Credit unions need to talk about something other than their products
We, the consumers, are tired! We are tired of the product pitches, the ones that come across as late night TV commercials. We’re also VERY tired of the “we’re better than the competition because of our customer service”. We’ve heard it enough. Over and Over and Over again.
It’s the same drum beating over and over again! This tone isn’t set just in the CU world, it’s in all businesses and industries. When you use those lines, you immediately drop yourself into a bucket as large as the Atlantic Ocean…and we the consumers become instantly tone deaf!
Don’t Do It! Instead…start writing your own story. Start becoming known in your region as the CU that does ______!
Rather than let you sit in meetings brainstorming what to put into that blank, I’m going to give you the detailed plan right here in this article! The question is…which CU in this country will take this plan and run with it!
First, let’s look at the goal!
Goal: Your CU needs to (or wants to) focus on business clientele and accounts!
Plan – Execute these steps. Modify as needed!
- Identify the internal Key Contact to champion this project
- Grab the roll of red tape and throw it in the trash, it’s time to take quick action!
- Get a bookcase, and place it in your lobby in a prominent location. A bookcase similar in nature to any of these would be sufficient! Don’t overthink or complicate this, just buy the bookcase and get it in the lobby asap.
- Ask your employees to donate “Business Books”
- Download this resource of great business books that I have put together.
- Purchase 5 new business books per month, ongoing, from Amazon. You can find the Amazon New Releases for Business and Money here.
- Create 4×6 postcard announcing your business bookcase, and that all books are FREE.
- Place postcards on counter.
- Mail postcards to all current account holders.
- Consider an “Every Door Direct Mail” campaign of the postcards to mail routes in your area that you’d like to get the message out to. (This is an optional step)
- Visit all local area networking groups, don’t talk about the CU, talk about the Business Bookcase! Look at your local Chambers, Amspirit Business Connections, or BNI
- Allow any member to drop off a business book that they have read. (Key Contact to review the books before putting them on the bookcase. Are they appropriate, are they marked up inside.)
- When interacting with business account holders, ask them about their favorite business book. Buy copies of it and put it on the bookcase.
- Let account holders know that you are happy to talk to any business authors about their book being on your bookcase. Then buy the book, don’t ask them to donate it.
- Send a photo of your bookcase to me, Matt [at] Breakthrough-champion.com and I’ll send you 3 copies of my book (MORE…Word of Mouth Referrals) for free, just for taking action and implementing this bookcase idea!
If you execute on this bookcase idea, quickly, you’ll get the word out rather fast that you are a business friendly Credit Union. People will start coming in to drop off and pick up business books. You’ll get more foot traffic, and you will have more conversations with current and future business account holders!
It’s time to be different! Stop talking about customer service and start talking about your new business bookcase!
