Five problems to solve now or pay for later
It’s always easier to kick the can down the road…or at least it feels easier. It feels like less work. It feels less expensive. But no matter how it feels, avoiding pressing issues [...]
On The Mark Strategies News Archives
Create a board career path
A credit union board can be the institution’s biggest asset…or its biggest liability. As volunteers, board members enter their roles with varying degrees of experience and tend to stay on the board for [...]
Three frequently asked strategic planning questions
In my many years hopping on calls with community banks and credit unions about their strategic planning sessions, I found there are some questions leaders always ask. To help you better plan your own session, [...]
Your institution is an organism
That’s right – your community bank or credit union is a living, breathing entity. It’s complex, it can be sick, it can be healthy and every part depends on the other parts to succeed. [...]
Is your marketing strategy missing messaging opportunities?
Sometimes the perfect message is hidden away and hard to discover. Sometimes the right messaging opportunities are staring you in the face. But your community bank or credit union marketing strategy may be missing these [...]
The importance of developing strong leaders in credit unions
Succession planning is one of the most pressing issues for today’s credit unions. Too many have aging executives and board members without skilled people ready to take control once the current leadership cadre leaves. [...]
What’s new? (And how do you face it?)
The financial world (and the world at large) is constantly changing, and if your credit union or community bank doesn’t keep up with it, you might get left behind. But let’s be honest…[...]
How to find good teammates
Recently, I had the pleasure of looking at a series of interesting interviews with college basketball coaches. Coaches of highly successful men’s and women’s basketball programs are speaking about what it means to [...]
How to gain traction with your strategic plan
One of the best business books I read last year was Traction, by Gino Wickman. His subtitle is very telling: get a grip on your business. Too many times, executives at credit unions don’t [...]
Are you losing at service?
Your immediate answer is probably no. After all, community institutions are known for their service. Right? Many consumers no longer think that’s the case. During the pandemic, consumers prioritized digital banking to such an [...]
Five items you must assess about your marketing
Marketing touches everything. Loans. Deposits. Branches. Digital. Strategy. Growth. Consumers. Businesses. You name anything in your credit union or community bank, and marketing is involved. Marketing is so important, successful financial institutions monitor it on [...]
Clean up your front porch
Picture this: a new friend invites you to their house and you excitedly drive over, ready to see how they like to decorate and what kinds of delicious meals they cook. But when you leave [...]
What can buffaloes teach us about conflict?
Unlike another blog post I wrote, this article is actually about buffaloes—the large…very large animal. Turns out many of us interchange the word buffalo with bison, and the latter is actually correct when [...]
Don’t go breaking consumers’ hearts
I know what you’re thinking – “I couldn’t if I tried!” But sadly, the financial industry isn’t the upbeat world of an Elton John song. In fact, community institutions are breaking quite a [...]
Marketing lessons from Super Bowl LVII commercials
There’s something special about that one Sunday in February when family and friends draw together in front of their televisions to watch the culmination of a season’s worth of practice, effort and determination. [...]