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Dive in for concise, powerful insights on elevating community banking. Discover strategies and success stories for superior performance, from boosting financial margins to cultivating a dynamic culture. These posts literally contain the secrets of the Top 5 Percenters™. Sign up to the newsletter so that you don’t miss a single post.
Planning Well in Shifting Sand
Calling current conditions for business "unpredictable" is like saying Voldemort has bad manners. Planning even a single year in advance seems like a leap of faith. But there are a few simple rules that can keep your strategic planning meaningful despite all the wild variables. Gather data. When the situation is in constant flux, you double your trouble by flying blind. Track data and trends in...
Do-Re-Mi: The 7 Notes of the Sales Question Scale
Not all questions are the same. Just as the different notes of that musical scale carry us step by step through the octave, the questions in an effective sales process should carry the process forward, step by step, from the opening question to the closing handshake.
Triage for Bankers: Find the Pain and Fix It
Anybody who walks into your bank has got a real problem. People without problems don’t wake up in the morning and say, "Today is a good day to spend talking to a banker," any more than they would decide to talk to a doctor for kicks. People without problems have better things to do with their time. The very fact that potential clients are either taking your call or calling you says they have...
A Penny Saved is STILL a Penny Earned
One of the best side effects of the recession is the long, hard look consumers are taking at their financial habits. Nine credit cards and three mortgages might not have been such a boffo plan after all. We also see the rebirth of a virtue of the past—saving. Even if they aren't in a position to begin saving this minute, consumers busily promise themselves that the moment they have a spare...
4 Rules for Creating Sales-Clinching Questions
Every parent knows the futility of asking, “How was school today?” Whether the place burned to the ground or everyone in the school split the Powerball jackpot, the answer will be the same— “Fine.” It’s a vague and unproductive question, and it gets the answer it deserves. But once in a while, a parent catches on and asks a question that deserves an answer; “What was one silly thing that...
5 No-Fail Strategies for Moving Your Bank Forward While Others are Collapsing
There's a lot of advice out there about weathering the tough economy. But who wants to just weather it? Howard Stevens, CEO of HR Chally, offered advice for keeping your business not just afloat but steaming ahead throughout the current unpleasantness. Here's the best of the list: Focus on existing customers first. Sure, you want to grow your customer base, but the customers you have already...
Confusion to Conviction: Creating the Mind that Buys
You're watching the Super Bowl when one of those unforgettable commercials comes on. You grab your sides with laughter. How do they come up with these things? The next day everybody at work is talking about that great ad for... for... What the heck WAS the product? We've all seen those ads—so much wall-to-wall cleverness and funny characters that there's no room in your head to notice and...
Hiding the Scars-How to Keep Cuts From Bleeding You Dry
You have to do some cost-cutting. Fine. It's part of the responsible stewardship of your business. But if you think across-the-board cuts are best simply because it distributes the pain and keeps interdepartmental whining to a minimum—you'd better think again. Jan Carlzon took over the reins of Scandinavian Air and turned an $8 million loss into a $71 million profit in one year. He did so NOT by...
The Art of Suberb Execution
After over 20 years of working with many of the top-performing financial institutions in the country to take them to a higher level, it is clear that quality of leadership is the key performance indicator—regardless of what the economy dishes up.
Get Rid of the Old That Keeps You from the Extraordinary
People have “to-do” lists. That’s great. But try this tip that successful people do—especially as they start a new year. They have “get-rid-of lists.” Decide to get rid of the things that aren’t creating the best ROI for every minute of your time and every dollar you invest. Things that could and should be on your list include: vendors that need to go, products that overstayed the party,...
Get Inspired in the New Year
A new year has come and gone, and what do you have to show for it? A renewed passion for your job? A workplace free of every dysfunction you can think of? How about a less-stressed, more relaxed, you? Well, whatever you gained—or didn't—put it all behind you and start fresh. Check out my recommended reading list to find inspiration for your personal and professional life. Whether you're a CEO of...
What Strategic Planning is—and What it Ain’t
Do you mind if I ask what on Earth you think you're doing? I'm sorry, that was rude. I'm not trying to be nosy. But I couldn't help noticing that you're doing the old "Mission Statement, SWOT, and Goals" thing. That's fine. I'm SURE you don't think that's the same thing as strategic planning. Do you? At least tell me you're not taking last year’s budget and making alterations and calling THAT...