“Mark Arnold provided training on brand marketing for San Antonio City Employees Federal Credit Union in 2003 at a time when we were just beginning to build brand awareness both internally and externally. Mark’s half-day sessions included definition of branding, a history of branding, what branding includes and how everyone in the Credit Union works to deliver the brand promise to members. This training created an understanding of the expectation that every employee is a marketer of our organization.”

Eve Hernandez, VP Marketing,
San Antonio City
Employees Credit Union
($279 million, TX)

Consulting Services

Mark Arnold can “help mark your credit union for success” through his consulting services.

He has worked with credit unions ranging in size from $32 million to $1.8 billion. Not a mere consultant, Arnold partners with credit unions to help them achieve their desired strategic goals. He can assist your credit union with the following areas:

Strategic Planning
Credit unions need to conduct long range planning sessions on a regular basis. Organizations that consistently plan well enjoy success more frequently. As author Jim Collins notes in his book Good to Great, “good is the enemy of great.” LRP sessions Mark conducts focus on how to ensure your credit union does not settle for good, but strives to be great.

Mark has conducted numerous planning sessions for credit unions all across the United States. Using his strategic planning model, he brings facilitating, training and team building skills to the planning environment. With over 15 years experience in the credit union movement Mark also provides a broad credit union background including marketing, loans, collections and management.

His long range planning process includes all or some of the following steps:

• Confidential, written pre-session survey completed by participants prior to the session (questions include situation analysis, direction credit union should take, etc.).
• Team building
• SWOT analysis (strength, weakness, opportunities, threats)
• Top issues
• Priority ranking (“If you were ruler of the credit union for a day”)
• Tactics (action steps, timelines, persons responsible, tentative budgets, etc.)

With an ability to work with board and management credit unions walk away not only with a strategic focus, but tactical action plans developed together during the planning session.

Branding
People receive on average 3,000 advertising messages every single day. Everywhere you turn, advertisers are promoting their brands. How do you ensure your credit union stands out in the crowd? With an effective brand. Embarking on a branding program is a daunting task and Mark can help.

Having led his credit union through a name change process, Mark can assist your credit union with its unique branding needs. Branding services offered include developing a brand plan, brand training for staff, brand market research and branding recommendations. A brand plan would include essentials such as brand vision/mission/message, brand target, brand training, brand elements, brand awareness and brand timetable.

Sales and Service Training
The most productive credit unions today are ones that focus their staff on member service. However, most credit union employees don’t naturally provide that “wow” service to your members. They need practical training on how best to meet your members’ needs.

Mark offers numerous sales and service training options, including his unique generational training, which helps employees improve their selling skills by seeing members through a generational lens. Other staff training options include traditional member service skills (knowing the member’s name, identifying the member’s needs, matching the member’s needs with the credit union’s products and wowing the member).

Marketing Planning
Marketing is not just about brochure design and newsletter edits. Successful marketing is about strategic marketing planning. Every credit union needs a marketing plan to help it achieve its strategic goals. The marketing plan serves as a compass in directing those efforts. Working with your credit union, Mark can develop your marketing plan. Your marketing plan is crafted to meet your credit union’s unique situation and includes elements such as an executive summary, detailed situation analysis, marketing objectives, marketing goals and tactics, and a suggested budget. This service is particularly useful for credit unions without a marketing director or one that is relatively new to the organization.

Marketing audits/reviews
Financial audits and reviews are commonplace in credit unions. However, there are times when you need to know if your marketing efforts are effective. It often helps to have someone provide an unbiased, objective and thorough review of your credit union’s marketing work.

With over 15 years of credit union, marketing, communication and public relations experience, Mark can analyze your marketing strategies and tactics. His audits include collateral material (brochures, website, newsletters, inserts, etc.) review, staff surveys, marketing calendar analysis and suggestions for improvements. Both internal and external marketing communication efforts are included.

Management/supervisory training
Managers are sometimes thrust into supervisory positions with which they are unprepared to handle. They often struggle with performing their day-to-day job duties while trying to oversee their staff. Although people are their most important asset, managers can struggle with how best to supervise them.

Mark offers practical training solutions to help transform your supervisors from managers to leaders. He focuses on four key skills, including coaching, motivation, feedback and conflict resolution. With an intrinsic belief that your credit union can only succeed as far as your leaders are developed, Mark gives a step-by-step approach for improving your managers’ skill sets.