Comments on: I'm not gettin' any action

By: Action Items: Free (or near free) Ideas for Credit Unions | CU Innovators

Action Items: Free (or near free) Ideas for Credit Unions | CU Innovators — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:21:14 +0000

[...] weeks ago, I got on my little soapbox and wrote about how credit unions and the blogosphere are stuck on inactivity. In the spirit of helping to [...]

By: Denise Wymore

Denise Wymore — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:44:56 +0000

Hey all,

A step-by-step guide to helping your Steve’s:

1. Reorient yourselves with the Seven Cooperative principles.

2. If you cannot live by them – if they will not ooze from every pore of your organization, pick up an application to become a community charter bank.

3. If you want to remain a cooperative, describe in detail what you value. Remember, corporations don’t have values – people do.

4. Now take a look at your numbers – which ones do you lament over? What do you measure, manage and reward? This is what you REALLY value. Be realistic.

5. Define your target audience. NOT your FOM description. Lives, works, worships in a five county area is NOT a target – that’s a territory. Is your target Steve? Or is it employed Steve? Maybe it’s Steve’s wife who’s a teacher? Where have you been most profitable? Which members are most loyal? Why? What’s the likelihood you will sustain those profits?

6. Find your true north. Your filter. What business are you in? EXAMPLE: Amazon.com is in the business of helping people make purchase decisions. They don’t make money when they sell stuff, they make money when they allow their members to review and recommend stuff. Think about it. Where do they put their resources?

7. Now question everything you do using this filter.

8. Rinse and repeat yearly.

By: Tim McAlpine

Tim McAlpine — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:04:36 +0000

I totally agree with you Robbie. It’s very frustrating to see credit unions stagnate. Conferences are an outward expression of this. Even BarCampBanks, which held the promise of innovation, seem to be more talk than action.

BTW – your new tag cloud is hypnotic and filled with awesome.

By: Robbie Wright

Robbie Wright — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:37:22 +0000

I’m with you too Mike. Conferences (listen up CUNA, CUES, and NACUSO) need to create more actionable sessions. How they do that is debatable and challenging though. How could trade associations create more actionable sessions in their conferences?

By: Mike Bartoo

Mike Bartoo — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:34:07 +0000

Matt – I should have been clearer. I’m not referencing “Steve” as the next hot thing – I’m referencing products/services/etc. Steve is not just here and now, he’s been a member or customer forever.

By: Matt Davis

Matt Davis — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:57:24 +0000

@Mike

I’m confused. Is “Steve” the next hot thing? He seems to me to be the right now.

By: Mike Bartoo

Mike Bartoo — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:54:15 +0000

I think there’s some real validity to this post and it’s not just the discussions that are taking place online, I see it all the time at industry conferences. Very rarely do I see any sessions, whether general or of the breakout variety, that provide any real “take home”s. Matt, you’re right, there are “Steves” everywhere, but until FIs get serious about figuring out what their core business is and focusing the majority of their efforts on that business, they’re just going to continue to blow with the wind. Enought of the next “hot thing”, if it doesn’t fit with your core values and strategies for today and the next few years, it’s not for you right now.

By: Matt Davis

Matt Davis — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:40:48 +0000

There’s nothing theoretical about Steve. He’s all around me.