Today I was at the Doxim seminar at the Waterfront in Vancouver. Jeffry Pilcher was there and delivered his 11Cs of Breakthrough Branding.
I don’t know how many presentations I have sat through in my lifetime. Does anyone? With 30 years in business though it is in the hundreds. Every once in awhile you attend one that puts the others to shame. Today Jeffry’s was in the Top 10. The material was great, the presentation was awesome and above all, the passion about the subject was real. It was outstanding.
The most interesting C for me was Culture. He spoke of how it had to permeate an organization from top to bottom. He gave examples of how this was done. To me culture is like the heartbeat of company. Without it even the best of plans and intentions will usually amount to nothing. The easiest way to find out is have someone who has never visited your branch come in and sit and watch the activity of the staff and the interaction with the member/customer. Ask them what they thought. They will tell you very quickly what they observed and what they felt. If it is there people will notice it. You don’t measure culture, you experience it. Jeffry brought this to play in what he said. It was neat.
If you ever get a chance to attend one of Jeffry’s speaking engagements don’t hesitate. You will not only learn something but he will put into words and patterns what you probably have been thinking about all along but just weren’t able to articulate it as well as this gentleman.
Tinfoiling 
Thanks so much Gene. If branding is tough, trying to articulate its nuances is just about as difficult.
I love studying financial brands. It’s fascinating to immerse yourself in an organization’s Culture and find out what really makes them tick.
What’s funny is I don’t consider myself the most dynamic speaker. I don’t make (many, if any) jokes, etc. I just try to present what I’ve learned — what I find interesting — in the most intriguing manner I know possible.
I really appreciate your feedback and your kind words. Quite frankly, the honor was mine. To have you, such a well-respected figure in the credit union community, come to a conference to hear me speak was truly flattering.