Posts by Kent Dicken
Why are our Board Members so Old?
Now that I’m on two Boards, I finally understand why there is so much gray hair on so many Board Member’s heads. They’re old. Like me. Not that gray hair is a negative. Because of my Dad’s mostly shiny dome, I’m just happy to have some hair up there, regardless of color. And there are…
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How to break out of a loan rut
Deposits may be hot right now, but loans are still the primary income generators, not to mention membership and asset grow-ers, for credit unions. Plus, loans are a chance to be a part of your members’ significant life events. So loans are still worth talking about. Unfortunately, credit unions have mostly been marketing the same…
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Why you need fewer members who look like me
The median age in the US is 38.5. The average age of a credit union member is 53. That’s already a big gap. But when you realize that 68% of their “most loyal” CU members are older than 65, suddenly that age gap feels even bigger. (No wonder so many credit unions are beginning to…
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How to decide when to stop or push ahead
Marketing is an inexact process that sometimes takes a long time to pay dividends. Which might be why so many CFOs aren’t sure it’s worth the cost. Numbers People usually prefer to track a quick return on a specific investment, with digits they can show on a spreadsheet. But marketing isn’t accounting. That’s not to…
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Enduring brands: What we can learn from Barbie
Get ready to see bubblegum pink everywhere you look this Summer! Margot Robbie is starring in a new live action Barbie movie, and Mattel has already signed licensing deals with over 100 brands. Not only can you dress like her, but you can also dress your dog to match (courtesy of Gap.) You can wear…
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Why are you hiding your true talents?
You know you are pretty amazing at some things. But you also know you are not amazing at every thing. And when you try to do everything, not all of it matches the quality of the things you are amazing at. Rest assured that you aren’t the only one like that. We all have our…
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Work with me here.
A few years ago I got involved with a local non-profit, because they pulled together and did something positive and real for the community, instead of just talking about it. They bought land in midtown Indy and built a park – complete with a playground, picnic shelter, and baseball field. It’s not a huge park,…
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How to hire marketers that get-stuff-done
You aren’t the only one having problems finding people with the right skills to fill open positions. Especially when you are trying to hire a marketing person. Which makes it even more frustrating when, for every new hire you finally land, someone else decides to leave. It feels like a never-ending battle to get-positions-filled in…
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You deserve a promotion, not more work.
Marketers at credit unions have always been asked to handle a lot of different things at once. Sometimes they’ve been asked to do more than one job. It kind of comes with the territory. Especially at smaller CUs. But that doesn’t make it a good idea. To keep piling on responsibilities, regardless of someone’s strengths,…
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What good is a marketing budget that never changes?
It’s budget season once again. Time to dust off last year’s marketing budget, tweak the product promotions to match what lending wants to focus on this year, push the numbers as much as you think you can get away with, turn it in and hope that it doesn’t get trimmed too far back. Sound about…
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