 2014Aliquam id neque vestibulum, scelerisque mi sit amet, volutpat velit. Proin in nulla tortor. Quisque ultricies quam a imperdiet iaculis. Etiam ullamcorper imperdiet fermentum. Phasellus et libero vitae magna commodo auctor. Vestibulum felis ante, pulvinar convallis metus vel, suscipit iaculis urna....
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Post With Featured ImageFebruary 27, 2014Aliquam id neque vestibulum, scelerisque mi sit amet, volutpat velit. Proin in nulla tortor. Quisque ultricies quam a imperdiet iaculis. Etiam ullamcorper imperdiet fermentum. Phasellus et libero vitae magna commodo auctor. Vestibulum felis ante, pulvinar convallis metus vel, suscipit iaculis urna....
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Willies on Ice - Remarkable, Narcissist or IdiotFebruary 27, 2014I saw this video the other day and wasn't sure if I was impressed and amazed or if I was just thinking that this guy is a narcissist or just an idiot. One thing is true... he is the best at...
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Vampires at the Party StoreMarch 7, 2014My wife called a party supply store yesterday that she's done quite a bit of business with over the past 15 years and has also referred many customers to as well. She asked an employee if they had a particular type...
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Oblivious to the ObviousMarch 21, 2014We've been seeing a few commercials lately from Hotels.com featuring a colorful character named "Captain Obvious". His objective... you guessed it, stating the obvious. The more we see this character the more we're thinking he's desperately needed in the banking industry...
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Yoga Casual... Seriously?April 30, 2014We came across a rather disturbing story the other day about yoga pants actually becoming part of dress attire in business. Not just ordinary yoga pants, but "dress" yoga pants. Kind of like "dress" jeans. Do they really exist? Here's the...
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Meeting Etiquette - Are You Getting It?May 13, 2014Being an effective meeting participant. We almost didn't write this article because it seems much too obvious and way too basic. Many of us attend multiple meetings a day and have been doing this for years. You'd think we would get...
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Taking Selfies or Making YourselfMay 15, 2014Thought for the day... You're either taking selfies or making yourself. It seems as though social media and mobile devices are flooded with the selfie. There's even a new TV show coming out that is called Selfie. Don't know what a selfie is?...
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Your 10% Are WatchingAugust 11, 2014We've all heard the stat and there is no doubt it is a fact... 10% do 90%. Your top 10% of employees do 90% of the work or production. Your top 10% of customers represent 90% of the business and are...
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The Whole TruthAugust 21, 2014If asked, most employees in most organizations will confirm that communication is the top issue they struggle with. Whether it's gossip, not following the chain of command or the infamous "meeting after the meeting". These are the types of things that can...
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Out of FocusAugust 28, 2014Where is your focus? Too often people focus on the wrong things and as a result end up in the wrong place. As a manager and leader, life becomes much easier and rewarding when you're focusing on the right things. Here...
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Inside the Box DoingSeptember 9, 2014We've all heard the overused cliche', "Outside the Box Thinking". People are praised and promoted for such thinking. Many equate "outside the box" with "innovative" thinking. What's also interesting about this thinking is that most of it is exactly that... Thinking,...
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What's the Score?October 27, 2014We talk about core scoring in business quite a bit. Amazingly, far too many leaders and manager fail to understand the benefit and importance of keeping score. Every leader should have a core score for the organization. Every manager should have a...
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Defined By Your PrioritiesOctober 31, 2014Priorities... We all have them. They're what we place first and foremost in our lives. Typically, most of us will have the four main priorities of Faith, Family, Health, and Finances (your order of these may be different). Beyond this, we all...
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Do You Really Know Your Relationship Status?November 17, 2014I've had checking and other accounts (at different banks) for over 30 years. I've had business checking accounts for over 20 years. I've had numerous loans over those years. I've dealt with regional banks, national banks, but mostly community banks. The one...
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What's Your Status?November 18, 2014Our last post was about relationships so we figured we'd stay on the same track for this post. The latest news we've read states that there are over 1.35 billion monthly active users on Facebook. And if you look up any...
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5 Incentive Plan MistakesNovember 25, 2014In all our years of implementing and managing incentive programs, we've seen just a handful of community banks successfully implement one that was effective and profitable. Most will get something in place only to see average to below average results and many...
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Fireman or ManagerDecember 4, 2014Quite often managers are placed in their role because of experience and performance in a previous role. They are often the resident expert in their department. Sadly though, as a result of being the expert, a large number of managers end...
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The Elephant Killed By A Silver BulletDecember 9, 201490% of all leaders and managers seem to be hopelessly looking for that proverbial, silver bullet that will solve all problems while at the same time, magically produce record profits within the next three tmonths. After that, they're off to the next...
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Brand Statement vs Customer ExperienceDecember 11, 2014It's always interesting to see if a community bank's brand matches it's customer experience. It's very easy to post a statement on a website with grand claims as to who you are as an organization. In fact, 95% of community bankers will claim...
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Be a Life Giver Not a Basket GiverDecember 18, 2014Trying to think of that perfect Christmas gift for your best business customers? Have you already sent a nicely decorated basket of assorted cheeses, meats and crackers or maybe an awesome can of flavored popcorn? The thought may be in the... -
Death of the Incentive Plan?December 31, 2014We've read articles recently that incentive plans don't work. We've seen banks end their failed attempts to implement incentive plans, and we've dealt with banks that believe employees get a salary for their job so why should they get incentives. Without... -
Failure of the First Impression... Do You Hear What They Hear?January 9, 201590% of customers not being served well by community banks... Most community banks don't manage telephones and it shows. Over 90% of all community banks are the same or worse than big banks when it comes to customer service. At the same time, 90%... -
Top 5 Excuses Made By Community Bank EmployeesJanuary 20, 2015Excuses will doom your "Relationship Based Culture" Community Bankers... the little guy, the ones who offer the best service, the caring people, the local bankers making local decisions, and the list goes on. Seems like we have it all covered, but walk into... -
Top 5 Excuses Made By Community Bank ManagersJanuary 26, 2015Management excuses that are destroying your "Relationship Based Culture" In our last post we discussed the Top 5 Excuses Made by Employees. Today we're looking at the community bank manager. The manager's job is to implement the vision and culture of the organization as... -
Top 5 Excuses Made By Community Bank LeadersFebruary 3, 2015Leadership excuses are killing your "Relationship Based Culture" Should a leader be feared or loved? Are leaders made or born? Wherever you stand on these questions, none of it matters when it comes to making excuses. The leader that lives by the excuse is... -
Community Bank CEOs Say That 80% of Their Accounts Don't Generate A ProfitFebruary 10, 2015Why are 80% of community bank accounts not making money? New regulation is consuming valuable time and money from community banks, putting many in survival mode. While it's critically important to spend the time and assets on regulation, many community banks have... -
The #1 Motivator Is 100% Free But Very Few Are Using ItFebruary 18, 2015How do I motivate my team? With thousands of books, seminars, workshops, and training about motivation, one would think that motivating your team would no longer be an issue. Being that the question keeps coming up, could it be that managers are either... -
6 Keys To A Successful "Reason To Call" ProgramMarch 4, 2015Setting the stage for a successful call program in your Community Bank We've successfully implemented call programs in community banks for over 20 years. When done right, you can increase your core deposits, build on current relationships and create a culture of... -
Loan Demand Is Up, But Are Your Community Bank’s Deposits?March 12, 2015Increased loan demand is creating a need for more deposits in community banks In the past several months, we've come across a large number of community banks that are in need of deposits to keep up with the increased loan demand of... -
Are Your Community Bank Employees Out Of Compliance?March 25, 2015Many employees are misquoting, misstating, and misinforming For 20 plus years, we’ve conducted thousands of telephone mystery shops with hundreds of hours of recorded calls. What we’ve found is that well over 75% of bank employees are out of compliance when quoting savings... -
Does Your Community Bank's Website Meet Google’s New Mobile-Friendly Standards?April 1, 2015Starting April 21st, Your Organic Traffic Could be in Jeopardy While there are very few people who click beyond page 1 of search engine results to find what they're looking for, the vast majority of searchers will rarely make it past the... -
When Your Perception Misses The Banking Customer RealityApril 7, 2015A bird's eye view of your customer reality Every single day for the past month a little bird has been pecking at the front door of my house. He's actually pecking on a shiny metal plate attached to the door. It's kind of... -
Attracting Millennials: Targeting Quality Customers vs. A GenerationApril 21, 2015Generation stereotypes and your community bank There have been so many articles and blogs written recently on how to win the millennial banking business or how to change your bank to fit the desires and needs of the millennials. Just google "millennials and banking"... -
5 Signs You Might Be Replaced By A RobotApril 28, 2015The rise of the machines in community banking Robotics have been commonplace in manufacturing for quite some time. Automation and technology have driven much change in banking over the past decades. Now we see that actual robots or "humanoids" have entered into the... -
Cutting Edge Technology Shouldn’t Mean Cutting Customer ServiceMay 5, 2015One customer's point of view Many years ago when I opened my first solo checking account I headed straight to my small town Community Bank with a reputation for great customer service. That bank lived up to its phenomenal reputation. Bank representatives... -
Leading In Fear of the Status QuoMay 12, 2015Community bank leaders paralyzed by fear You've probably heard the phrase, "Analysis Paralysis", which is basically the act of analyzing every single "what if" scenario before making a decision. The end result is corporate paralysis where nothing ever gets implemented. However, there is something else... -
The Oxymoronic Community Bank EmployeeMay 19, 2015Oxymoron: A combination of contradictory words Jumbo Shrimp, Student Teacher, Blind Eye, and Alone Together. We define individual performance as the actions employees should take on a daily basis. If your actions don’t match up with your community bank's expectations, then guess what? You might be an... -
The Oxymoronic Community Bank ManagerMay 27, 2015Oxymoron: A combination of contradictory words In our last post we discussed the Oxymoronic Community Bank Employee. Today we are taking a look at the oxymoronic community bank manager. Here are a few more examples of the oxymoron... Bitter Sweet, Plastic Glasses,... -
The Oxymoronic Community Bank LeaderJune 2, 2015Oxymoron: A combination of contradictory words In our last two posts we discussed the Oxymoronic Community Bank Employee and the Oxymoronic Community Bank Manager. Now it's time to talk about the Oxymoronic Community Bank Leader. Here are a few more examples of... -
The Big Lie in Community BankingJune 9, 2015The best of the best of the best! This is the big lie in community banking... We're the best! Ask most community bankers about their bank, their people and their service and you will be told they provide the best service and we... -
5 Roadblocks to AdvocacyJune 16, 2015Creating an unpaid salesforce in your community bank. Community banks and bankers that fail to understand the value of Advocacy are leaving one of their main advantages on the table. One of the popular terms in the community banking world is "Relationship Banking". The... -
Top 10 Cross-Sell Excuses in a Community BankJune 23, 2015The excuse acceptor is no better than the excuse maker Whether your community bank currently has a cross-selling and incentive plan or you're beginning the process, one thing will remain constant... Excuses! Oddly enough, you'll even hear excuses from "sales" departments like commercial... -
Opportunity Is Knocking At Your Community Bank DoorJune 29, 2015The smartest community bankers are living the good life Opportunity abounds and the best community banks are taking advantage of it. Competition from the weaker community banks and the large banks is limited at best. The weaker community banks are drowning under the weight of our... -
GNO Customer Service RatingJuly 8, 2015Greater New Orleans banks- Customer Service Ranking Banks spend large amounts of money driving business into the bank. The first experience for many customers will be on the telephone. Here is our latest survey of banks in the Greater New Orleans area and how... -
The Perfect Community BankJuly 15, 2015Perfection isn't necessary in the banking world of mediocrity We don't live in a world of lolly pops and fairy tales. As much as some community bankers long for the perfect convergence of having the highest deposit rate and the lowest loan rate in... -
Top 10 Time Wasters In Community Banking - Part 1July 21, 2015The microwave and community banking Years ago it was said with technology we would all have more free time than ever. The microwave mentality of having technology and resources at our fingertips would reduce our time at work and with chores at... -
Top 10 Time Wasters In Community Banking - Part 2July 28, 2015Where is the time going? The dream of technology freeing up countless hours of time and allowing us to experience the mythical 40-hour work week still persists to this day as only a dream. With instant access, mobile apps, and 24/7 banking it seems that... -
Profit Pirates Within Your Community Bank - Part 1August 4, 201530% of your current employees are involved in Pirate activity In today's banking environment, many community bankers are pressing for ways to generate additional income by finding new fee sources or raising fees. Some are falling back on mass marketing, while others are... -
Profit Pirates Within Your Community Bank - Part 2August 11, 2015Don't be fooled by the Pirates Profit Pirates are a sneaky bunch, but if you know what to look for, they're pretty easily seen. There's a high probability that 30% of your coworkers are pirates. We'll assume you're not one of them....
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King of the LosersAugust 19, 2015The best of the worst community banks It's amazing how many community banks seem to be satisfied with the status quo of just getting by, thinking it's a good day when the regulators don't write you up. Many are satisfied with being “good... -
Florida's Emerald Coast Customer Service RankingAugust 24, 2015Bank of America outperforms Florida's Community Banks A first time for everything! Banks spend large amounts of money driving business into the bank. The first experience for many customers will be on the telephone. Here is our latest survey of Florida's Emerald Coast Banks... -
Does Your Bank’s Loan Acquisition Strategy Work?September 1, 2015Grow your bank at least 10% per year with an effective Loan Acquisition Strategy With the right approach to loan acquisition, significant loan growth and bank growth is going to occur. Unfortunately, many community banks take a backward approach to the process by... -
The Cutting Edge of Community BankingSeptember 15, 2015Basing your strategic plan on the feelings of a 25 year old? We read articles every week about the demise of the bank branch network and the future of technology in the banking world. While much of this is based on real numbers... -
Talk Is Cheap, Implementation Is PricelessSeptember 22, 2015Think it. Say it. Believe it... But Implement It? For the past 20 years we've heard community bankers tell us, "What you're saying is pretty basic". What is it that we are telling them? We're telling them to implement an incentive plan based on... -
Is Your Bank's Subculture Taking Over?September 29, 2015Most community banks have two cultures and don't even know it So often community bankers spend time worrying about the competition. How do we beat the big banks? How do we keep up with their resources and technology? They worry about other community banks and... -
North Alabama Customer Service RankingOctober 7, 2015North Alabama Banks - Customer Service Ranking Banks spend large amounts of money driving business into the bank. The first experience for many customers will be on the telephone. In our most recent North Alabama Customer Service survey, we were able to determine... -
Community Banking In A Selfie WorldOctober 15, 2015Forget the Millennials, fix the selfie mentality in your culture One could argue that the selfie was first introduced by Narcissus in Greek Mythology as he admired and fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. This same narcissistic, selfie mentality... -
You Can't Fix Lazy, Crazy, and StupidOctober 22, 2015It sticks out like a sore thumb Lazy, crazy, and stupid exists in all banks. That's an undeniable fact. Everyone knows it, but few are willing to point it out, because in reality, many of these types of employees are managers, senior executives, and... -
A Customer's Bank Eye ViewOctober 28, 2015Customers are watching and making assumptions One of our team members had an interesting experience when visiting his community bank the other day. This is what he saw... When going to the drive-thru of my community bank the other day I noticed a vehicle in each... -
Another Article on How To Be A Great Leader... Seriously?November 3, 2015A leader worth following Community banks are spending a tremendous amount of time, energy and money developing a strategic plan for the coming year. Some are doing it because they have a vision for their bank and others are doing it because... -
Pardon The TurkeyNovember 23, 2015Every turkey has its day Each year, just before Thanksgiving, our government has a tradition of giving one lucky turkey a presidential pardon. Actually, each year a turkey and its alternate (there is an alternate in case the first turkey can’t behave in... -
Are You A "Net Gain" Or A "Net Drain"?December 7, 2015Some produce and some create extra work An evaluation of yourself and your direct reports is something that should be done more often than once a year during the annual review. Evaluation should be a daily function because if you're not improving daily then... -
2015 Community Bank Bloopers And OuttakesDecember 14, 2015Did that really happen? We deal with a large number of banks and bank employees throughout the year and we're always amazed at some of the things we see from community banks. We expect craziness at the big banks! But believe it... -
Top 5 Posts of 2015December 30, 2015Looking forward to a great 2016 It's been a great year at SCMG and we'd like to say thank you to everyone that has commented, shared and followed our blog. This week we are sharing our top 5 blog posts of the... -
Houston Area Banks - Customer Service SurveyJanuary 21, 2016Community banks losing their competitive advantage? Ask most community banks what separates them from the competition or the big banks and the typical answer is "our service" or "our people". Regardless of the answer or how your bank feels about its service, a reality... -
Should Your Community Bank Be Program Focused or People Focused?February 1, 2016The latest and greatest ideas of 2016 This is generally the time of year that most banks begin new initiatives in the hopes of increasing profitability or turning the tide of continued losses. Greater regulation over the past few years has also brought about... -
Community Banking Month - Are You Making The Best Of It?April 11, 2016It's your month to shine, or not The month of April is "Community Banking Month"! FYI... It's also National Humor Month, National Facial Protection Month (that's an odd one), and Stress Awareness Month to name just a few of the more than... -
When An Open Sign Is Really Not An Open SignMay 17, 2016Is your community bank open for business or just open? One of our team members had an interesting experience at the mall in his hometown last week. Here's his story... I went to the mall with my wife around 8:15pm, it closes at 9:00pm.... -
Who Do You Fire Next?June 7, 2016It may be the nicest thing you do this week We get it, the title may sound a little harsh and some are probably thinking we've lost our minds in believing that firing someone could actually be nice, but that doesn't mean we... -
Drones in Community Banking - They're Here!July 6, 2016The Rise of the Drones! Drones, as most of us think of them these days, can be either good or bad. Amazon delivering packages via drones seems pretty cool and innovative... Good. Creepy neighbor flying his drone above your home… Not so... -
5 Ways Your Community Bank Is Giving UpJuly 19, 2016Community Banks Are Giving Away Their Competitive Advantage As dumb as it sounds, many community banks are voluntarily giving their primary competitive advantages over to their larger bank competitors. The big banks have the big money behind them and with that they can out... -
5 Signs You May Be SmartPhone StupidAugust 9, 2016The #1 time waster in community banking is the Smartphone Read any survey on time wasters in business and you'll find at the top of the list, things that have to do with smartphones. If you don't believe the surveys, just look around.... -
Reputational Risk - A Community Bank CrapshootAugust 30, 2016Are you willing to risk it? The world of banking, in many ways, revolves around risks. Credit Risk, Interest Rate Risk, and Regulatory Risk just to name a few. A great amount of time and effort is focused on these various risks... -
Cross-Selling Programs and the Customer ShakedownSeptember 16, 2016What does your cross-sell and incentive program promote? By now we've all read or heard about the Wells Fargo incident and their infamous cross-selling and employee incentive plan. It's easy for some to blow this off as a "big bank" thing, thinking your cross-selling program is... -
Community Banks Should Stop Doing These 5 Things ImmediatelySeptember 26, 2016Seriously, Just Stop! The employees see it. The customers see it. Why can't the bank's leadership and management see it? It's similar to watching an LSU football game with Les Miles at the helm up until Saturday. Everyone in the stands saw it. Those watching... -
5 Surprising Things You'll Learn From a Mystery Phone ShopOctober 20, 2016Most community banks don't know We've been conducting Telephone Mystery Shops for over 20 years. Of course, over the years our techniques and technology have evolved with the times, allowing us to provide community banks with a valuable service that helps to... -
Your Future Self Will Thank YouDecember 12, 2016Selfies are saying something about your community bank People love taking selfies these days, capturing life in the moment. We're not knocking it. In fact, it can be kind of fun creating great memories with friends. People hurry to join in on the... -
Two Simple Keys For A Great New YearDecember 27, 2016Taking it to the next level This is the time of year many of us look back, reflect, and evaluate our performance individually and as an organization or team. We want to know what worked well, what we need to improve on... -
10 Ways To Make 2017 "Good Enough"January 6, 2017Doing just enough to get by It's 2017 and if you haven't botched the year already, don't fret, there's still plenty of time to totally mess it up. By now, you've already read the litany of top 10's telling us how to make... -
Culture of Protection vs Culture of ProductionJanuary 17, 2017Sticking with the Status Quo could be your Bank’s first step to failure Corporate culture has been a hot topic for many years. Some banks want a sales culture, we prefer an advocate or service culture. Some want a family culture and... -
5 Ways To Spot A Leader Headed NowhereJanuary 31, 2017A leader with no destination is just taking a lonely walk Leadership defined in its simplest form, is the ability to rally people to a better future. What is that better future? Therein lies the problem with far too many so-called leaders. Many don't really... -
Big Smiles And Friendly Hellos Are Killing Your Community BankFebruary 13, 2017That Big Smile Isn't Cutting It Anymore Ask any community banker why their bank is the best in town and 99% will tell you it's because of their service and their people or some variation. There are two major problems with that statement. We know... -
One Simple Way To Respect Your CustomersMarch 7, 2017The value of appointment setting Each week, we mystery phone shop community banks across the country. One common shop will include a simple customer inquiry about one of the bank's products or services. In over 90% of these shops, the bank employee will fail to do... -
3 Meeting Fails Every Manager Should AvoidMarch 21, 2017Your meetings will define you We're big proponents of effective meetings, whether they're one-on-one or as a team. Meetings done properly help to provide clear communication, contribute to the decision-making process, inspire innovation, and bring the team together. Unfortunately, as we all know, meetings... -
If I'm The Leader... Why Is No One Following?April 11, 2017You have four options We have worked with and coached leaders at all levels in community banks and other organizations for over 25 years and have come across the leader without followers more times than we care to count. This is a... -
Creating A Culture Of Thank YouMay 2, 2017It's not about me, it's you There's no doubt we're living in the age of ME. Whether it's the constant barrage of selfies on social media, texting while driving, or idiots on reality TV making fools of themselves for 15-minutes of fame. It seems... -
The Work-Life Balance - Myth BustedMay 23, 2017Getting more work done at work It seems like we're hearing more and more these days about work-life balance as if there is some sort of a national crisis of people working too hard. In our opinion, that's not the problem. The typical claim is... -
Stop These 3 Things in 2018December 27, 2017Where do we stop? This is the time of year many people and organizations begin to think about the coming new year. It’s a time of resolutions, optimistic business plans, and revamped initiatives. There’s nothing wrong with New Year’s resolutions of losing... -
Two Reasons Your Outbound Calling Program Isn’t WorkingJanuary 17, 2018Tracking and Accountability Most community banks really want their officers and select employees to make outbound customer calls. Unfortunately for most, this desire for a calling program, with positive results, has not translated into any type of reality. What has resulted is... -
Fake Work Is Wasting Time In Your BankJanuary 23, 20183 Time Wasters Disguised As Work These days it seems everyone is busy and there’s just not enough time in the day. Unfortunately, the last time we checked, a day still has the same number of minutes as it had 100 years ago.... -
10 Looks To Avoid In BankingJanuary 30, 2018Looks matter Beauty may only be skin-deep but looks matter. We all know when something looks right and we know when something doesn’t look the way it should. Going to church in your swimsuit is generally not a good look and may... -
Engaged Employees Becoming DisengagedFebruary 8, 2018Disengagement is the enemy One of the greatest threats to the continued success and growth of your community bank is when the best employees, move from a point of being fully engaged in the culture and vision of your bank to a... -
We Treat You Like Family… The Black Sheep TreatmentFebruary 21, 2018A Perfect Opportunity for Your Bank to be Exceptional One of our mystery phone shoppers called a community bank somewhere in South Carolina a few days ago and was greeted with an automated phone message stating the following… “Thank you for calling... -
Are Your Customers Seeing Beyond The Trees?February 28, 2018You can't see the forest for the trees We often hear this old saying when being reminded to step back and look beyond the trees for a real perspective on a problem or situation. But there’s another way to look at it.... -
Product Training? Just Google It!March 13, 2018More Training and a Google Search Isn't the Answer We recently conducted a phone shop on a community bank, asking about their current credit card promotion. When inquiring about the features on the account, we got a very interesting response. The employee... -
Creating a Culture of ExcellenceApril 4, 2018Implementation is the key to excellence We recently came across a very good article about the excellence of Mike Krzyzewski and Steve Jobs. While many people like reading about the excellence and uniqueness of successful people, most just stop short of actually bringing that... -
How Is Your Management Timing?June 12, 2018Timing is everything There’s a reason for the popular phrase, Timing is everything. Saying happy birthday or anniversary, means so much more on the actual day. Paying bills on time certainly matters. When it comes to managing, timing can be a major... -
A Stupid-Free ZoneJuly 2, 2018Stupid is real and it's all around us We have gun-free zones and safe zones. Why not a Stupid-Free Zone? We previously wrote a popular article called, "You Can't Fix Lazy, Crazy, and Stupid" and we stand by it. So if you... -
Management KicksSeptember 11, 2018Is Managing Kicking You in the Head? Managing can be one of the most rewarding positions in a bank and in any organization. Building successful teams, coaching employees to achieve more than they thought possible, and creating a great place for your...
