Ken Cline (right), Managing Editor of Banking Strategies Magazine, asks David Kerstein, President of Peak Performance Consulting Group, “Why are some branches more successful than others? Is there a ‘Secret Sauce’? What should financial institutions be doing today to position themselves for the future?”
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One of the fastest ways to grow is to hire top sales and customer service people from your competitors. How do you find them and entice them? Here’s a great idea from Apple, which has been rapidly expanding their retail stores.
When Apple recruiters meet someone who gives them great service, they hand them this business card:
Front side: “You’re amazing. We should talk.”
Back side: “Your customer service just now was exceptional. I work for the Apple Store, and you’re exactly the kind of person we’d like to talk to. If you’re happy where you are, I’d never ask you to leave. But if you’re thinking about a change, give me a call. This could be the start of something great.”
Wells Fargo has probably more experience using social media than any other bank (see our previous post Look Who’s Blogging and Tweeting). They’ve been blogging since 2005, and their effort has expanded beyond consumer banking to include commercial banking customers.
Darius Miranda, who is responsible for internet services at Wells Fargo’s wholesale and commercial bank, spoke at the Next Banking Conference last month in Berlin about the bank’s efforts. He describes best practices for consumer engagement, as well as the new Business Circle site oriented toward commercial customers. Continue reading
Deanna Oppenheimer, the retail head at WaMu who created the Occasio branches, was recruited to run retail banking at Barlcay’s Bank in the UK. I recently saw a video of the opening of their flagship branch in Piccadilly Circus – think Times Square for a location with equivalent visibility and iconic impact.
I thought this was a great example of a very traditional bank creating exciting interaction with customers. The Piccadilly Circus branch is a destination, a place where customers want to go.
While I don’t have access to the well produced video that Deanna showed, there is a clip on youtube
and photos at
The Financial Brand that captures some of the experience. For those interested in the latest trend in branch banking, it is worth seeing.
Most consumers think that Credit Unions offer a more “authentic” experience. NBC News in Dallas-Ft. Worth recently did an report advising consumers on the benefits of both.
I was at a conference last month and listened to a panel of four senior marketing managers. One, a 30 something exec from a very large bank, started off with “Did you hear that guy from US Bank. He just doesn’t get it.” That Guy (she probably had no idea of his background) was Rick Hartnack, Vice Chairman and Director of Retail Banking at US Bancorp. And what he “didn’t get” was Twitter. Continue reading
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