We are really good at "Minnesota Nice," but sometimes we take it too far. Today's challenge is to turn it around and look at what about YOU you're thankful for this season...

You might think that email marketing doesn't work, but we have seen and heard firsthand how impactful it can be. We may not have a crystal ball to tell us when or what a client needs, but we do know one thing... consistency matters.

There are times when we push ourselves hard and accomplish much alone, sometimes very quickly. But today we'd like you to take a moment to reflect on the times you have gone the farthest, did you really do those alone?

Years ago, we went through a powerful transition moment in our business. We were sitting across from a client, asking questions, they were sharing, and we were listening. We walked in prepared to sell our services and the whole goal of connecting was to convince them to choose us. This meeting was different, though, and it changed our whole approach.

When it comes to successful marketing, the kind that generates true ROI, there are no one or two-legged stools. The only way to create growth, engagement, and results is to build something with three legs. You need a Marketing Strategy, a Marketing Plan, and finally, Marketing Tactics. When you're missing any of these, your marketing stool will fall. At a very high level, here's what we mean…

As we’re working with clients on their projects, the question often comes up, “What’s it going to cost?” It’s a fair question. Hopefully, once we reach this point in the conversation, we’ve set the table with all the value their project is going to deliver. At the same time, there’s another question that should be asked… “What’s it going to cost us not to?”

You woke up today with an expectation of how things would play out. You prepared for your meetings and calls, reviewed your projects and deadlines, and then let the dominoes fall perfectly in line throughout the day – exactly the way you set them up, right? Wrong. That perfect day doesn't exist, does it...

The banking industry is competitive, and it’s changing rapidly. Those are both massive understatements. As customer wants and needs are evolving, and technology is changing how we interact with our money, the way banks connect with customers has had to evolve at a similar pace. At the same time, how they show up visually and engage with those customers has also had to evolve. Here are two examples of what that looks like…

Professionally and personally, it can be easy to drift. When things get comfortable, we can become passive and unresponsive, continuing along painless and basic pathways. Inversely, when things get busy and uncomfortable, it can be tempting to lean into what we know and continue doing what we've always done, even if it's not taking us in the right direction. When was the last time you checked your compass, picked up your paddle, and assessed your goals?

“Well, I guess the seventh time’s the charm!” Someone said this in a meeting the other day, and it led to a big chuckle from everyone in the room. The backstory, without getting into too much detail, is that successfully solving for the challenge this business was facing took a few tries. Breaking that down to more simple terms, the successful solution required three things…