The Conversation Signposts July and August editions are dedicated to giving back. We appreciate American Airlines and Monroe Bank & Trust for allowing us to feature their outstanding companies in this month’s issue.
Upcoming Virtual Learning Labs: September, November, January
The VLL series began last year with a kick-off by Charles Green. We could have never imagined the popularity of these complimentary webinars. We have two more scheduled for 2010 and already have booked a presenter for January 2011. Mark your calendars for:
September 23, 2010
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CST
Five Impactful Questions Small Business Owners Want You to Ask Today
Our good friend, John Barlow, President of Barlow Research, takes us through what small business owners are thinking, feeling, and needing from a financial services partner.
November 5, 2010
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. CST
SNAP Selling: How to Earn More Business from Today’s Frazzled Customer
Internationally acclaimed speaker and two-time best-selling author, Jill Konrath, provides a fast-paced look at how to put a SNAP in your sales approach and generate record results in the process.
January 6, 2011
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. CST
Dirty Little Secrets…Why Buyers Can't Buy and Sellers Can't Sell and What You Can Do About It
Visionary. New York Times Bestselling Author. Creator of Buying Facilitation®. Sharon Drew Morgen is direct, to the point, and spot-on when it comes to discussing how companies and individuals buy and the mistakes people make when they use old hat, outmoded “techniques.”
Since this is a giveback edition, I wanted to talk about customer value and what it really means. The term has become quite blurred in our industry over the past few years. I was training a group of high level bankers recently who call on very large and sophisticated companies. Their definition of value and mine were very different and we had a spirited debate about the subject.
Their idea of value had to do with rate, terms, fees, efficiency, and the fact that the bank was lending money. Mine had to do with new and innovative ideas they could bring to the table to make the CFO a hero. Mine dealt with researching a key issue the CEO is facing and finding a White Paper to bring on a call or to send. Mine had to do with sending a possible lead (a potential prospect) to help the firm generate more business. They weren’t having any of that.
Here are some of the class’ comments:
- “What ideas could we possibly bring to the table that the business doesn’t already know about? We’re bankers and the business expects us to know how to lend money. Investment bankers, the CPA, and other advisors provide ideas.”
- “White Papers? Even if I had time to think about sending a White Paper or an article, what if I sent something they had already seen? I don’t know their business like they do and I don’t want to look like an idiot. Maybe you can do that since you sell sales training. We sell sophisticated products to sophisticated buyers. You are talking about apples and oranges here. Plus, I get some of these White Papers, etc. and I delete them all. They are SPAM to me and likely SPAM to the CFO as well.”
- “So you actually think that sending a lead to someone in the company would help them? I hope I don’t ever get leads like that. They clog up my e-mail box and if I would get one it would take me all kinds of time to research whether it was viable or not. I rely on my Centers of Influence to give me referrals. I only have time for qualified stuff.”
Giving back? To Whom? In all three situations it was about getting, not giving. It’s also interesting how we humans imprint our beliefs on everyone else. I would find the White Paper to be SPAM and therefore they would likely find it to be true as well. I would not want a lead, so therefore they would not want one either.
Maybe these 19 people were just having a bad day. Perhaps too many of their deals got rejected by credit that week. Maybe they are destined to be bankers and not bankerpreneurs. The good news is that in the four banking schools I taught this summer, the several hundred bankerpreneurs I’ve been in front of loved the idea of giving back and showing value in the way I suggested to my recent sales class.
Soaring to New Heights: Giving Back to the Communities We Serve
Editor’s Note:
Some readers likely have family members that work for various air carriers. No offense, but in my mind there is only one: American Airlines. I will (and have) drive(n) several hours out of my way to an airport that American serves. It’s not just about the loyalty program, AAdvantage. Yep, I’m Executive Platinum with nearly four million miles logged and several others at SM&H have Platinum status. The key is WHY American is the official airline of St. Meyer & Hubbard. It’s the people. It’s Julie in the Admirals Club in Chicago who goes out of her way to seek me out when I am there. It’s Captain Mike who made sure I got on a plane coming back from Philly to Chicago instead of having to stay another evening. It’s Betsy in sales who, on her own time and dime, rescues abused bulldogs. It’s Paula in passenger services who always calls me by name when I see her in the concourse at O’Hare. It’s the approach that says all uniformed service people board first and get first class seats when they are available. Airlines, like banks, have taken a goodly amount of flack recently. Truthfully, over 25 years I can count the number of less-than-positive experiences I’ve had with American Airlines on one hand. This is one of our nation’s great operating companies and, as you will see below, they always give waaay more than they take.
When American Airlines introduced Flight Plan 2020 last year, it was designed to serve as a guidepost for the company’s long-term success. As such, the company has a responsibility to drive the best possible outcome for all of its key stakeholders, including making a positive impact in the communities it serves.
Corporate responsibility and financial success go hand-in-hand. So, despite industry and economic challenges, American continues to support charitable organizations and important causes. As a global airline, major employer, and corporate neighbor, American Airlines has the influence to make a significant difference. In 2009 alone, the company contributed more than $34 million to nonprofit organizations through in-kind support.
The more than 1,400 organizations American supports contribute to society in many ways, providing human health and education services, arts and entertainment, and support for large civic undertakings.
American has four primary company-wide giving focus areas which include:
- Children’s Charities through Miles For Kids In Need®
- Veterans and Those Who Serve
- Woman/Susan G. Komen For The Cure®
- Employee-led Charities and Volunteering
Miles For Kids In Need
The Miles For Kids In Need program, established in 1989, provides worldwide support for children and their families. Children are among those most vulnerable to abuse and illness. As a company and through employee volunteer efforts, American supports organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with medical, educational, and social services needs and for groups that heighten public awareness of children's issues.
In June, American transported 30 Salvadoran children to the United States to receive desperately needed heart surgeries. AA partnered with Gift of Life International and Airline Ambassadors International to fly these children and their caretakers from San Salvador International Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, and Los Angeles. This initiative was the single largest in the history of American’s Miles For Kids In Need program, which provided complimentary travel for the group. In addition, American sent 2,000 pounds of nutritional supplements to families in El Salvador.
Honoring Veterans and Those Who Serve
American Airlines recognizes the personal sacrifices that active-duty and veteran servicemen and women and their families make for this country. To demonstrate its deep gratitude for their service, American and its employees donate in-kind services, volunteer, and provide travel assistance to military personnel, veterans, and their families. These initiatives include fundraisers to provide financial assistance for an array of programs (including financial aid for families, welcome-home receptions, welfare and relief projects, and care packages), flights for service members and their families to get to medical centers, and transportation of goods such as school supplies and Crocs™ shoes to support U.S. troops in their humanitarian efforts around the world.
In December 2009, American Airlines returned as the official airline of Snowball Express, a charity for the children of fallen military heroes who died while on active duty since September 11, 2001, and flew more than 1,300 spouses and children to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. While there, the families enjoyed a variety of activities, including visits to Southfork Ranch, the taping location of the famed Dallas TV series, and the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. They also met Dallas Cowboys players and cheerleaders and attended a Dallas Mavericks basketball game at the American Airlines Center®. |
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Additionally, as a visual expression of American’s long-standing support for those who serve in the nation’s armed forces, American Airlines and American Eagle have five special yellow-ribbon aircraft that proudly sport iconic yellow-ribbon decals and the slogan, “In support of all who serve,” on their fuselages. These aircraft are often utilized for special charter flights for veterans and wounded military.
Susan G. Komen For The Cure
American has supported Susan G. Komen For The Cure for more than 26 years. In Komen’s fiscal year 2009-2010 alone, the partnership garnered approximately $12.8 million in direct and indirect value to Komen for the Cure.
In addition to being the organization's official airline, American became its first Lifetime Promise Partner in 2008. As a Lifetime Promise Partner, American committed to raising $1 million annually for eight years to fund a five-year study of inflammatory breast cancer at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, as well as a series of health and community programs. |
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Additionally, in April 2008, American launched Miles for the Cure, a fundraising campaign through which members can earn five AAdvantage® miles for each dollar contributed to Komen with a $25 minimum donation. AA continues the Miles for the Cure campaign and, to date, nearly 11,000 AAdvantage members have contributed almost $1 million.
As with Veterans support, American Airlines has a dedicated fleet of aircraft that display the Komen pink-ribbon motif. The eight planes represent the sobering statistic that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
American Airlines Gift Cards
To support Komen and the USO, American offers the American Airlines Gift Card, which allows employees and consumers to give themselves or their loved ones the gift of travel while supporting a great cause. By simply entering “Komen” or “USO” in the tracking code box when making a purchase, American will donate $5 to the specified organization for every $50 of travel purchased.
Employee-led Charities and Volunteering
American is fortunate to have employees who are passionate about giving back and enriching others' lives. So much so, that many employees have started charitable organizations or taken active roles in organizing major events to aid those in need. At a corporate level, the company is just as fervent about empowering and supporting employees in their efforts. For example: |
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Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) is a U.N.-recognized humanitarian aid organization founded in 1996 by American Airlines flight attendants using their flight benefits to help children. With more than 6,000 members across the airline industry, AAI provides humanitarian aid to children and families in need, as well as relief and development assistance to communities worldwide. In addition to providing space on aircraft for supplies and donations, American Airlines and its employees work directly with AAI to provide humanitarian assistance and various missions, and also through UNICEF to support the Change for Good® fundraising program. In fact, a record-breaking $1.2 million was collected in 2009, more than any other year of the 15-year history of Change for Good. Additionally, members have started schools, clinics, housing projects, and vocational training programs, reaching more than 500,000 children.
Medical Wings International is a medical relief nonprofit whose founder and executive director is Dallas-based AA cargo agent Glenda Johnson. Medical Wings International brings health care to hundreds of underserved communities around the globe. American Airlines and American Eagle employees routinely volunteer with the organization in communities around the world and provide support through fundraising activities, donations, and missions.
Giving in Times of Need
American’s support of charitable organizations extends well beyond the four primary focus areas. The company and its employees believe in using their resources and special expertise to help people and communities in need. American plays an especially critical role after natural disasters, where assistance is provided that few others can—namely, the ability to fly relief suppliers and workers into affected regions.
Most recently, American Airlines and American Eagle stepped up as the first airlines to provide humanitarian aid to Haiti following the devastating January 2010 earthquake. American has provided air service to Haiti for 39 years and understood the enormous need and the role it played in this developing country. American and American Eagle flew 30 missions into the country, carrying more than 400,000 pounds of relief supplies in addition to transporting medical and relief personnel. American also worked with the military to deliver Stars and Stripes to the personnel stationed there. |
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American is proud to donate its aircraft and allow employees to volunteer their time to bring first responders, emergency equipment, food, water, and other critical supplies to where they are needed most. The company also makes its facilities, such as hangars and maintenance bases, available for relief supplies and operations.
American Airlines and American Eagle have supported other disaster relief efforts, including Hurricane Katrina in 2007 and Hurricane Ike in 2008.
ENLIST: How One Bank Gives Back
Editor’s Note:
We got to know the folks at MBT nearly eight years ago. When Doug Chaffin, the bank’s President and CEO, suggested he wanted to develop a Performance Culture and remove the word “sales” from participant materials, we were intrigued. Doug is a very sales-oriented guy and far ahead of his time in thinking that sales is about relationships - from the phone center, to the teller line, to wealth management, and in business banking. So he wanted us to replace sales with the term “relationship development” and the bank started the CARE process. It’s working - WOW is it working! Monroe, Michigan’s real unemployment rate tops 25%. Despite the challenging marketplace, the MBTeam continues to give back to the communities they serve from Toledo to Plymouth and all points in between through the ENLIST program. Thanks Doug! You and your colleagues belie the negative headlines about bankers. Your people are heroes - every day.
The ENLIST program at MBT began in 1984. Since then, employees have donated the equivalent of 6,250 days or more than 17 years of community service! Over the last five years, the average number of volunteer hours committed to community organizations has increased from an average of 6,000 to 10,000 annually. ENLIST recently publicly announced this milestone achievement of over 150,000 volunteer hours donated to non-profits, schools, and churches in southeast Michigan.
ENLIST stands for Employees Now Linked In Service Together and it began as a means for employees to volunteer their time and make a difference in their communities. Hundreds of projects assisting dozens of community service organizations across Monroe and southern Wayne Counties are staffed each year by ENLIST volunteers. Employees are given the opportunity to participate in the activities of their choice based on weekly updates to the project calendar. When selected at random to volunteer, employees report to their assigned project and give their time to the organization in need. They record their hours in an automated system that tracks totals. Employees who accumulate 25 project hours are rewarded with their choice of a vacation day or $50 savings bond. Awards are given for each 25-hour increment.
ENLIST also leads a year-long, bankwide fundraiser to benefit a charitable organization voted on by the ENLIST Board of Directors. Additionally, Monroe Bank and Trust’s ENLIST volunteer group recently announced the winner of their Facebook contest as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monroe County. MBT asked local organizations to post information on the ENLIST Facebook fan page and encouraged community members to vote for the organization of their choice.
Most recently, MBT launched their financial literacy program called MBTeach. As an offshoot of ENLIST, members of MBTeach are trained in delivering financial education courses free of charge to organizations, companies, and schools. To date, 63 certified MBTeachers have delivered courses to over 700 students.
MBT ENLIST Coordinator Erika Hunt manages the details of the program. When Erika is contacted by non-profit organizations that require assistance from volunteers, she helps coordinate schedules and helps with other logistics. She may be reached at 734.384.8267 for additional information about ENLIST. Jennifer Tucker coordinates MBTeach and may be reached at 734.384.8269.Register for Conversation Signposts
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