CU Chat Up- Last day at GAC

Today is the last day of GAC. I will be live tweeting the last session this morning at: 

http://www.twitter.com/carladay

GAC has been an amazing experience and I look forward to sharing more experiences from DC in the next week.

If you haven't, please join the CU Chat Up community at: http://community.cuchatup.net. There will be continuing coverage of CU advocacy there as well. 

CU Chat Up- Live from GAC!

Live coverage continues today from GAC!


Alan Greenspan will be speaking in the morning session, in addition, to several other speakers.


I will be trying to use the liveblog system again, but if it does time out, you can follow all the tweets at:

http://www.twitter.com/carladay

In addition, I will be posted several interviews on cinch.

Looking forward to having you follow along! The live blog is embedded in Monday's blog post.

CU Chat Up- GAC Live Blog

CU Chat Up is here at GAC! And, ready to bring you all the action. Here is a liveblog that will have the action posted for you so you can follow along!


It will incorporate CU Chat Up's posts, other attendees who are liveblogging, tweets from the event and interviews with attendees (will show up as a Cinch with a link).


Due to spotty wifi at the convention, if you leave a comment, I may not be able to validate it and have it post. If you are an attendee and would like to contribute, please DM me your email address on twitter or email me at Carla (at) cuchatup (dot) net. I will try to email you a link that will allow you to post. 


If you have questions or comments, you can also tweet them with the hashtag #GAC10 and they will show up in the liveblog. 


Here it is:

CU Chat Up- Using Facebook

Is your credit union on Facebook? Has your credit union thought about starting a Facebook page? Well, you should tune in to this week's CU Chat Up at 2 pm CT. We will be discussing how credit unions can effectively use Facebook to reach their members.


Ryan Shell from Truliant FCU will be on the show to discuss how they have set up their Facebook page (Is it a fan page? a profile? a group? All so confusing, right?) and were able to  get over 4000 people to follow them on Facebook in less than a week. And, that's not all, they also were getting member feedback! Good and....the dreaded bad. How did they handle this feedback?


The Chatter of the Week (affectionately known as the CoW) will be Paul Stull from Arizona State CU. We will learn a little about Paul and he will also talk about the new MAC website and conference.


If you are new to this blog, you may wonder what is CU Chat Up? It is a online community for credit union folks to learn, share ideas and chat with each other! Each Wednesday at 2 pm CT, there is a FREE internet show that has guests that come on to talk about different topics related to credit unions. There is also a CU Chat Up community at http://community.cuchatup.net to continue to conversation outside of the live internet show.


You can listen to the show live at http://radio.cuchatup.net or listen to all the previous shows. Or, during the live broadcast, you can listen by phone by calling (646) 721-9289.


You can also join the chat room with other listeners. In order to comment in the chat room, you do need to register with blogtalkradio. If you don't want to register, you can see the conversation but not participate.  Here is the website to register for a login:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx.


This is sure to be a great show if you are interested in learning about Facebook and credit unions!!

Chatter of the Week - Paul Stull

Paul Stull

Senior Vice President Marketing

Arizona State Credit Union

What do you like the most about working in the credit union industry?

There are a lot of great people in the CU industry, its fun to work with engaged, aware and motivated people. It makes coming to work each day a great experience.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing credit unions regarding marketing right now?

It’s the same problem we have always faced, awareness. Our identity is a very small footprint in the United States. We are always working to overcome the question, “what’s a credit union”.

What have you found the most interesting about being part of the online credit union community on twitter?

Being able to connect with great people that I would normally not get to interact with (like you) . In the past attending a conference was the only way to meet other people and exchange ideas, now it’s as close as my laptop or phone.

What are some of your favorites in entertainment?

I have eclectic tastes. My fav movie is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I always laugh at this, even in July, I think The Boss (Bruce Springsteen) is the man in music, and when I read for pleasure I like mysteries so Clive Cussler is a favorite.

What are you most looking forward to in 2010?

This isn’t very positive, but survival is the first answer that comes to mind. It may be a lot more difficult than 2009 and the challenges ahead, like courtesy pay opt in, possible loss of interchange income, even higher share insurance premiums and aggressive regulation are all concerns. On the positive side I would hope that we can unite as an industry to advance the idea of not for profit financial institutions as a sustainable alternative to financial services. We are the only “green” solution to financial services and we are sustainable in our local communities. We come from the community and we invest in the community.

What book do you recommend to the community and why?

Change by Design by Tim Brown

If you are not aware of the concept of design thinking, you should be.

Yes, Extraordinary Service is Possible!

A few days ago, I wrote a post questioning whether credit unions really provide better than average service to their members. I asked quite a few questions and didn't really provide many answers. Now, you know why...

On this week's CU Chat Up, Rick Olson, a well-known speaker on service will be on the show to discuss how credit unions can up their service levels to extraordinary levels. What is necessary to reach the highest levels of service? What can credit unions do to differentiate themselves?

If you are already offering amazing service to your members, join the chat room and share what is working for your credit union! Or, ask questions during the show!

Also, this week a new segment will debut- WOW!!! Ben Joe Markland and Diana Windley from Goldenwest Credit Union will be on to talk about what their credit union did when the local community bank in their area was closed by the FDIC. You can read the preview at the CU Chat Up Community!

The show is Wednesday, February 10th at 2 pm CT. The chat room will open at 1:45 pm CT. If you have questions, feel free to post them in the comments before the show! See you there!

WOW - Goldenwest Credit Union

WOW!!!

Goldenwest Credit Union

At the beginning of the year, CU Chat Up introduced the CoW, aka the Chatter of the Week, that profiles one member of the community each week with an online profile, a segment on the radio show and a book recommendation for the group. It has been a great success and has given everyone the opportunity to meet some amazing people in the credit union world!

I am so excited to announce a new program--- WOW--- to recognize credit unions that are doing amazing things!

The first WOW honor goes to Goldenwest Credit Union. Their extraordinary efforts were mentioned on the January 20th- Measuring Member Loyalty show. And, I had to have them on the show!!

What did Goldenwest CU do to inspire the creation of WOW! They took full advantage of an unfortunate local situation when the 100+ year old Barnes Bank failed and was shut down by the FDIC in their community. They reached out to their community with special offers, a new branch (within a few days), employees who were there even though it was a holiday weekend and so much more!

I first heard about what they were doing via Ben Joe Markland's twitter updates. Christopher Stevenson also did a great write-up of their efforts: Go Get 'Em Goldenwest.

Tune in to hear the whole story on Wednesday at 2 pm CT when Ben Joe Markland and Diana Windley will be on to tell us all about it!!

Do Credit Unions = Outstanding Service?

If asked about a company that gives outstanding, differentiating service, people often will mention Nordstram or Von Maur for retail stores, Ritz-Carlton for hotels, Disney for entertainment, but what about for financial institutions?

Ask most (I would say all, but I'm sure there are exceptions) credit union executives about their credit union and they would answer that they provide outstanding service to their members, better than their competitors. But, do they really? How?

Now, I'm not at all saying there aren't credit unions that differentiate based on service, but do most? I'm not sure, but I would lean towards 'absolutely not'. And, to be clear that doesn't mean they don't offer 'good' service, it just isn't outstanding.

So, the question becomes what does it take for a credit union to be the best in member service? Is it knowing your members' names? Serving coffee in the lobby? Serving really good coffee in the lobby? Being open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Does outstanding service include having a reasonable fee structure? A member friendly online banking system? Decent products and rates?

Is it necessary to try to offer service levels above and beyond your competitors? Or, is it acceptable to just offer good service.

Ultimately, I believe it is possible to differentiate based on service, but the number of credit unions that actually do is much much lower than the number of credit unions that think they do.  And, those that succeed do so because all employees from front line to back office, from entry level to the top executives, know that is the priority of the credit union and have a system in place to train, measure, and recognize the organization on that goal.

CU Chat Up- Targeting Gen Y, Part II

Gen Y! Gen Y! Gen Y! Do you ever get tired of hearing about Gen Y? Given the aging membership of credit unions, Gen Y is definitely a common topic of conversation. How does a credit union attract this younger generation? Many credit unions have tried and failed in their attempts. But, there are also quite a few success stories, too.

On this week's radio show, Tim McAlpine and DeAndre Upshaw from Currency Marketing were on to discuss Gen Y and some methods that have worked for attracting Gen Y. There are now five credit unions using Currency Marketing's Young and Free program. This is a comprehensive marketing and outreach program targeting the under 25 age group. Listen to the show to hear about how the program works and why it has been so successful.

In addition, they discussed the new credit union resource center they have started called Why Gen Y to help credit unions with other ways to reach younger members. The Young and Free program is not a good fit for every credit union. So, what can other credit unions do? Well, start by checking out their listing of what other credit unions are doing in the Why Gen Y Showcase. If your credit union is doing something to target Gen Y and it isn't listed on the showcase, there is also a form there to have it added.

DeAndre provided some great insight into what Gen Y is looking for and what it was like to be a spokester for Young and Free Texas. He is now working for Currency Marketing and hosts a weekly Ustream show, Why Gen Y Live, about credit unions and Gen Y each Thursday at 3 pm CT. It is an informative and fun show. I encourage everyone to tune in!

I have included the links mentioned during the show in this post. To get the real feel for what they are doing and for insight into Gen Y, listen to the CU Chat Up from February 3rd.

The Chatter of the Week for the show was Janine McBee from the Texas Credit Union League and Southwest CUNA Management School. You can read her profile at http://community.cuchatup.net!

Chatter of the Week - Janine McBee

Janine McBee

Sr. Training Director, Texas Credit Union League

Synergist, Southwest CUNA Management School

What do you like the most about working in the credit union industry?

Working and living in an environment where “people helping people” is the foundation for what I do. Can’t think of that many jobs where they pay you to really care about people. I am fortunate to have come into this industry when many of our founders were still active and to have had the opportunity to know them. At the same time, I have had the opportunity to come along side many of our current and future leaders. Working on the education side of our business, I love it when I get the chance to see someone’s light blub go on, those aha moments, self esteem rise, and people grow and develop. Making a difference matters.

You are involved in the SCMS program, what is this program and who should attend it?

Southwest CUNA Management School is a topic I’m passionate about and am always happy to visit with anyone wanting to know more about it. SCMS is one of four CUNA Management Schools. We are all accredited through CUNA and jointly governed. Yet each school has its own style and structure for providing rounded business curriculum with credit union application.

SCMS is designed for credit union professionals:

•   new to management who are seeking to broaden their understanding of the overall operation/direction of the credit union
• new to credit unions who need to have a better understanding of our industry
• management trainees

Students range in age from 20’s to 60’s, representing credit unions from under 10 million to over 4 billion in assets. Our curriculum focuses on advocacy, asset liability management, innovation, leadership and strategic planning/thinking. The faculty team represents a mix of academic, consultant, and industry leaders, strategically selected to bring application and innovation to the classroom. We are excited this year to have added Shawn Temple (COO Bossier FCU), David Goldsmith (MetaMatrix Consulting Group) and Amanda Vega (Amanda Vega Consulting) to our faculty team.
In addition to outstanding faculty and a strong curriculum, the networking opportunity is phenomenal.  From the staff side we get to see geographic, size, and location boundaries melt away as students and alumni form relationships, connect, and reach out to collaborate with and help each other. Each of the school requires a student project or projects. Our project is structured in the form of a 2-year strategic business plan, down to the action steps and cost benefit analysis level. Southwest CUNA Management School is proud to call Texas Christian University (TCU) home.  Our enrollment is capped at 55 to keep a close relationship with our students. Enrollment will open the later part of February. We are currently holding 25 student slots. If you’re looking to develop your team or to stretch yourself as you position the credit union forward, seriously consider enrolling this year before it’s too late.

For further details, visit www.scms.coop. Call 800.442.5762 x6634. Tweet @SCMSJanine

What have you found the most interesting about being part of the online credit union community on Twitter?

Warning, this is another area that you can get me wound up about.

It’s been refreshing to connect with awesome people so willing to teach and learn from each other. Some people roll their eyes and say they don’t want to be bothered or have time for such trivial, time wasting things as Twitter. Last June I may have been one of those. Yet, as I’ve connected and learned, I find more value each day. Just this week I was in a planning session for our Marketing & Business Development Conference. One of the topics discussed was possibly getting a credit union CEO who had come up through the marketing ranks to address conference attendees. My mind was racing about how I was going to identify such individuals. While still in the meeting, I posted a tweet asking for names. Within moments @JillNow and @JRWLay had responded. @JMarkArnold was our facilitator for the meeting and he recognized the names. I don’t know if we’re going that route, but I count it a Twitter victory when information is needed and found so quickly.

I recently was tweeting session notes during TechMecca. The next day I met one of our vendors who was also on Twitter. He was appreciative of the notes the day before. He wasn’t able to be in the sessions because he was setting up is booth. The tweets allowed him to gain information and helped me meet one of our vendors I had not previously connected with. At the same conference, I finally got the chance to meet @creeme. Trey (@creeme) is a Texas credit union professional. I had heard his name and never met him. We connected through Twitter and finally had the chance for a live meeting at TechMecca. Connecting is important.

Last summer, we had a peer-to-peer discussion session during Southwest CUNA Management School on social media. Through Twitter I was able to bring expertise into the session with out the experts having to be physically present. @JRWlay, @BradGarland and @DeniseWymore were all able to share their insights with the students via tweets. Think about times when you are needing expertise or wanting fresh insight when discussing topics at work. Resources may be a tweet away. @CUChatUp’s @CarlaDay and I first became acquainted through Twitter. And yes, we’ve also connected the old fashioned way via telephone and email.  A number of credit union folks write blog sites. I encourage you to not only visit blog sites, both in and outside of the industry, but to also join in the conversation and comment. Share your insights. Choose to be a difference maker. The more I use different tools and connect with others the more opportunities I see for our online community.

What are you most looking forward to in 2010?

Working with an ever growing network (community) of credit union professionals and friends as we seek to position our industry forward. We are in exciting times. We need to look at business differently. Together we can make great things happen. I believe collaboration is key to our future. An old quote from Tom Peters, I believe from In Search of Excellence – “The biggest rolodex [contact list] wins.” The broader our connections and more in-depth our conversations, the better chance we have of finding the direction to keep serving our members well into the future.


What is your favorite movie?

My favorite movies are “Jane Eyre” with Orson Wells & Joan Fontaine and “Little Women” with June Allyson (my favorite character in the movie) – both must be in their black and white version. I appreciate the strong character and perseverance of the roles the ladies played. Add “An Affair to Remember” with Cary Grant (or pretty much anything with Cary Grant) and you’d have my top movies. Yes, I love the oldies and am a romantic at heart. Give me story lines. Give me emotion. And please, give me great dialogue.

What is your favorite band or musician?

Music is a tough one. I love so many different styles. I’ll confess to being a Grobanite (Josh Groban) and loving Michael Buble. I enjoy lots of smooth Jazz and contemporary Christian artists. “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe and “Amazing Grace” (the version on the CD “State of Grace”) rate at the top of my charts. Throw in a little country, Celtic, R&B, Soul, and alternative music and you have my iPod. Another confession, always seeking non-traditional Christmas songs so I can enjoy a wide variety of music during the Christmas season (my favorite time of the year).

What book do you recommend to the community and why?

I highly recommend credit union folks read Leading Without Power: Finding Hope in Serving Community by Max DuPree, Seth Godin’s Tribes, and QBQ! The Question Behind the Question by John Miller. Leading and Tribes both have direct application to the credit union industry or movement. QBQ I recommend for everyone. It’s all about accountability and taking responsibility. It’s time for people to stop complaining and see what they can do to be part of the solution. What is in your power to make a difference right now?

Limiting my book or author list to one or a few is tough. I’m as crazy with books as I am with music. I always have a stack to read that’s taller than I am. I just feel comfortable having books around me and resources within easy reach. I rotate between serious and pleasure reading. Right now I’m in the middle of The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel by Kathleen Kent (Salem Witch Trials – If my information is correct, some of my ancestors were among the accused). I’m excited about a new book from Seth Godin – Linchpin. It’s on my forever growing list of books I need to get.
 
Regardless, I encourage everyone to read. Knowledge truly is power. And men, the example you can set – even more than your wife - for your children is huge. Lead by example. With a love of reading, the future is limitless.


Do you have a nickname?

My newest one is Janinja – be afraid. Anyone want to make me an avatar to go with the name?

Thank you, Janine (a.k.a. Janinja!) for being the CoW! I look forward to talking to you more on the show this Wednesday, February 3rd.