At BankMarketingCenter.com, we’re always on the lookout for how other segments of the economy – beyond the financial sector – market their products. Grab a plate and let’s talk about one of the hot trends in the restaurant business known as farm- to- table. Put simply, farm-to-table – or farm-to-fork, is the idea that local restaurateurs fill their menus with items grown … [Read more...]
Weathering the storms of hurricanes and bank fraud.
Junk happens. As we know well, banks and credit unions aren’t immune from having to activate its crisis management strategy. And if you think your community bank is immune from crisis, you’ve got one. Without preparation, you’re asking for trouble, chin deep in a public relations crisis of your own making. And forget about the old saying “There’s no such thing as bad … [Read more...]
Community banks and the power of tradition.
As August wanes and autumn draws near, only days remain until the start of the college football season. Regular readers of this blog know my story. In the early 1970’s as a freshman at Auburn University, I was part of a small army of non-scholarship players, better known as “walk-ons,” kids armed only with the dream of earning the right to wear the orange and blue, and perhaps … [Read more...]
The power of great expectations.
A friend recounted the story of a women’s softball coach at a major university. The program, that only a few years earlier had been invisible on NCAA softball radar, had in just three seasons advanced to the finals of their conference tournament and then on to the College World Series. Like any good CEO, the coach met with each of his players individually. One by one, the … [Read more...]
Six decades, one store and countless lessons on business, banking and life.
Bernard’s Store for Men has stood in the heart of downtown Jasper, Ala., for nearly 70 years, the retail anchor of a town built on coal. Located on the town square in the shadow of Walker County’s historic court house, Bernard’s is a place to find timeless men’s fashion –crisp button-down dress shirts, suits, blue blazers with brass buttons, colorful ties and shoes shined to a … [Read more...]