For our current industry perspectives go to Retail Banking Strategies

Newsletter and Publication Archive (1999-2007)

In 2008 we changed our publication format. For newer articles, please visit Retail Banking Strategies.

Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning: How Good Companies Become Great. Lessons from companies which made the leap from just good, to great performance.

Strategic Planning That Gets Results. How can you get the highest value from the time and effort spent on annual strategic plans? Here are 5 keys to effective strategic planning.

Branch Banking

What Makes New Branches Successful? While there are many factors contributing to the success of new branches, there are a few 5 key strategies and tactics that have the greatest impact.

Challenges and Strategies for 2007. It's going to be another tough year. What are the key issues to watch? Here are 4 strategies that can make the difference between winning and losing in the year ahead.

Improving Retail Branch Performance. Tools to fine tune retail branch distribution by selecting better locations, implementing targeted sales and marketing plans to leverage growth, and identifying under utilized growth opportunities within your existing branch footprint.

The Sales Productivity Challenge. How banks need to adjust their measurement of sales activity as they embrace a sales culture.

Turn Your Call Center Into a Profit Center. Your call center receives hundreds, perhaps thousands, of calls each day. But how many of those calls are converted into sales?

Branch Planning "Do's" and "Don'ts". Branch expansion is an expensive, long term capital investment. Here is a quick checklist of "do's" and "don'ts" that will improve your success ratio.

Branch Staffing Analysis. The typical bank has almost two-thirds of its expense base tied up in retail distribution. The closer we can manage to have the right sales and service staff in the right place at the right time, both customer service and cost efficiency will improve.

Improving Retail Branch Performance. Most banks aren't able to accurately forecast the growth potential from their branches. As a result they don't allocate sales management efforts or marketing investment or branch capital investment in the most efficient manner.

Branch Sales Management. It has become common for bankers to adopt the language of retailing. Here are 5 key practices of successful retailers that bankers should use.

Consumer and Mortgage Lending

Indirect Auto Strategies. How should financial institutions compete in the face of aggressive consumer and dealer financing incentives? Here are a few thoughts.

Mortgage Strategies for 2004. The past few years have been fabulous for the mortgage industry, but it appears that at long last refinance volume has begun its inexorable downward correction. Here are some key issues that should be on your planning agenda.

Immediate Payoff From Loan Process Improvement. Take action now to improve your origination and processing capacity. It will generate an immediate return on investment through increased volume and reduced operations cost, and will put your institution in a superior competitive position for 2003 and beyond.

Improving Home Equity Profitability. Our survey of best practices identified key strategies for generating higher levels of sales, improving revenue and reducing cost.

Deposits and Investments

The Deposit Growth Challenge. Financial institutions face a significant challenge growing deposits in 2005 due to a recovering stock market and increased competition. For most banks, slower deposit growth will put pressure on loan funding.

Deposit Growth Strategies: On-Boarding. The first 90 days of a deposit relationship represent the majority of cross sell opportunities. To optimize growth, financial institutions need to focus on 4 key strategies.

New IRA Rules Create Outstanding Marketing Opportunity. With the release of the new Model IRA Forms, you must begin replacing and amending documents to all IRA customers. This is not simply a compliance event -- it's a fantastic marketing opportunity to talk to all your customers about the new benefits of IRA's.

Business Banking

Cash Management. Payment products, especially for small businesses, are one of the most significant opportunities for financial institution revenue growth.

Relationship Consolidation: Winning Strategy for Small Business Banks can significantly improve the profitability of the small business segment by incenting customers to consolidate personal and business accounts.

Publications and Presentations

NOTE: These links require Adobe Acrobat to download and read the files.

BAI Community Bank Executive Roundtable. 2005 will present new challenges -- and opportunities for community banks. Download the lead presentation from the BAI's Roundtable -- Setting The Stage: A look at Community Bank Profitability.

Snaring New Business, Mortgage Banking, May, 2003. What are top lenders doing to hold on to market share when the market turns and rates begin to rise? Extensive quotes from Peak Performance Consulting Group President David Kerstein, and other industry leaders.

Attention, Retail Bankers: Learn Lessons from the KMart Case, American Banker, January 25, 2002. Why did KMart fail (and its competitors succeed) -- some of the same reasons that are critical to retail banking success.

Innovation in Branch Distribution and Design, BAI Branch Banking & Sales Management Conference, May 22, 2001

CRM: Myths, Realities and Solutions, Peak Performance Consulting Group Newsletter, September, 2000

Mergers Can Be Doors of Opportunity, American Banker, June 4, 1999. How to increase your profitable market share when the competition is merging and market share is in flux.

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