A State of Gratitude [VIDEO]
A powerful Thanksgiving message on how gratitude shifts leadership presence, reframes pressure, and strengthens your bank’s performance culture.
Welcome to the Top 5 Percenter™ Blog
Does Your Strategic Plan Have THIS?
I’ve had the opportunity to review hundreds (maybe thousands at this point) of strategic plans from community banks.
Sadly, most don’t have even ONE strategy in them.
They have goals, visions, and purpose.
But no strategy.
Strategy is the “how we’re going to get it done” that you need once you leave the retreat.
Without it, you’ve got another binder for the office shelf, but nothing more.
In today’s video, you’ll discover the key to differentiating your bank. A concept author Seth Godin calls “The Purple Cow.”
By the end of this short video, you’ll understand what it means to be a “purple cow” and how to put purple cow strategies into your strategic plan.
I know it’s strategic planning season, and you’re probably already working on your plan. Let me help. We’ve put together a complete blueprint for planning. Here’s what you’ll get:
The three ways the regulators will dissect your plan, and how to know now if your plan will measure up…
How to “diagnose” your current plan, and what to do to fix it, to ensure completion of all plan elements next year.
And, what to do when your progress stalls. (Note: This little secret could be what saves your year next year.)
More From The Blog
How to Tie Everyone to Profit [VIDEO]
Most employees believe they’re top performers but can’t show how they drive profit. This episode shows how to tie every role to the bottom line, boost profit per FTE, and build a high‑performance culture in your community bank.
The Dangers of False-Attempt Sales Training [VIDEO]
Traditional sales training fails because it focuses on tactics, not transformation. Discover how to shift from sales training to sales culture and achieve lasting growth.
Master the Four Levels of USPs [VIDEO]
Escape commodity pricing. This episode shows how Level-4 USPs—proprietary, client-valued processes—let community banks command +150–200 bps and keep deposits loyal.
Stop Matching the Competition [VIDEO]
Rate matching drains margin. Install USPs that matter, differentiate, and promise explicit benefits—so buyers pay more without a price match.
Your Team Selling Checklist [VIDEO]
Tag-alongs aren’t team selling. Use this checklist to assign roles, split first vs. second call objectives, and run the pre-call prep that produces 85–90% close rates on top-100 prospects.
How Community Banks Deliver WOW Customer Service [VIDEO]
Most banks deliver “pretty good.” That’s not loyalty. This episode reveals a 3-step execution system—blended learning, measurement, coaching, and celebration—to engineer daily WOW service that sticks and grows deposits, margin, and community pride.
The Silent Profit Killer: How to Stop Rate Matching and Take Back Your Margin
Roxanne Emmerich exposes the hidden flaw in your strategy that’s quietly destroying net interest margin — and the proven path to take back your pricing power.
The AI Wild West
AI isn’t coming—it’s already here. Discover why most bank roles are now obsolete, and what your team must become to survive.
Your Plan Won’t Save You in a Merger—But This Will
Your plan won’t save you. A strategic planning system designed for high-stakes execution will. Here’s how top community banks avoid merger collapse.