Welcome to Part 2 of our chat with best-selling author Brett King. In this segment, we continue our discussion about the imminent demise of today's traditional bank or credit union branch based on the various researched reasons posed in Brett's latest book, Branch Today, Gone Tomorrow. We also learn all about his latest venture, Movenbank, a branchless/cardless bank that addresses the future of financial services for consumers looking for something new in a financial institution. In addition, we talk about his best seller, Bank 2.0, its upcoming update, and what else is on the horizon for Brett. Once again, a truly fascinating and thought-provoking talk I'm sure you will enjoy. Check it out.

What do you think of the possible disappearance of branches from the financial services landscape?
What do you think about Movenbank? Can credit unions adapt so they don't become the next Western Union, Borders, or Blockbuster?

Visit:
Branch Today, Gone Tomorrow
Bank 2.0
Movenbank
Brett King @ TED -- Bank 2.0: Modality Shift
Banking4Tomorrow

How's your credit union's branch faring these days? Well, it may not be there for long. That's according to best selling author of Bank 2.0, Brett King, who says the traditional branch we see today may be on its way out. We wanted to know more so we invited Brett on the show to explain his prediction, which happens to be laid out in detail in his new book -- Branch Today, Gone Tomorrow: The Case for the Death of Branch Banking. The primary reason, Brett points out, is the advent of technology coupled by consumers' changing behavior, which causes "friction" with today's rigid banking processes and procedures. He provides plenty of historical examples of changing consumer behavior killing companies that didn't adapt in time and sees the FI branch headed down the same road.

This is only the tip of the iceberg in Part 1 of our fascinating discussion with Brett, who also is Founder/Owner of the first mobile-centric, cardless and branchless bank,Movenbank. We get into this discussion in Part 2 next week, so stay tuned!

For now, we are very grateful that Brett took time from his busy schedule to share his many thought-provoking insights on today's financial services world. Enjoy -- and don't forget to check out the book!

What you'll learn...
1. Your new book is out and it's entitled: Branch Today, Gone Tomorrow. Can you give us a quick overview?
2. Do you think credit unions are on the same road as banks in regards to branches becoming obsolete?
3. In the book you give a number of examples of technology advancements and consumer behavior killing companies and relating them to the branches' looming demise. Can you provide with a couple?
4. You call consumer behavior the killer app. Why?
5. You talk about Moore's Law in the book. How does it relate to branches becoming history? 
6. One of the more compelling chapters for me was the one on Steve Jobs and Apple's influence over the financial industry. Can you explain what you mean by Apple's "detaching banking from the bank"?
7. In the book you talk about friction and your saying, "Friction kills advocacy." What does this mean?
8. You mention the single biggest reason for branch decline is ... what is it?
9. Overall, what do you want the reader to take away from your book?

Visit:
Branch Today, Gone Tomorrow
Bank 2.0
Movenbank
Brett King @ TED -- Bank 2.0: Modality Shift
Banking4Tomorrow

If you ever need some energy, call TMG's CEO Shazia Manus. She has enough energy for all of us and then some. Shazia's spirit coupled with her passion for credit unions has certainly played a huge role in helping her achieve her professional goals. But if look to her past, you see why she has an incredible drive to succeed and help others. A native of Bangladesh, Shazia ran her first business at 17 and then entered the University of Dhaka honors program before her family came to America settling in Iowa. A fascinating story of how hard work, ambition, and determination equal success.

Aside from her compelling past, Shazia talks about the future with the recent TMG/CO-OP partnership, her latest white paper on four areas community financial institutions will focus on this year, and her viewpoints on how credit unions can continue to grow and gain marketshare. An entertaining and informative talk with Shazia you won't want to miss. Check it out!

What you will learn...
1. Before we get into our discussion, how has the last six-or-so months been leading TMG so far? What are your goals?
2. You have a fascinating bio. Can you tell us about it -- a native of Bangladesh, small business owner at 17, Univ. of Dhaka honors program, move to Iowa, etc.?
2a. What drives you in your quest for success?
3. Getting up to date: TMG and CO-OP recently formed a strategic partnership. How does the partnership work and what are TMG's responsibilities?
4. How will this partnership benefit CUs going into 2012?
5. You recently wrote a white paper naming four areas community financial institutions will focus this year. Can you briefly explain each of these?
• Profitability
• Efficiency
• Product/Service mix
• Deeper customer relationships
6. To wrap up: Based on your experience, how can credit unions continue to grow and gain marketshare?

Visit:
The Members Group
Shazia Manus bio
White paper - Four Very Important Competencies for Community FIs in 2012

What do odd terms like snarketing, geniusosity, SMEGMAs, consultainers, quantipulation, and calcuphobia mean? Well, if you're vaguely familiar with Aite Group's Ron Shevlin, you'll know immediately. Each amusing term and many others are used to prove a marketing point in Ron's latest book, Snarketing 2.0: A Humorous Look at Marketing in the Age of Social Media.

Snarketing 2.0 is obviously loaded with laughs on the many gaffes in today's marketing world -- especially in social media. But he doesn't stop at delivering a few jokes for your amusement; he provides researched and analyzed insight on how to remedy many of these gaffes that plague all of us from time to time. Ron's goal with Snarketing 2.0 is to prod us to think twice about suspect marketing strategies and statistics used to persuade. We see this type of information daily, but is it true? So he uses what he calls his "finely-tuned BS detector" to debunk many so-called experts' studies that would normally be taken for granted. At the same time, however, he gives praise for those studies and stats that are well researched and presented.

This interview with Ron is a little on the long side (28 min.), but every minute is worth viewing, as he provides many a gold nugget of practical marketing and social media advice -- along with chatting in greater detail about his book. It was a great pleasure having Ron on the show. He will definitely make you think twice. Check it out -- and the book, too!

What you will learn...
1. For those who don't know, what is "Snarketing 2.0" about?
2. How did you get the name "Snarketing"?
3. Why did you publish it?
4. You have come up with a lot of funny, yet spot on, names/terms/acronyms in the book. One of my favorites is "Genuisosity". Can explain this term?
5. In the book you cite many references to lame usage of social media. What is your main beef with social media users today and what can they do better?
6. Another talent you have is debunking studies and stats by so-called experts. Can you provide a couple of examples from the book?
7. My favorite chapter is "A Letter to the Kardashian Sisters". Can you tell us about the message in this chapter?
8. What are three things do you hope readers take away from Snarketing 2.0?
9. To wrap up: I recently read a blog post by Tom Glatt entitled -- "A Diatribe Against Credit Union Mediocrity". With this title in mind, what can the credit union industry do as a whole do escape mediocrity and excel?

Visit:
Aite Group
Snarketing 2.0

NAFCU President and CEO, Fred Becker, is quite outspoken on a number of issues that affect credit unions today -- for good reason. Fred is a obviously a huge advocate for this industry and, like all of us, he wants to see it thrive well into the future. So we invited him on the show to discuss a few of his viewpoints on Dodd-Frank, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Richard Cordray, NCUA, Newt Gingrich (continuing to call credit unions "GSEs"), the correlation between banks and Whack-a-Mole, and we even peppered the discussion with few "Caddyshack" references. It was truly an honor and a lot of fun having Fred on the show and we hope you take a few minutes to check out this candid conversation. Enjoy!

What you will learn...
1. You've been at the helm of NAFCU for about 12 years now, how do you see credit unions faring today?
2. How has this industry changed over the years?
3. Have you ever seen anything like Bank Transfer Day before? What are your thoughts on that movement -- and how can credit unions maintain that momentum?
4. In a recent speaking engagement, you mentioned banks will be playing a game of "Whack-a-Mole". Can you explain what you meant?
5. Yow also mentioned in that same talk NCUA's effect on credit unions today. Can expand on this issue for us?
6. You were very outspoken about Dodd-Frank over the last year or so. What are your views on it now?
7. What are your thoughts on President Obama's appointment of Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? 
8. What's new at NAFCU these days? (new blog: "Musings from the CU Suite")

Visit:
NAFCU
Musings from the CU Suite
CUlookup.com