Katie and I returned home on Friday after being in the hospital since Wednesday morning. Katie, Landon, and myself are all doing well, and enjoying our time together as a family.
In the time leading up to Landon’s arrival, people told me that becoming a father would be an unimaginable feeling. They were definitely right. In an instant, my life changed forever. So far, it’s been awesome.
Born on December 3rd at 3:06 PM EST. 6 pounds, 10 ounces. 20.5 inches long.
Nothing will wake you up faster than your wife at 5:00 am telling you her water just broke.
I’m at the hospital now with Katie just waiting for our son to be born. We’re both excited and ready to be parents.
Leave it to my son to be born on the same day as an IU basketball game.
More to follow…
At some point in the next few weeks, I will no longer be Michael. I will be Dad. I will still maintain my full legal name, but it will always be shortened to Dad. My wife will call me Dad. My son will call me Dad. For a short time, I’m sure my co-workers will call me Dad. I don’t think I’ll mind at all.
I realized that I hadn’t posted a picture yet, and found this on the computer. This was taken on our 2nd wedding anniversary at our old apartment. Soon, we’ll add a baby boy to our little family.
As a marketing manager, I’m always concerned about the ROA on each promotion. As I’ve been thinking over the marketing strategy our credit union will pursue in 2009, I’ve thought of another measurement.
ROM – Return On Membership
In credit unions, we like to tout the strong differences between banks and credit unions and the importance of being a member instead of a customer, but what is the member receiving that makes his experience different than if he was a customer at a bank?
I think that we rely on the fact too much that we are credit unions and that should be enough to get a potential member to switch from another financial institution. Instead, we should focus on the experience and what it means to be a member of a credit union.
Increase your ROM, and your ROA will follow.
If you’re a CU professional, I highly recommend going to FORUM and Trabian’s Partnership Symposium in Fishers, IN next year. It was a great experience and very informative.
I’ve added a few of the presenters’ blogs on my sidebar.
Innovation must be continuous since the generated ideas end up being replicated by someone else. It’s not enough to innovate for a single project and then stop. Innovation has to be built into the framework of your business as if it is a fully functioning, necessary department.
Business can be an over-complicated mess of what boils down to a simple concept. People come to your business to satisfy a need. I need to eat. I go to a restaurant. I need a break. I go to a sunny destination spot for a vacation.
Your company’s ability to satisfy those needs is what will drive growth. If you can’t deliver on the consumer’s request, you fail. The key is determining what are the most important factors of the consumer experience and focusing on improving those areas. Is it speed of delivery, diversity of choices, or a smiling face?
Time is precious and limited. You can’t waste it by focusing on areas where the consumer does not care.
My sister is headed back to IU tomorrow to start her senior year. She is a wonderful person, very intelligent, and a hard worker. She’ll fare well in whatver path her life leads her down.
When I visit her or talk to her on the phone, I think of my time at IU and the profound effect it had on my life. I met most of my good friends at IU. I met my wife when I was a freshman. Most of the events that set the course for my career at IU, and my professional career, took place during that first year.
Think of what a consumer experiences when they visit your website or go to your store for the first time. What kind of effect does it have on their relationship with you.
The power of the first impression determines what they do from now on. Do they visit your site tomorrow? Do they come to your store again?
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