Banking on Digital Growth

COVID changed the game by forcing companies to adapt. Social distancing forced them to turn to video calls overnight. Over the last two years, business through a camera has been booming. Yet the detached medium of email still dominates professional connections. My guest, Marcus Sheridan , believes that video should not only be normal but the standard for electronic communication going forward. We...

Transformation in the financial sector isn’t all about technology. Creativity and collaboration on a basic human level are key to innovation. Taking risks can be intimidating, but surrounding yourself with people you trust can ease that fear. I talked about this with Jody Guetter , Executive VP of Market Innovation for Nymbus Labs, a strategic marketing and innovation unit of Nymbus . In this epis...

Banking institutions have compiled mountains of data on their consumers. So, why aren’t they using it to serve their customers better? The leading cause of personal anxiety in America is financial stress. Banking AI like the EmpathyEngine uses financial organizations’ information to pinpoint the needs of their consumer base and help alleviate uncertainty. Today, I’m speaking with Blair Gatchel , V...

A note for employees that have worked for an organization for an extended period of time: Customers don’t have the same expertise as you do within your company. They don’t know the latest deals, discounts, or bundling that you know off the top of your head. It’s why it’s so important to engage with customers. Otherwise you’re missing out on the opportunity to provide additional solutions your cons...

After graduating from high school, most schools have taught us what the insides of a frog looks like or that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell… But how many teach taxes or investment strategies? For Chad Willardson , Founder and President at Pacific Capital and author of Smart, Not Spoiled , sound financial habits begin early — and the financial brands who help kids learn are poised to ga...

Most businesses today need dramatic digital transformation in order to continue to be successful. They may have adapted to e-commerce, but they aren’t truly digitally driven. Howard Tiersky , CEO at FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency , joins the show to share lessons from his latest book, Winning Digital Customers , about overcoming enterprise resistance to digital transformation. Join us as...

You look at your digital strategy and think: We have a clarity problem. To solve it? Choose one area of massive opportunity where you can deliver on your brand promise. Today, Baron Conway , SVP, Head of Digital and Product Management at NuVision Federal Credit Union , joins the show to explain how to implement digital transformation in bite-sized chunks and why success means understanding your or...

After having such a good conversation the first time around, I have my wife, Delena Lay back on the show to flip the script. She’s asking me about the trends, lessons, and patterns I’ve seen in finance over the past 20 years; and, ultimately, how my stories can help your brand. Join us as we discuss: James Robert’s younger years & what’s going well in 2022 The most energizing projects & bi...

Companies subject their customers to unthinkable indignities every day. It’s time to inject more humanity into our interactions with our customers. It’s time to imbue our interactions with more emotional resonance. It’s time to improve the customer experience. That’s why I’m talking to Jon Picoult , Founder & Principal at Watermark Consulting . He literally wrote the book on it — From Impresse...

Future growth begins with new ideas. It begins with taking new insights and turning them into transformational action. Another word for it: Innovation. That’s something my guest, Andrew Witherbee , CEO at Engage Partners Group , has been talking about a lot recently—specifically in relation to how financial brands and fintechs can find more innovative ways of working together. In this episode, he...

Core vendor contracts commonly contain exclusivity clauses that actually prevent banks from growing. That fact shocked today’s returning guest, Jeffery Kendall , Chairman & CEO at Nymbus , when he first found out. So, he took to LinkedIn to write an article entitled, “It’s Time for Core Vendors to Ditch Exclusivity Clauses.” In this episode, he explains why he wrote it and why vendors need to...

Feelings and emotions don’t usually have a place in financial services. But people often buy and make decisions with their heart. Our guest today is Doug Brown , President of NCR Digital Banking , a proud father, and an avid researcher into the habits of the Millennial and Gen Z demographics, and what they demand from their financial institutions. Join us as we discuss: - NCR’s extensive research...

Most customer experiences in financial services are ordinary. They’re boring. That means all you have to do to stand out in our industry is create experiences that are a little bit better than ordinary. But why stop there? Why not make them remarkable? On the show today, Dan Gingiss , Chief Experience Officer at The Experience Maker , explains the nuts and bolts of his WISE framework for creating...

A lot of financial brands don’t take on certain risks for fear of diminished return. But that might not be the best perspective — sometimes risk makes sense when becoming obsolete is the alternative. To learn more about the necessity of risk within financial institutions, I talk with Joel Swanson , Chief Member Experience Officer at VyStar Credit Union , about playing the long game with the member...

A customer’s tolerance for waiting when it comes to their finances is low — the best way to mitigate any unneeded wait time? — proactive appointment setting by employees. Not only does it lead to higher conversions, but lifetime value. To learn more about how exactly companies are integrating appointment culture, I talk with Nicholas Barnes , Practice Director, Financial Services at JRNI , about t...

Many companies spend so much time and money bringing in new customers, but overlook how quickly they’re losing them. And the reason? They’ve lost the human touch in favor of automation. I speak with Joey Coleman , Chief Experience Composer at Design Symphony, about retaining your customers and where businesses go wrong. Join us as we discuss: - The inspiration behind Joey’s first book - Taking a h...

Sometimes you just need to hear the brutal truth to motivate you to take action and achieve your full potential. Twenty years ago, my guest delivered a brutal truth that launched my journey of creating the Digital Growth Institute . My wife, Delena Dow Lay, told me my band sucked. In this special episode, we look back at the beginnings of the Digital Growth Institute and the lessons we’ve learned...

Bill pay has been neglected for far too long… And unless you want to get left behind, your financial brand needs to start taking it seriously. To find out how to reap the rewards bill pay can offer any financial brand, I sat down with Michael Bank , Co-Founder at Blip Labs , an expert on all things bill pay. Join us as we discuss: - Why bill pay matters more than ever and how financial brand can c...

I’ve often said that financial brands need to look outside their industry for inspiration in order to thrive well into the future. But how does the industry look to the outsiders looking in? Well, today's guest, Mary Wisniewski , Digital Editor and Journalist, knows the finance world as deeply as anyone in it — and she has some recommendations for how to improve it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mar...

How do we find the balance between being a dependable resource and moving people to action? Where is the friction point where support turns into sales? These fantastic questions come from my latest guest, Jim Kapp , Marketing Director at Cinfed Credit Union and I’ll be answering them in today’s Clarity Calls episode. Join us as we discuss: - Why helping and selling are not mutually exclusive - How...

I’ve said it before and will say it again: Human transformation precedes digital transformation. The challenge is bringing others along with you — before it’s too late. That’s a challenge today’s guest, Thomas P. Novak , has had to lead the charge in solving in his role as VP/Chief Digital Officer at Visions Federal Credit Union . He joins the show to share what he learned along the way. Join us a...

Most people are scared off from innovating because they are confused about what it means. Innovation is not invention… And financial brands don’t need to become Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla to truly transform their industry. For today’s guest, Matt Maxey , Head Of Innovation at Synovus , the difference is clear: Innovation is applying concepts from elsewhere to your own problems and opportunities...

Money doesn’t buy happiness… but mental health and finances are inextricable. Financial uncertainty puts on everything else we value in life. Overcoming most of our financial woes boil down to one thing: mindset . It’s time everybody worked on their mental wealth. And leading the charge is today’s guest, Joyce Marter , Licensed Psychotherapist, CEO, National Public Speaker, Media Contributor &...

Financial brands need to start taking millennials seriously because, pretty soon, they’ll be your biggest customers. Those who don’t will be unprepared for the future and, ultimately, left in the past. But, it’s a generation who has some pretty high expectations — and the research proves it. Today, I’m discussing that research with the very people who conducted it, Jake Tyler , Niamh Cunningham ,...

If COVID was your wake-up call to the need for digital growth…Well, better late than never. It was never a secret before the pandemic that the future is digital — so why are so many financial brands still so unprepared? Today, I’m joined by Jeffery Kendall , Chairman & CEO at Nymbus , to discuss the various missteps financial brands make when it comes to digital growth — and how to avoid them....