Hello CUNAverse!

I, along with some other team members, just got back from a whirlwind of excitement at CUNA’s Experience Learning Live (ELL) conference. We had some marvelous speakers, workshops, and breakout sessions that provided trainers and HR professionals with great information and materials. Being a first-timer to the conference (as staff and a part-time attendee) I was blown away by the enthusiasm trainers have for their profession, and what consideration they take for the employees they train.

Kicking off the conference we played the ELL version of ‘Amazing Race, San Diego’ where we sent attendees on an exploratory expedition of the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego to get them familiar with our ‘home-base’ neighborhood where the event was held. I thought this was a brilliant take on the game, and felt honored to give teams ‘Journey’ and ‘Kid Rock’ their clues as they flew through the checkpoints.  After our photo-finish race had ended we held a networking reception so attendees could mingle and get geared up for the fun ahead.

The conference was full of useful information. Kirk Weisler kicked it off with a great opening act about creating a culture of high engagement, love, and strong connections. He brought home the idea of keeping a fun work environment where people are involved and a part of the organization, not just cogs in the machine.  He later led us in bringing story-telling into the trainer toolbox, another great way to keep your audience engaged.

In Paul Wesselmann’s session we learned how to improve our training outlines by establishing key objectives of training to present a direct cohesive message, which is essential in a learner’s retention rate. Keeping it new, interesting and lively are key to keeping the attention of the training audience. Paul had great best practice pieces that I will apply to my future training endeavors. It’s amazing how a new perspective can shed some light on a training session you’ve been giving for years .

CUNA’s own experts got to share their tried and true methods as well. Courtney Cantwell presented her Trainer’s Treasure Chest of free resources to help make training resonate with today’s learners. Marlo Foltz and Angela Prestil brought toys into the training realm and showed how training can have a playtime element to it as well as an educational one. Carla Schrinner helped trainers improve their skills and techniques with elements within CUNA’s CML program while her co-part Jayne Hitman provided the keys of achieving peak performance. This lineup of content reminded me of the plethora of knowledge I can get from my co-workers. It’s so nice to know that I can walk down the hall and get expert advice from my peers.

The ELLY awards were an experience in themselves! I’ve heard such spectacular stories of the awards, I was psyched to put on my frilly dress and see the “best of the best “earn their deserved accolades. Serving as the ‘Vanna’ of ceremony, I got to hand off the awards to the recipient, giving an earnest ‘congratulations’ to each and every one of them. I was surprised when on more than one occasion; my eyes welled up while listening to their sincere acceptance speeches. It was very touching to see yet another display of enthusiasm for their chosen careers.

Throughout the conference, I felt a sense of community.  I could hear fellow attendees creating their own roundtables (at literal round tables) during our mingling sessions!  As I mentioned, their passion for training is apparent and contagious; it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

It’s so refreshing to speak (face-to-face!) with the trainers I often communicate with via e-mail and phone. Putting faces to names, and making meaningful connections was a key take-home element for me. There’s something very special about physically meeting, shaking hands with, or even hugging someone you regularly work with. In a movement where people helping people is our main philosophy, it was great seeing and speaking to those people whom we help, who help us, and who help others.

Treated Like Royalty...

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the Technology Council Conference.  The Technology Council and the OpSS Council combined forces this year to present two amazing events in one amazing venue: Las Vegas. This format allowed participants to listen to keynote speakers in a communal space, while giving them the option to choose  breakout sessions from either the Technology or OpSS tracks.   It was my first CUNA Council event in over ten years and I was not disappointed.

During a break between sessions, I had the opportunity to visit Zappos, the mecca of customer satisfaction. If you have read any of my previous posts, you will know I have a soft spot in my heart for Zappos. I had signed up for the free tour  as soon as I learned I would be going to Vegas for the conference. A little before 10:00am on Wednesday morning I got a call from Andrea, “can-do coordinator” at Zappos and my chauffeur for the morning. She was calling to let me know she was a little early for pick-up (sweet), but when I was ready, she would be waiting for me out front. I was impressed by the fact that Zappos sends its employees (rather than a car service) to pick up their tour-goers.  I knew I was in for quite ”an experience.”

On our short ride out to Zappos, Andrea told me about her experience working for Zappos and how lucky she was to work there. Not only had she done the customary four week call center training program that every employee is required to do, she had passed up the $2000 they offered her at the end of that period, to quit. By month’s end, she was already enamored with the Zappos culture, and no amount of money would entice her to resign. In the three years she had been employed since, her passion for her employer had grown even stronger. I could tell by the way she looked me in the eye  (through the rear-view mirror) when she spoke, by the way she smiled, and the pride in her voice when she told me about her various tasks.

We arrived at Zappos HQ and Andrea escorted me to the lobby. There I ran into some of the OpSS Council Executives who were just commencing their tour. They were blown away by what they had seen. “It was so amazing!” Said one. ”It was worth the entire trip!” Said another. The conference hadn’t even started yet so they were in for quite a week!

After bidding them farewell,  I checked in with the receptionist, a tough looking guy who surprised me by calling everyone, including me, ”friend”. I spent the next twenty minutes drinking from my complimentary water bottle (thanks Zappos), quietly observing my surroundings. It was nearing lunchtime by then and people were milling in and out of the front door. Every single one of them either nodded at me or said hello to me, and not in a fake, “I should be nice to that lady because she is on the tour” kind of way. Every single one of them was genuine and… happy. And they were sharing that happiness, with me.

The tour itself was, as promised, absolutely fabulous. I don’t have time to go into details but I can tell you that the next time you go to Vegas, you MUST do the tour. Even if you don’t love shoes (like I do), you will get something out of the experience.  Like Zappos, the credit union movement is “powered by service.” Every day, we are “serving our members” and every day we have countless opportunities to WOW them. Are we taking those opportunities?

At Zappos there are no limits on call times and no “cue cards” to follow. Each employee is trained to treat each customer as an individual. They listen to the caller. They find out what the caller needs. And then they do whatever it takes to make that caller HAPPY. This has led to some interesting, and memorable experiences. It has also led to more than 8000 customer testimonials!! Zappos lets their customers due most of their marketing for them. Happy customers (or happy members in our case) do tell their friends about their experiences.

The following day, as I sat listening to keynoter Jackie Freiberg talk about 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors off Business-as-Usual, I thought “Jackie is talking about what Tony Hseih is doing with his employees at Zappos.” True leaders, according to Jackie,  ”Inspire, model and teach other team members to: Do Whatever it Takes!”

Is your credit union doing whatever it takes to grow membership? Are you asking existing members to tell their friends (and family) how awesome your credit union is? Are you encouraging them to open “starter” accounts for their kids (the future of the credit union movement)? Are you delivering happiness to your members and if so, are you asking them for testimonials? If you do get their testimonials, are you sharing them with the world?

The time is right to “Do Whatever it Takes” to spread the credit union difference, and to deliver more happiness to the world, and our members.

Bo McDonald

From Bo McDonald:

The speakers may have been diverse at the CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference, but their message was the same. In every presentation, the need was pointed out for credit unions to change their way of thinking.

Dr. Kevin Freiberg, author of BOOM!, opened the conference by pointing out that there are several thousand credit unions across the country quoting rates and fees, but only a handful can tell members and potential members what really makes their credit union “unforgettable.” Freiberg suggested that the experience your members have with your credit union is what sets you apart from the pack. He cited such examples as Southwest Air and Starbucks.

Likewise, Matt Tebbetts from Greenville Federal Credit Union shared its “Member Experience Standards” program. The program lays the groundwork for the credit union to provide a consistently positive member experience, including employee attitudes, attire and workplace atmosphere.

Aside from providing a unique member experience, a fresh lineup of useful products for members is a great way to set your credit union apart. Both Scott Butterfield from Credit Union Strategic Planning and Steve Williams from Cornerstone Advisers shared some ideas on products. Although these products are not new to the market, they haven’t been utilized by credit unions. Some examples provided by both presenters included micro-business loans for small business and payday lending alternatives. Both have been successfully implemented by several credit unions across the country already, including Brewery Credit Union in Wisconsin.

To sum up the CUNA Community Credit Union & Growth Conference in a statement, credit unions that want to survive need to understand that “what got us here today, is not what is going to get us there tomorrow.” The needs and wants of your members will change. Get ready to follow.

Bo McDonald is President of Your Marketing Co. and was a participant in CUNA’s VIP Network for Young Leaders at this year’s Community Credit Union & Growth Conference.  You can e-mail cunaresources@cuna.coop for information on the conference as well as the VIP Network.  This blog post was originally published on CU Insight.