As many of you know, I fly a lot. I tend to fly Delta the most...and usually have to go through either Cincinnati or Atlanta to get anywhere. It is one of the "experiences" that I dislike about Delta. This leads me to a story about handling situations that routinely arise in business...and how to handle them in a manner that is not only true to the Brand but enhances the experience.
About 18 months ago, I was on a Delta Flight that left Dayton for Atlanta on my way to Minneapolis (you don't see the logic in that route, either, do you...but I digresss). The flight was routine in every sense and the day was a great day to fly...sunny, warm and clear. As we made our approach to Atlanta all seemed normal. As we we descending and approached the runway, all was still as expected. Nothing fantastic, just as what was expected. As we prepared to touch our wheels....I was thrust back in my seat as the pilot put the floor down on the throttle and we quickly became airborne again. What happened? Close call? Problem with the plane? It was not clear....and NEVER became clear! As we circled back around and came back to land....this time for real...no one said a thing-- not the captain, not the flight attendants, but rest assured the passengers were sure talking about it! As we landed and taxi'd to the gate...still nothing. We prepared to get off the plane...still nothing. We were ALL left up to our vivid imagination as to what happened. As I walked down the terminal, some of the stories being created or bantered around were pretty dramatic...and NONE were good for Delta! They missed their chance to manage the situation!
Now, compare that to a recent flight that I took on Southwest Airlines. We were departing Columbus, OH for Little Rock Arkansas (which I love by the way....Arkansas is gorgeous!) Another routine take-off, cruise and preparation for landing....until we approached the landing. Here we go again, I thought. But the plane hit like a ton of bricks on the runway and the pilot brought it back down for a 2nd, slightly smoother, landing...we made it! Now...a critical brand decision was made...or could be made...in this situation. Follow the Delta lead and ignore it and NOT manage the brand...or do something different. The pilot made the brand decision that was different!
As soon as we taxi'd off the main runway, the captain turned on the PA system and made an announcement..."Ladies and Gentleman, I would like to be the 1st to welcome you to Little Rock International Airport...the time is...the temp is..., etc." I was thinking he was going to ignore the rock hard landing. However, at the moment of truth...right where our brand, reputation and future opportunity for sales lies (yes, at your bank/CU, too!) the pilot made a well-trained decision. He said, "I would like to also share with you a policy here at Southwest Airlines...that there is never a charge for the 2nd landing! Have a great day!"
There it was...not an explanation...but a Brand Saving action that lived up to the brand personality of Southwest Airlines. As I walked out fo the gate and down the terminal the conversation was more laughter than concern and people saying "that is why I fly Southwest...I love it."
The Brand lives on and is actually strengthened by what happened.
Now think of your institution...what path would your staff take the Delta "A" path or the Southwest "B" path? Ask yourself and then go into your lobbies, call your call center, etc. to see what truth lies at the moment of the Brand opportunity!
It takes consistency, a stated purpose, and a clear understanding that everyone has a role in the upkeep and delivery of the brand....
Cheers!
Bruce
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Reporting Delay Update
Update: 4:24pm Tuesday, 31 July -- Report data has been fully updated and is now current again. We apologize for any inconvenience the temporary delay caused and will have less reporting delays in the future.
_____________
We are starting to update reporting in all Google Analytics accounts affected by the delay. As of 5pm PST this evening, some users will start to see part or all of the data from the period between Saturday and now appear in reports. We expect updates for all accounts to continue through Monday night into tomorrow and will update this blog when reporting is fully restored.
Thank you for your patience.
_____________
We are starting to update reporting in all Google Analytics accounts affected by the delay. As of 5pm PST this evening, some users will start to see part or all of the data from the period between Saturday and now appear in reports. We expect updates for all accounts to continue through Monday night into tomorrow and will update this blog when reporting is fully restored.
Thank you for your patience.
Motivating Employees to Cross-Sell
ETSU02
You make a very good point in your comment to my last post. Last week was a little crazy and I was on vacation for a few days and unable to respond...so let's jump in and get started.
In my ever-humble opinion, I believe that employee motivation is directly tied to expectations. The two are so closely related that it is difficult sometimes to tell the difference. I would also argue that cross selling and sending referrals internally is about as optional as balancing the teller drawer.
In order to motivate your employees to do more cross selling, we should talk about the current culture within your institution. Does the initiative come from the top of the line and trickle down, or is the marketing department in charge? In my experience, when an institution tries to implement a sales and service culture, but is not initiated by the senior managers/CEO, it is doomed to fail. I have even run across institutions where the CEO was responsible for the sales and service culture shift but it still failed...this later failure is completely related to the lack of accountability on the part of the employees.
Shifting your culture will be one of the most difficult things you have to do. Notice I say, "have to do." This culture shift is not only necessary for success, but it is mandatory for growth. If your employees don't embrace the philosophy of better serving your customers, it will be difficult for you to grow (hence the attrition issue you mentioned in your original comment). Your competition really only wants what you have...YOUR CUSTOMERS.
Teaching your staff to better serve your customers (i.e. cross selling) is truly like teaching an old dog a new trick. However, that being said, it is still executed with great success by MANY financial institutions every day. It takes time, but here are some baby steps to help you get started.
1. Create a plan, include the expectations of each employee type and the associated rewards AND punishments for not meeting the expectations.
2. Set goals for EVERYONE with a time line for meeting those goals.
3. Training
4. Training
5. Training (it is listed three times, because not only is this THE MOST critical piece of the puzzle, it is not a one time deal. Training needs to be on-going, progressive, and refreshed frequently)
6. Measurement. What good will shifting your culture do if you can't say to your employees, "thanks to your hard work and dedication to serving the customers of our bank, we have 1000 new customers this year and our asset size has increased by 10% in the last 12 months."
I hope this will help you get started in the right direction. I have updated my profile with my email address and my phone number, should you have any questions or like additional information.
Good luck, and good selling!
Jenna
You make a very good point in your comment to my last post. Last week was a little crazy and I was on vacation for a few days and unable to respond...so let's jump in and get started.
In my ever-humble opinion, I believe that employee motivation is directly tied to expectations. The two are so closely related that it is difficult sometimes to tell the difference. I would also argue that cross selling and sending referrals internally is about as optional as balancing the teller drawer.
In order to motivate your employees to do more cross selling, we should talk about the current culture within your institution. Does the initiative come from the top of the line and trickle down, or is the marketing department in charge? In my experience, when an institution tries to implement a sales and service culture, but is not initiated by the senior managers/CEO, it is doomed to fail. I have even run across institutions where the CEO was responsible for the sales and service culture shift but it still failed...this later failure is completely related to the lack of accountability on the part of the employees.
Shifting your culture will be one of the most difficult things you have to do. Notice I say, "have to do." This culture shift is not only necessary for success, but it is mandatory for growth. If your employees don't embrace the philosophy of better serving your customers, it will be difficult for you to grow (hence the attrition issue you mentioned in your original comment). Your competition really only wants what you have...YOUR CUSTOMERS.
Teaching your staff to better serve your customers (i.e. cross selling) is truly like teaching an old dog a new trick. However, that being said, it is still executed with great success by MANY financial institutions every day. It takes time, but here are some baby steps to help you get started.
1. Create a plan, include the expectations of each employee type and the associated rewards AND punishments for not meeting the expectations.
2. Set goals for EVERYONE with a time line for meeting those goals.
3. Training
4. Training
5. Training (it is listed three times, because not only is this THE MOST critical piece of the puzzle, it is not a one time deal. Training needs to be on-going, progressive, and refreshed frequently)
6. Measurement. What good will shifting your culture do if you can't say to your employees, "thanks to your hard work and dedication to serving the customers of our bank, we have 1000 new customers this year and our asset size has increased by 10% in the last 12 months."
I hope this will help you get started in the right direction. I have updated my profile with my email address and my phone number, should you have any questions or like additional information.
Good luck, and good selling!
Jenna
Update: Temporary Reporting Delay since Saturday Night
Google Analytics users,
There is a temporary reporting delay within Google Analytics accounts. For most accounts, reporting is current through this past Saturday night. Please note that no data will be lost - data will continue to be collected and processed during this time.
We are in the process of fully updating your Google Analytics account data and will display it within your reports as soon as possible. Please note, you are still able to log in to your accounts and access all the data through Saturday. We will update this blog when reporting is fully restored.
We apologize for any inconvenience this delay in reporting has caused. Thank you for using Google Analytics.
There is a temporary reporting delay within Google Analytics accounts. For most accounts, reporting is current through this past Saturday night. Please note that no data will be lost - data will continue to be collected and processed during this time.
We are in the process of fully updating your Google Analytics account data and will display it within your reports as soon as possible. Please note, you are still able to log in to your accounts and access all the data through Saturday. We will update this blog when reporting is fully restored.
We apologize for any inconvenience this delay in reporting has caused. Thank you for using Google Analytics.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Google Analytics Artistes
We have not yet established a certification for reaching the master level of Google Analytics, but ROI Revolution, a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant, is definitely the equivalent, and they want to pass on some actionable wisdom with a six-week online Google Analytics training course which launches on Aug 9, 2007 at 1:30 pm EST. We think Google Analytics is easy to use and set up, but if you're like us, sometimes you want to walk through a new process with an intelligent teacher to quickly become an expert. Also, there are some tips and techniques they use that we haven't even documented in the help center, such as these incredibly cool filters which populate your e-commerce transaction reports with the referring source and keyword that brought the buyer. This links a specific transaction with a specific keyword. Advanced stuff, and beautiful.
And consider this a huge plug for all our Authorized Consultants - if you aren't aware of them, you don't know what you're missing. These guys affordably work in concert with clients to find high impact insights about users and sites. We've seen them modify the Google Analytics javascript to integrate it with in-house lead tracking software or automatically track outbound clicks (more on this in a future post, Mr. Jacka). However, if you're simply having issues with implementation or analysis - or just have some general support questions and would like to talk to someone on the phone - you can also give them a call. They'll give you a reasonable hourly quote, and you'll be more knowledgeable for it. Isn't that the whole point?
Find one near you here.
And consider this a huge plug for all our Authorized Consultants - if you aren't aware of them, you don't know what you're missing. These guys affordably work in concert with clients to find high impact insights about users and sites. We've seen them modify the Google Analytics javascript to integrate it with in-house lead tracking software or automatically track outbound clicks (more on this in a future post, Mr. Jacka). However, if you're simply having issues with implementation or analysis - or just have some general support questions and would like to talk to someone on the phone - you can also give them a call. They'll give you a reasonable hourly quote, and you'll be more knowledgeable for it. Isn't that the whole point?
Find one near you here.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Notice of Brief Processing Delay
Today there will be a brief processing delay. It is expected to last a few hours. You can still login and view your reports. Please be assured that your data continues to be collected and that no data will be lost. We expect everything to be updated shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Hoş geldiniz and Witamy!
We're pleased to announce that we now offer and support Google Analytics in two additional languages: Turkish and Polish. You can use Google Analytics, receive email support, get technical information from the Help Center, browse our website and learn marketing techniques from Conversion University in any of the 19 languages for which Google Analytics is available. Google Analytics Authorized Consultants provide advanced support and consulting services around the world in many of the Google Analytics languages. And if you simply want an introduction to Google Analytics, you can watch the subtitled Flash tour.
To update your language preference, sign in to your Google Analytics account and click the My Account link at the top of the Analytics Settings page. Select a language from the Language pulldown menu then click Save Changes. You will see that Google Analytics supports US English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, UK English, Polish and Turkish.
To all of our Turkish and Polish users: Hoş geldiniz and Witamy! Welcome!
To update your language preference, sign in to your Google Analytics account and click the My Account link at the top of the Analytics Settings page. Select a language from the Language pulldown menu then click Save Changes. You will see that Google Analytics supports US English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, UK English, Polish and Turkish.
To all of our Turkish and Polish users: Hoş geldiniz and Witamy! Welcome!
Friday, July 20, 2007
What's Next?
Happy Friday to everyone out there in Bloggerland!
I have had this window open since I got back from the gym at 7:00 this morning...and am just now getting to sending you my Friday message, but it seems as though I am at a loss for words.
I have been trying to think of a personal story that will somehow tie back to a brilliant bank marketing idea but am coming up empty. For those of you who know me well, you know that being at a loss for words probably means someone has wired my mouth shut...But today is just one of those days. When you have as many stories in your head as I do, it is sometimes difficult to tap a memory unless someone sparks me.
So here's your Friday challenge...Me. Yep, that's right, I am challenging you to challenge me. What do you want to know? What challenges are you facing at your institution that you want a little help with? I am offering to you a wealth of knowledge...all you have to do is ask. Post your questions and ideas as a comment to this post and I will respond to as many as I can!
And to the first to stump me, a copy of my favorite marketing masterpiece...a book of unparalleled brilliance...the name of which I will share in my next post, as well as why I think it's such a GREAT book!
Good luck, and happy challenging!
Jenna
I have had this window open since I got back from the gym at 7:00 this morning...and am just now getting to sending you my Friday message, but it seems as though I am at a loss for words.
I have been trying to think of a personal story that will somehow tie back to a brilliant bank marketing idea but am coming up empty. For those of you who know me well, you know that being at a loss for words probably means someone has wired my mouth shut...But today is just one of those days. When you have as many stories in your head as I do, it is sometimes difficult to tap a memory unless someone sparks me.
So here's your Friday challenge...Me. Yep, that's right, I am challenging you to challenge me. What do you want to know? What challenges are you facing at your institution that you want a little help with? I am offering to you a wealth of knowledge...all you have to do is ask. Post your questions and ideas as a comment to this post and I will respond to as many as I can!
And to the first to stump me, a copy of my favorite marketing masterpiece...a book of unparalleled brilliance...the name of which I will share in my next post, as well as why I think it's such a GREAT book!
Good luck, and happy challenging!
Jenna
More features. One interface.
Last month, we added the first batch of feature enhancements to the new Google Analytics. Today, we're excited to announce that we're adding a few more of your most requested features. The following improvements are available in your account now:
- We've added a "Go to:" box to all reports that have tables so you can jump directly to a specific row. If you have 5,000 referring sources and you want to see row 3,456, you can jump right to it.
- The Map Overlay report view now defaults to Country instead of Subcontinent.
- Content reports now have a Segment menu so you can cross-segment pages and sets of pages by referral source, keyword, visitor type, and other visitor segments.
- Many of you prefer the more readable Content by Title report over the URL-based Content Drilldown and Top Content reports. However, drilling down on a specific title in the Content by Title report hasn't allowed you to find (and therefore analyze and fix) URLs sharing the title. Until today.
You can always review the latest Google Analytics release notes here. Finally, please note that, as of today, the former interface is no longer available. However, the Report Finder tool remains available to help you locate the new versions of your favorite reports.
- We've added a "Go to:" box to all reports that have tables so you can jump directly to a specific row. If you have 5,000 referring sources and you want to see row 3,456, you can jump right to it.
- The Map Overlay report view now defaults to Country instead of Subcontinent.
- Content reports now have a Segment menu so you can cross-segment pages and sets of pages by referral source, keyword, visitor type, and other visitor segments.
- Many of you prefer the more readable Content by Title report over the URL-based Content Drilldown and Top Content reports. However, drilling down on a specific title in the Content by Title report hasn't allowed you to find (and therefore analyze and fix) URLs sharing the title. Until today.
You can always review the latest Google Analytics release notes here. Finally, please note that, as of today, the former interface is no longer available. However, the Report Finder tool remains available to help you locate the new versions of your favorite reports.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Yardly and Vanessa
My first cross-country move happened when I was in my mid-twenties. I was moving from small-town Michigan to Plano, Texas. Plano is a northern suburb of Dallas. I picked my apartment based on two things...proximity to my office, and proximity to the Stonebriar Mall. This place was HUGE!!! It was the home of all the major chain stores, a few specialty boutiques and my first Nordstrom experience.
The Nordstrom service standard is no big industry secret. There are retailers all over this country that aspire to reach half of the Nordstrom standard. One particularly boring Monday evening, I decided it was time to try jeans that didn't come from The Gap. So, to Nordstrom I went. Upstairs, I found all of the really (expensive) hot brands...Citizens, 7, and a whole host of entirely-too-expensive-for-my-blood jeans. And unless you are a very slender woman, some of these brands just aren't quite right, even if you can afford them!
After trying on countless pairs of jeans and deciding I would come back in 20 pounds...errr...a few months, Yardly found me. She showed me JAG jeans. They are exclusive to Nordstrom and are still to this day my favorite jeans. But that's not the point.
About a month later, I was asked to read a passage at a good friend's wedding and was also asked to not wear a business suit while reading...I officially had nothing to wear. I went back to Yardly. Not only did she remember my name and the size jeans I was looking for, but she made me feel like a long lost friend. When I explained the situation with the wedding, the reading and needing a dress, Yardly walked me over to meet Vanessa Williams. Yup, that was her real name. She was equally beautiful but instead of being an actress/singer, she was a personal shopper. And she was from Grand Rapids, Michigan!!! YAY! Someone in Dallas who understands the mid-west and how DIFFERENT it is!
Vanessa took as much time as I needed to fit me for a dress, the accompanying jewelry, undergarments and shoes, and I bought it all ($$$$) and happily! While I was there, she took my measurements and made notes about my likes and dislikes. I wasn't sure why, but whatever! For the record, my favorite color is red, I hate flower patterns on anything, I love strappy sandals in the summer and will find a way to pull them off in the winter, and I will never don polka dots even if they are the newest hot trend of the season.
A few days later, I got a note in the mail from Vanessa Williams, my personal shopper at Nordstrom, inviting me to preview the new fall line. She also noted that I should bring my recent purchase with me, in that one of the new dresses was in a light reddish color and did not have a pattern...and that she had found a really great shoe to go with it.
I attended the sneak preview, returned my first purchase and bought the light red dress with the great strappy sandals to match. I had kept the original jewelery in that it was so cool, but ended up buying a new necklace to go with the new dress and sandals.
I could go on and on about all of my incredible experiences with Nordstrom and Vanessa, but I think you get the point. So, you get the point of the story, but do you understand how this relates to banking? Let me clarify.
Vanessa and Yardly are not magicians, mind readers or any psychic of the sort. They are, however, savvy with their CRM systems. Yardly may have gotten lucky, but Vanessa was smart. She knew that I would spend the money if I could fall in love with whatever it was she was showing me. And by asking a few simple questions about my favorite color and how I feel about patterns she was able to deduce that a light red dress with NO pattern would be great for me.
Do you ask your customers about what they like and don't like? Have you asked your retail customers about their family? If they volunteer that they have children, ask how old they are and make a personal connection. With your commercial customers, GET A WISH LIST!!! Ask them what ultimate tool would make their business run more efficiently and do some homework...find it for them...then find a way to finance it for them.
I know I have said this before, but banks are not that much different from retailers. Once we begin to think like them, and leverage our customer intelligence, we will then begin to truly serve our customers and earn the share of wallet that we deserve.
So, while we are talking about service standards...here's a link to a website that has lots of tools on it...and this one will really make you stop and think. Making small changes to increase our standards of service are not hard and they do not have to be expensive...take Johnny for example:
http://www.simpletruths.com/simpletruths/a.aspx?af=219&mo=stsr
Enjoy!
Jenna
The Nordstrom service standard is no big industry secret. There are retailers all over this country that aspire to reach half of the Nordstrom standard. One particularly boring Monday evening, I decided it was time to try jeans that didn't come from The Gap. So, to Nordstrom I went. Upstairs, I found all of the really (expensive) hot brands...Citizens, 7, and a whole host of entirely-too-expensive-for-my-blood jeans. And unless you are a very slender woman, some of these brands just aren't quite right, even if you can afford them!
After trying on countless pairs of jeans and deciding I would come back in 20 pounds...errr...a few months, Yardly found me. She showed me JAG jeans. They are exclusive to Nordstrom and are still to this day my favorite jeans. But that's not the point.
About a month later, I was asked to read a passage at a good friend's wedding and was also asked to not wear a business suit while reading...I officially had nothing to wear. I went back to Yardly. Not only did she remember my name and the size jeans I was looking for, but she made me feel like a long lost friend. When I explained the situation with the wedding, the reading and needing a dress, Yardly walked me over to meet Vanessa Williams. Yup, that was her real name. She was equally beautiful but instead of being an actress/singer, she was a personal shopper. And she was from Grand Rapids, Michigan!!! YAY! Someone in Dallas who understands the mid-west and how DIFFERENT it is!
Vanessa took as much time as I needed to fit me for a dress, the accompanying jewelry, undergarments and shoes, and I bought it all ($$$$) and happily! While I was there, she took my measurements and made notes about my likes and dislikes. I wasn't sure why, but whatever! For the record, my favorite color is red, I hate flower patterns on anything, I love strappy sandals in the summer and will find a way to pull them off in the winter, and I will never don polka dots even if they are the newest hot trend of the season.
A few days later, I got a note in the mail from Vanessa Williams, my personal shopper at Nordstrom, inviting me to preview the new fall line. She also noted that I should bring my recent purchase with me, in that one of the new dresses was in a light reddish color and did not have a pattern...and that she had found a really great shoe to go with it.
I attended the sneak preview, returned my first purchase and bought the light red dress with the great strappy sandals to match. I had kept the original jewelery in that it was so cool, but ended up buying a new necklace to go with the new dress and sandals.
I could go on and on about all of my incredible experiences with Nordstrom and Vanessa, but I think you get the point. So, you get the point of the story, but do you understand how this relates to banking? Let me clarify.
Vanessa and Yardly are not magicians, mind readers or any psychic of the sort. They are, however, savvy with their CRM systems. Yardly may have gotten lucky, but Vanessa was smart. She knew that I would spend the money if I could fall in love with whatever it was she was showing me. And by asking a few simple questions about my favorite color and how I feel about patterns she was able to deduce that a light red dress with NO pattern would be great for me.
Do you ask your customers about what they like and don't like? Have you asked your retail customers about their family? If they volunteer that they have children, ask how old they are and make a personal connection. With your commercial customers, GET A WISH LIST!!! Ask them what ultimate tool would make their business run more efficiently and do some homework...find it for them...then find a way to finance it for them.
I know I have said this before, but banks are not that much different from retailers. Once we begin to think like them, and leverage our customer intelligence, we will then begin to truly serve our customers and earn the share of wallet that we deserve.
So, while we are talking about service standards...here's a link to a website that has lots of tools on it...and this one will really make you stop and think. Making small changes to increase our standards of service are not hard and they do not have to be expensive...take Johnny for example:
http://www.simpletruths.com/simpletruths/a.aspx?af=219&mo=stsr
Enjoy!
Jenna
Monday, July 16, 2007
Tip: Print Your Favorite Reports By First Viewing in PDF
Many of our users like to print their Google Analytics reporting interface to include in presentations, handouts or company reports. We added the ability to export to PDF in the new interface so printed reports would look perfect. These PDF reports are vector based and can scale to the size of billboards and still look beautiful. So, the next time you want to print a report, first export to PDF, then print. You'll be amazed at the high quality print you get.
Here's how: Click "Export" below the report's title, then click "PDF".
Limited Reporting Delays, Data Now Updated
This weekend a small percentage of our users experienced processing delays. For several hours affected users were not able to view updated traffic for a large portion of the day. This was a temporary processing delay. No data was lost and all reports should now be fully updated.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Is your personality contagious?
I think it's a very valid question. I believe that enthusiasm is contagious. I also believe pessimism is contagious. When I am around people who are happy and excited, I tend to be happy and excited too...but when I am around people who are negative and pessimistic I feel like an energy vampire has sucked the life out of me!
This is why I ask. Every Monday morning the MarketMatch team has a conference call to check in and discuss how we can help one another by leveraging each of our unique perspectives. This morning I was told that I was starting to "talk like Bruce." I used some of his catch phrases. Apparently it's contagious.
Now, I know many of you out there in the banking world have met Bruce Clapp, and if you haven't, you should. Talk about contagious enthusiasm! And the guy knows his stuff. Early in my banking career, I had the luxury to meet Bruce at a conference. We kept in touch over the long course of my career, and it wasn't long before Bruce became my mentor. He is a marketing genius. I count my blessings every day that I am now working with my mentor, and constantly being challenged to think in new ways. So, if his catch phrases AND energy are contagious, well, those are diseases I am willing to catch!
So, is your bank contagious? Does your brand resonate in such a way that your customers keep coming back and bringing their friends? Does your teller line have so much energy and excitement that your customers LOOK FORWARD to coming in? Is their day better for having stopped at the bank on the way to work? Is the enthusiasm inside your branches contagious, or do you employ energy vampires?
It's something to think about, and it's easy to fix. When employees are motivated and empowered, they feel they are a part of something bigger. And when they are happy, it shows. We don't sing "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" when we are kids because it's silly, we sing it because a it's true story.
Find a way to make your front line staff happy. And I know you are all thinking, "Whatever, Jenna...we all know it's more money." Wrong. It isn't always more money. I will bet that what is making your people less enthusiastic has more to do with lack of recognition for a job well done, lack of challenge, and lack of understanding of the importance of their role at the bank than it does their paycheck.
My final thoughts to share with you this beautiful Monday morning are these:
When you praise people for a job well done, it raises the bar of measurement for the job.
Most people live up to the expectations you set for them...but very few exceed the expectations.
Make the personality of your bank contagious! You will reap the benefits in lower attrition, greater retention, and a higher share of wallet.
Happy Monday!
Jenna
This is why I ask. Every Monday morning the MarketMatch team has a conference call to check in and discuss how we can help one another by leveraging each of our unique perspectives. This morning I was told that I was starting to "talk like Bruce." I used some of his catch phrases. Apparently it's contagious.
Now, I know many of you out there in the banking world have met Bruce Clapp, and if you haven't, you should. Talk about contagious enthusiasm! And the guy knows his stuff. Early in my banking career, I had the luxury to meet Bruce at a conference. We kept in touch over the long course of my career, and it wasn't long before Bruce became my mentor. He is a marketing genius. I count my blessings every day that I am now working with my mentor, and constantly being challenged to think in new ways. So, if his catch phrases AND energy are contagious, well, those are diseases I am willing to catch!
So, is your bank contagious? Does your brand resonate in such a way that your customers keep coming back and bringing their friends? Does your teller line have so much energy and excitement that your customers LOOK FORWARD to coming in? Is their day better for having stopped at the bank on the way to work? Is the enthusiasm inside your branches contagious, or do you employ energy vampires?
It's something to think about, and it's easy to fix. When employees are motivated and empowered, they feel they are a part of something bigger. And when they are happy, it shows. We don't sing "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" when we are kids because it's silly, we sing it because a it's true story.
Find a way to make your front line staff happy. And I know you are all thinking, "Whatever, Jenna...we all know it's more money." Wrong. It isn't always more money. I will bet that what is making your people less enthusiastic has more to do with lack of recognition for a job well done, lack of challenge, and lack of understanding of the importance of their role at the bank than it does their paycheck.
My final thoughts to share with you this beautiful Monday morning are these:
When you praise people for a job well done, it raises the bar of measurement for the job.
Most people live up to the expectations you set for them...but very few exceed the expectations.
Make the personality of your bank contagious! You will reap the benefits in lower attrition, greater retention, and a higher share of wallet.
Happy Monday!
Jenna
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Reminder: Google Analytics to complete transition to new interface on July 18th
It's been about two months since we launched the new Google Analytics interface and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. And since then, we've updated the new Google Analytics with the most requested features. We'll continue updating the new Google Analytics going forward, of course, but here's your reminder that the earlier version of Google Analytics will be removed on Wednesday, July 18th. Most of you already know this from the message on your Analytics Settings page and from earlier posts here, but we wanted to give everyone another reminder.
If you haven't yet transitioned, you might check out these resources:
If you haven't yet transitioned, you might check out these resources:
- the animated tour of the new version,
- the Report Finder tool, which maps where data from the previous interface is located within the new version, (also available within your reports in the left navigation menu)
- the FAQs,
- and the features page for the new version.
Weekend Server Outage
This weekend, many of you had trouble creating and logging into your new Google Analytics Account. This was due to a temporary server outage which has now been resolved. If your account was successfully created, you will be able to log in now. If you are still unable to log in you will need to create the account again.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
When I grow up, I wanna be a...
I grew up in a small town in central Michigan...well, home of Central Michigan University to be a bit more specific (GO CHIPS!!). My family history is one filled with two professions...teachers and bankers. When I was young, my brother and I would talk about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Keep in mind that in the late 70's and early 80's those conversations had more to do with gender and which was more "rad" than the other. I guess the word, "cool" hadn't hit mid-Michigan yet!
At an early age I started defying the things our parents called dangerous, forbidden, and "not for girls." For example, my tree house that was about 50' up an old oak tree...you had to make sure the Red Rider was carefully attached to your backpack because that fall could shatter my old crooked shooter (I became the master of compensating for that old thing!). But I digress.
So in the battle for the best "I wanna be a..." I was always the first girl fireman. Yup, long before being PC firefighters, we had firemen, and I was going to be one. Life happened, education was achieved, then some more education (I had a massive change in career path after that child development class...I KNEW I wasn't going to be a teacher after that!), and there I was...a legacy banker.
Wile my degree is in Marketing, it hasn't always been in banking. I did my internship with a beer and wine wholesaler where I did some merchandising, keg rotating, some selling and a lot of display building. When that was over, I migrated to some financial services marketing...a CPA and consulting firm most specifically where I did some contract work on a branding campaign. Then I went to the bank. Mortgage loans, new accounts and a bazillion other things that were in the catch-all job description of the Corporate Marketing Director.
Because I was spread so thin, it seemed that I was constantly putting out fires, and not able to execute the incredibly exciting and aggressive marketing plan I had written. And that's when it hit me. I had actually achieved my ultimate career goal...or at least the one I had when I was 7 years old. I was a fireman...errr...firefighter. Putting out the fires of every department head who needed that (insert the deposit product promotion of your choice) letter out yesterday!
I knew I had to make a change. Putting out fires is no way to market a bank! The change wasn't necessarily where I was working...the change had to be in the way marketing was viewed by the bank. I was on a mission. Today, that bank has shifted their view of marketing from being the people who recruit volunteers to walk in a parade and order the suckers for the drive through (and I am convinced those are called dum-dums for a reason!) to a revenue generating critical function within the bank. Granted it has taken several years (2 marketing directors and the ultimate consulting company) to get them there, but they are there and are experiencing remarkable success.
So, my question to you today is this: Are you a Marketer, or a Firefighter? Because you can't be both and I have never seen billowing smoke come out of a bank!!
No great reward has come without great risk. Take the risk.
Jenna
At an early age I started defying the things our parents called dangerous, forbidden, and "not for girls." For example, my tree house that was about 50' up an old oak tree...you had to make sure the Red Rider was carefully attached to your backpack because that fall could shatter my old crooked shooter (I became the master of compensating for that old thing!). But I digress.
So in the battle for the best "I wanna be a..." I was always the first girl fireman. Yup, long before being PC firefighters, we had firemen, and I was going to be one. Life happened, education was achieved, then some more education (I had a massive change in career path after that child development class...I KNEW I wasn't going to be a teacher after that!), and there I was...a legacy banker.
Wile my degree is in Marketing, it hasn't always been in banking. I did my internship with a beer and wine wholesaler where I did some merchandising, keg rotating, some selling and a lot of display building. When that was over, I migrated to some financial services marketing...a CPA and consulting firm most specifically where I did some contract work on a branding campaign. Then I went to the bank. Mortgage loans, new accounts and a bazillion other things that were in the catch-all job description of the Corporate Marketing Director.
Because I was spread so thin, it seemed that I was constantly putting out fires, and not able to execute the incredibly exciting and aggressive marketing plan I had written. And that's when it hit me. I had actually achieved my ultimate career goal...or at least the one I had when I was 7 years old. I was a fireman...errr...firefighter. Putting out the fires of every department head who needed that (insert the deposit product promotion of your choice) letter out yesterday!
I knew I had to make a change. Putting out fires is no way to market a bank! The change wasn't necessarily where I was working...the change had to be in the way marketing was viewed by the bank. I was on a mission. Today, that bank has shifted their view of marketing from being the people who recruit volunteers to walk in a parade and order the suckers for the drive through (and I am convinced those are called dum-dums for a reason!) to a revenue generating critical function within the bank. Granted it has taken several years (2 marketing directors and the ultimate consulting company) to get them there, but they are there and are experiencing remarkable success.
So, my question to you today is this: Are you a Marketer, or a Firefighter? Because you can't be both and I have never seen billowing smoke come out of a bank!!
No great reward has come without great risk. Take the risk.
Jenna
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Living the Brand
Frontier Airlines. Have you ever flown them? It's an experience...and the first experience for this traveler was a little, well, how should I say it? Conflicting...that's the word, conflicting. When flying a "budget" airline, my expectations are usually in line with the cost of the flight...low!
So let's start counting my surprises. There are parents with their children and the children's grandparents EVERYWHERE. Pretty much in line with my expectations...but this is when it happens. The little boy (who announces he has to go potty) runs to his mom and says, "don't tell me who it is, I want to be surprised." HUH? I ignored it and continued my walk to the gate. I pass a few airline gates and hear "I think it was the bear." Then I hear "I watched Rachael Ray on my flight." Now I'm listening.
The same little boy comes RUNNING...I mean flat out sprint as fast as his 5 year old legs will take him...running, "did I miss it?" This time, his dad yells back, "Hurry, the plane is pulling up now." All of this running and yelling and rushing and whispering was about the animal on the tail of the Frontier Airlines plane. Our partner in flight this fine Sunday was Montana the Elk. And everyone thought that was the coolest thing ever.
Frontier Airlines launched a brand awareness campaign asking its passengers and anyone within earshot of one of their commercials to vote on their favorite animal, each having it's own name and voice. This ran for what seemed like months, and everyone was talking about it, including our local news channels...and that was free for Frontier! The anchors of the evening news were talking about who they voted for...you can't buy that kind of publicity...LITERALLY!
When was the last time another airline asked you what you thought about them? Or for that matter, when was the last time ANYONE asked you what you thought of their business, especially about something so inane as the animal on the tail of an aircraft? I am guessing your answer was, "never." Right, mine too. But you don't get voted best in class if you don't.
Everyone was so happy. The ticket agent, gate agent, flight attendants, passengers, EVERYONE was smiling. I thought it was endearing. Then I learned that each seat on my plane had it's own DirecTV with 20someodd channels. Now I am smiling...Rachael Ray on my flight, and as much commercial surfing as I can do for as long as my flight is!
I could ramble on and on about this experience, and the several subsequent, on-time, plenty of frills Frontier Airlines flights I have taken. I gave up American Airlines Gold Status for DirecTV and Sun Chips.
So what can we, as professional marketers learn from this? I can't give away all the secrets, but I can ask you to think. And ask yourselves a few simple questions:
What makes us different? (Lower prices? Maybe. Better tchatchkis? Probably not.)
Do your customers/members talk about you? (What do they say?)
Do they look forward to their next visit?
Have your customers/members become indifferent about you?
A financial institution isn't that much different from any other retail or commercial business. You and your competition are offering almost identical products at almost identical prices...I challenge you to find what makes you different, what makes you better, faster and stronger and capitalize on it!!!
See you soon,
Jenna
So let's start counting my surprises. There are parents with their children and the children's grandparents EVERYWHERE. Pretty much in line with my expectations...but this is when it happens. The little boy (who announces he has to go potty) runs to his mom and says, "don't tell me who it is, I want to be surprised." HUH? I ignored it and continued my walk to the gate. I pass a few airline gates and hear "I think it was the bear." Then I hear "I watched Rachael Ray on my flight." Now I'm listening.
The same little boy comes RUNNING...I mean flat out sprint as fast as his 5 year old legs will take him...running, "did I miss it?" This time, his dad yells back, "Hurry, the plane is pulling up now." All of this running and yelling and rushing and whispering was about the animal on the tail of the Frontier Airlines plane. Our partner in flight this fine Sunday was Montana the Elk. And everyone thought that was the coolest thing ever.
Frontier Airlines launched a brand awareness campaign asking its passengers and anyone within earshot of one of their commercials to vote on their favorite animal, each having it's own name and voice. This ran for what seemed like months, and everyone was talking about it, including our local news channels...and that was free for Frontier! The anchors of the evening news were talking about who they voted for...you can't buy that kind of publicity...LITERALLY!
When was the last time another airline asked you what you thought about them? Or for that matter, when was the last time ANYONE asked you what you thought of their business, especially about something so inane as the animal on the tail of an aircraft? I am guessing your answer was, "never." Right, mine too. But you don't get voted best in class if you don't.
Everyone was so happy. The ticket agent, gate agent, flight attendants, passengers, EVERYONE was smiling. I thought it was endearing. Then I learned that each seat on my plane had it's own DirecTV with 20someodd channels. Now I am smiling...Rachael Ray on my flight, and as much commercial surfing as I can do for as long as my flight is!
I could ramble on and on about this experience, and the several subsequent, on-time, plenty of frills Frontier Airlines flights I have taken. I gave up American Airlines Gold Status for DirecTV and Sun Chips.
So what can we, as professional marketers learn from this? I can't give away all the secrets, but I can ask you to think. And ask yourselves a few simple questions:
What makes us different? (Lower prices? Maybe. Better tchatchkis? Probably not.)
Do your customers/members talk about you? (What do they say?)
Do they look forward to their next visit?
Have your customers/members become indifferent about you?
A financial institution isn't that much different from any other retail or commercial business. You and your competition are offering almost identical products at almost identical prices...I challenge you to find what makes you different, what makes you better, faster and stronger and capitalize on it!!!
See you soon,
Jenna
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Welcome!
To the new MarketMatch Blog!
MarketMatch is dedicated to providing perspective and strategic vision to our clients and the financial service industry...
A major component of that perspective is the timely review of industry trends, sharing ideas across the country, and helping you to create relevance for your institution, your marketing, and your brand.
We will actively share our thoughts in a lively forum for marketing professionals throughout the country...
Check in often, read up on our thoughts, and share yours!
MarketMatch is dedicated to providing perspective and strategic vision to our clients and the financial service industry...
A major component of that perspective is the timely review of industry trends, sharing ideas across the country, and helping you to create relevance for your institution, your marketing, and your brand.
We will actively share our thoughts in a lively forum for marketing professionals throughout the country...
Check in often, read up on our thoughts, and share yours!
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