May 2004

Welcome!

Why Signposts Is Different

Upcoming Articles

Where You Can See Us

Welcome to Conversation Signposts

When St. Meyer & Hubbard opened its doors for business in December 2000 we were gratified when bankers, professional colleagues and even respected competitors called to wish us well. New businesses are on the edge; sometimes ready to experience breakout performance and at other times uncertain whether the next payroll can be met.

Thanks to the trust exhibited by our clients and the dedicated staff of amazing professionals we have been able to assemble, it would appear that we are here to stay. It’s now time to begin to give something back and hopefully impart some practical wisdom based on our nearly 300 years of combined experience building performance cultures in the financial services business.

Conversation Signposts. The name says it all. The most important thing bankers sell is conversations. With so much commoditization in our industry it is truly our number one differentiator. And, regardless of your title, function or department, you must continually migrate toward new signposts of performance and skill.

What Makes Conversation Signposts Different Than Other E-Newsletters?

First, our focus is financial services, period. Our industry is unique and it’s the only one we work in. Sure, sales is sales is sales. Sales in banking creates several levels of complexity that don’t exist in many industries. The solutions we’ll talk about here can be used, have been used and will be used to create optimal results in the branch, in business banking, in wealth management and in other specialty areas of the bank.

Next, we won’t try to sell subscribers anything. You have our word on it. We don’t have tapes, books or motivational tapes to peddle. Our goal is to create a resource where bankers can go for help without worrying about being “sold to.” We’ll speak plainly and succinctly and you’ll always have something to take away that works within your organization.

Third, we’ll have guest columnists that work in our industry. For example:

• For Enterprise Relationship Solutions, Baker Hill will contribute

• For Mid Market and Small Business data, Barlow Research will share its expertise

• For call planning and information, First Research will provide insight

Fourth, we’ll ask bankers to share success tips that have worked in their own Performance Culture.

Next, we’ll suggest relevant books or websites to read and visit along with a short synopsis.

Finally, we’ll answer questions from you. Readers often get short changed in newsletters because they don’t have the opportunity to become engaged. Subscribers will be given a dedicated E-mail address to submit questions to. Questions and answers will appear in subsequent issues of Conversation Signposts for the benefit of all readers.

Some Upcoming Articles

Articles for future issues are already in the works. If what you see below interests you, read on and learn how to register to receive Conversation Signposts electronically.

• Making a High Impact Discovery Call – Problem Solver or Product Pusher

• The Business Banking Pipeline – New Ideas on Reporting

• 3631 and 22261 – Why Cross Selling is out and Cross Solving is In

• Do One More Thing Today – How to multiply your sales efforts hundreds fold

• How to Stop Profiling the Bank and Start Focusing on the Customer

Where We’ll Be

Bankers are often asking where we are speaking or teaching in the event they wish to register or even just stop by the room and say “hello.” Here’s where we’ll be over the next several months:

 

Jack Hubbard Presentations

• May 18, 2004, ABA National Commercial Lending School

• June 9-11, 2004, ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management

• June 16-19, 2004, ABA Stonier School of Banking

• August 6, 2004, Kansas Bankers Association CEO Conference

 

Dwight Lampley Presentations

• July 20-21, Building Business Banking Partnerships Public Workshop, Chicago

• August 5, 2004, North Carolina School of Banking

• September 21-22, Performance Chain Management Public Workshop, Chicago

How to Register for Conversation Signposts

You can register for thousands of E-newsletters. We started this one because it was requested by bankers, is targeted to bankers and will be written, in some cases, by bankers. Conversation Signposts will be a monthly publication. That’s pretty aggressive for a little company that will be doing this in house.

As a friend of St. Meyer & Hubbard, you'll automatically receive Conversation Signposts. You can unsubscribe to Conversation Signposts at anytime by clicking on the link that is included at the bottom of every newsletter, or by sending us an e-mail at remove@stmeyerandhubbard.com.

Know a colleague who would like to receive Conversation Signposts? They may subscribe online at:

http://www.stmeyerandhubbard.com/signup.html

Thanks for encouraging us to create this important communications tool. As always, we appreciate your guidance to make Conversation Signposts a benefit to each and every reader.

 

Bob St. Meyer - President bstmeyer@stmeyerandhubbard.com 1-847-717-4322