BOSTON-When George Waggoner became the business development officer at Hanscom FCU in Massachusetts after a successful banking and software sales career, he was looking to learn some new tricks.
He found them when attending the Credit Union Journal's Seventh Annual Business Development & SEG Conference in 2005 in Orlando Fla. At the meeting, he said he came away with three good ideas for developing and retaining members from other credit unions.
At the Journal's 2007 meeting Waggoner returned the favor, sharing how he had learned to use a credit union's database for relationship and information management (as he had learned from Jackie Wright of Spokane Teachers CU), learned four keys to winning business development, including E-Marketing (from Tony Rizzo of Pinpoint Direct Marketing) and how to organize seminars that people will want to attend (from Marty Kelly of US FCU).
From Jackie Wright's provided template and using Access software, Waggoner created a record for every SEG and made a web page for them to communicate directly with the CU. The SEG contacts, whom Hanscom FCU calls Ambassadors and the contract to become an Ambassador is simple and easy to use. SEGs can request educational seminars through the page, saving time.
"From Tony Rizzo we learned that you can't send e-mail to everyone at all times, but to selectively use e-mail," said Waggoner. "And when we do, we always include a link so that members can take action."
The CU's Lunch and Learn seminars at SEG locations have been a huge hit, noted Cheryl Ozolins, Hansom's member education specialist. The seminars are centered around three major topics of interest, including managing money, home buying and retirement planning, she said. "We keep them to 45-minutes in length and provide lunch, usually a wrap sandwich and beverage. I try to keep the price point under $10."
From the evaluations of the seminars, which go into a hat, a winner is selected for a $25 American Express gift certificate. Those evaluations are also mined for future subjects and any follow up.
Member business increased $325,000 in the first quarter of 2006, Waggoner said. "And we expect the next quarter to grow to almost $500,000. So what I got from this conference was inspiration. I hope you can see that you can do it, too."
"You can build a database on a shoestring. You can build e-mail communications and you can put a Turbo charger into your seminars," Waggoner said.
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Reporting By Carol Anne Burger
