Monday Morning Quarterback: It's about having the right tools...

Greetings!

Well...it's Monday morning and time to be the "Monday Morning Quarterback" as I review the weekend. 

I'll begin by sharing that my daughter and her fiance bought a house about 30 minutes from us and its the perfect place to start their family.  Two-story, big rooms, lots of space and a yard that backs up to a wide-open field.  Great deck and really cool sun room.  Perfect right?

Well...you know how that goes.  The landscaping was "nice" but not what they wanted, the deck was spacious, but not well tended, the front door was cool, but a storm door would be ideal!  So, we went to work to help out....and that's where the RIGHT TOOLS come into play.

In any job, having the right tools is critical to both success and efficiency. For me, it was the pick axe and narrow shovel that allowed me to get into tight spots and be focused on the job at hand.  Especially for us, being 30 minutes from our house, made tool selection and access very important....the right shovel, leveling sand, a pick axe, hedging shears, etc.   For marketers, the same concepts apply!  The tool set you have becomes the resources to drive your success.  Here are three key "tool kits" to concentrate on:

Inside Tools

• Your team:  Developing the right mix of talent and focus
• Your support: Generating the necessary executive support and encouragement
• Your delivery: Ensuring you build teamwork to deliver at the customer point-of-contact

      KEY: Organize your tools close at hand for maximum leverage and success.

Outside Tools

• Extension: Enabling new capabilities and skills to add to your team
• Focus: Tactical focus to allow you to think strategy
• Expertise:  Clear expertise and advanced skills that move you ahead

      KEY: Expand your team exactly where needed without HR expense!

New Tools

• New to you: new ideas that you have not explored but others have succeeded with
• New to everyone: new ideas that can change the game in your market
• New spin: taking a proven idea and making it your own

      KEY: Sometimes the "new tool" is exactly what need to take that next step

The key is the tool set you have as resources...but it is also the WILLINGNESS to use the tools at your disposal.  This past weekend, it took the pick axe and the narrow shovel to get rocks out so that the paver wall would be leveled with the leveling sand and be perfect.  The tools and willingness combined to make it happen...for your bank/credit union... its the same.  Use the tools you have and be open to new ones or from other sources...it just may turn out to be the best tool ever!

Cheers!

Bruce

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Hmmm...and other thoughts.

Good morning all...

Sitting here thinking about life.  How fast it goes, how great it is, how serendipitous it is...and it hit me.

Life is made up of thoughts...

Thoughts that are...

• Funny
• Deep
• Interesting
• Disturbing
• Strategic
• Fleeting

The key is knowing what thoughts to act on and what to simply let drift away. As marketers, we know that thinking about strategy and tactical execution is NOT the hard part...its never a challenge to imagine what you COULD do... the magic is determining what you SHOULD do.

So...today, I will help you categorize your thoughts into four key segments:

• Thoughts to share
• Thoughts to act on
• Thoughts to think about
• Thoughts to let go

Thoughts To Share

These are magical, inspiring thoughts that make you do equal part "hmmm" and "wow."  You know it when it hits...you think "this could really be something."  When these thoughts come...SHARE!  Twitter, meeting, email, pen and paper-- whatever is handy at the time.  An example of a thought to share:

"What if I created a program that allowed people to share pictures, updates and information and connect/reconnect with friends?"

(Facebook)

Thoughts to Act On

These are thoughts that prompt action and excitement.   Many times they are smaller thoughts that can lead to bigger items/thoughts/rewards.  Thoughts to act on are ones that have a time horizon and need action to bring them to life.  An example of a thought to act on:

"That woman is the most beautiful person I have ever seen."

(when I first met my wife)

Thoughts to Think About

These are thoughts that require a bit more time to "cook to completion."  These thought starters usually generate more questions and thoughts as they make their way to a complete thought.  An example of a thought to think about:

"I wonder if a company focused exclusively on marketing for financial institutions would work?"

(when I first thought about starting MarketMatch)

Thoughts To Let Go

These are usually destructive thoughts.  While sometimes easy to generate, they usually take time, effort and energy and yield very little.  These thoughts are best let go and allowed to evaporate into the air!  An example of a thought to let go:

"I wonder if I could land on my feet from jumping off that tower? "

(Anyone from JackAss- the movie)



The key to good and productive thinking is the realization about what type of thoughts you are having.  Just like life itself, its all about focusing on the 20% of your thoughts that will yield 80% or more of your success.


Happy thinking!


Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

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MarketMatch is a full-service marketing consulting firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the efforts that will generate MOMENTUM and yield the greatest RESULTS for your bottom line.

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A Monday Motivational Moment

Greetings....

Hope you all had a GREAT weekend.  Friday night was the start of high school football...my son's Senior season!  While the game didn't turn out on our winning side, it still provided plenty of fun and motivation for next week.

While sitting in the stands, I read the back of a t-shirt from a fellow Northmont parent.  It was a quote from a long-time Northmont soccer coach that had coached hundreds of area youth and unfortunately passed away recently.

The quote made me stop in my tracks and think about a lot of things...and the reach for greatness was one of those items.

So, for Monday morning...I share a quote to help each of us reach for greatness!

• Celebrate your accomplishments loudly... yet set the bar a bit higher each time you reach success.

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp