More SBMM Testimonials

Here are some more testimonials from current and former students. Please contact me at mark@haberfeld.com if you’d like to share yours.

What another current attendee says about the SBMM:

Lara Hudson, 2010 SBMM Class VP of Events. Public Relations Director for Countybank in SC.

“Being from a small community bank in Greenwood, South Carolina I was a little gun-shy when my bank asked me to attend the school. I was excited but also nervous (mainly because I hate to fly), but also because I thought I would be surrounded by other brilliant marketing minds who knew so much more than me and whose banks were doing so much more than little tiny Countybank. Now don’t get me wrong I was still one of the smallest banks represented, but I quickly realized these folks were all just like me and we could learn so much from each other. Which we did and are still doing today!

I have made not only great financial marketing contacts I have made some life friends who I now enjoy sharing stories about my children with on Facebook. By taking an active role as a Class Officer has also added so much to my experience! I suggest you jump in with both feet from day one of your School experience and get involved! You will walk away with a great understanding and appreciation for your role as a bank marketer and a vital part of your Management Team in your organization."

What another previous attendee says about the SBMM:

Audri Godfrey, CFMP. First Vice President/Marketing for Security National Bank in NE.

“After 4 years of asking, no begging to let me go to SBMM I had, in my hands, the approval to go. Finally! Wow! I am excited and hesitant at the same time. Questions race through my mind; Who will I meet? What will the school be like? Will I know enough that I won’t look silly? Will I come back with enough that my bank will see the value in sending me? I was soon to find out that nearly everyone there had the same questions!

Genuine people. Some of the best teachers you’ll every hope to meet. I know it’s cliché but they truly made me feel like there are no stupid questions and they wanted me to succeed. Classmates. Where else will you ever have a chance to get with nearly 100 (or more) people who do the same thing as you? Ours is a secretive industry in our markets but outside of them we are all doing the same things. Trying to do them according to what the customer wants and what the government demands. Sharing. Some of the best and brightest in our class shared their stories of successes they have had. Value. Amazing value to bring back and put into use…immediately.

Having graduated just 2 short years ago, I still pull out notes from class on occasion. Daily, I see what is being posted on the ABA Marketing Network online. Often someone has brought something up that we are all working on. I’m able chime in with my experience or a question or two. I know these people, well not all of them, but some of them and they are all friends.

In closing, on my review the first year after graduation my boss noted he had seen a marked improvement in the projects I work on. I’m pleased to say SBMM has made a significant difference in how I am viewed by senior management and the contributions I bring to my bank. And isn’t that what it is all about? Success.”

22 days and counting.

SBMM Activities

Since both Chris and David mentioned the evening activities, we’re going to put in a plug for the Randy Lusk Scholarship & Activities Fund. Each year the class officers organize a series of evening activities for all of the SBMM students. These activities are independent of the school and not covered by the tuition. The goal of the activities fund is to help grow the Randy Lusk Scholarship Fund. Here’s a little background on that:

What is the Randy Lusk Scholarship Fund?

In 1989, former ABA SBMM class member Randy C. Lusk was killed during a robbery of the Guaranty National Bank in Southaven, Mississippi. His classmates established this fund to remember him and honor his love and dedication to the SBMM. The fund grows each year through your activity fee and allows the ABA to provide at least one scholarship to a deserving student.

This year the activity fee is $89 and will provide you with a very nice ABA SBMM polo shirt, an evening of bowling with your new friends, a tour of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (this is the old book depository where Oswald is alleged to have shot President Kennedy), and a graduation party on the last night for all students. You’ll also get a $50 coupon good towards attending the 2010 ABA Marketing Conference in Minneapolis this fall.

So it give you fun and helps feed a deserving scholarship fund. That’s a win/win folks! Not convinced yet? Well:

Here’s where we’ll be bowling: http://www.threehundred.com/dallas.html

Here’s just some generic picture of a guy in a polo (our polo will be cooler. Popping your collar is optional. You young’uns may not know what a popped collar but someone at the SBMM can teach you): http://fashion4nerds.com/uploads/2009/01/4_popped-collars_cool.jpg

Here’s some information about the must-not-miss Sixth Floor Museum tour (some of us went last year and it’s an amazing emotional experience): http://www.jfk.org/

Convinced? Great! The activity registration form is available on the ABA SBMM collective X site. You can also get one from me if you need it: mark@haberfeld.com

All SBMM students should send in their registration now as the deadline is April 30^th! You can register after the 30th but you won’t be guaranteed to get the size polo you want and that would make you look like this: http://cdn3.ioffer.com/img/item/102/065/761/CKTD2vbcGFnw6Zu.jpg

Again, register now – the deadline is April 30^th – that’s this Friday!

23 days and counting down.

What is the ABA SBMM and what is this blog?

This blog was formed by the 2010 class officers for the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing and Management (ABA SBMM). The goal of the blog is to document and share what it’s like to attend the school. We hope it’s useful to former students, current students, future students, and web voyeurs in general. Another goal of the blog is to foster the ongoing conversations and connections that start at the school and carry on throughout a person’s career. Each class bonds together as a group and each new class is connected to those that came before and those who will follow.

We’ll start this first post with a brief “technical” description of the SBMM and a link to the ABA’s website so you can learn more specifics about when it is, who should attend, costs, etc. After that, we’ll share some blog posts from current and former students. Please check back weekly for now to see the new content and then daily from May 18-25, 2010 as we employ a host of bloggers (year one students, year two students, faculty, hotel shuttle drivers, etc.) to share information about what we’re learning and doing down in Dallas, TX on the beautiful SMU campus.

We intend to keep this light hearted and fun. Your comments and guest posts are welcome. Here we go:

What the ABA says about the SBMM:

“The ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management is a two-year program delivered one week a year. At this, the only school of its kind, bankers learn techniques and strategies to enhance marketing efforts, develop strategies to promote new products, and receive a solid foundation in marketing principles and management practices. You will get the skills that you need to keep your bank's marketing efforts fresh and increase your bank's visibility…”

Get the full details from the ABA at: http://www.aba.com/Events/SBMM.htm

What a current attendee says about the SBMM:

Chris Pesce, 2010 SBMM Class President. VP/Marketing Officer for North Shore Bank in MA:

“You’ll hear similar things from every student who has ever attended the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management – the networking is great, the connections and friendships you make will last a lifetime, etc. I’ve been in bank marketing for almost twenty years (thought I knew everything I needed to know about my job), but I can honestly tell you that no matter how many years of experience you may have, there’s no way you’ll leave this school without picking up a bunch of relevant, practical tips on how to do your job a whole lot better.

And yes, the networking is a big part. This school allows you to share ideas and solve problems with financial marketing executives from banks across the country. And let’s be honest, we have to tell our bosses when we get back (as well as our significant others waiting at home) that we worked hard all week, that we were in class 9 hours straight every day, and all we did was think of them while we were there (you’re significant other, not your boss). Well, you do work hard. The curriculum is top notch, the classes are interesting and thought provoking, and as for the instructors, you’re given the opportunity to get advice and counsel from some of the nation’s top marketing experts. But, let’s face it, after a long day in class you need to let off a little steam. That’s where the fun ...oops, I meant the “networking” starts.

Each year the class officers put together a schedule of social activities that lets you bond with your classmates outside of the class room. And it is true, the friends you make here will last you a lifetime. You’ll find yourself connecting with them after you leave the school, whether it’s to ask how others may go about starting a specific project, get some information on a vendor that may be able to help you, or just to catch up and see how they’re doing.

So, if you’re a bank marketer and you’re serious about learning as much as you can about your position and moving up the corporate ladder, you have to attend this school. Talk with others who have already gone through it, they’ll all tell you the same thing – the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management is well worth the trip!”

What a previous attendee says about the SBMM:

David M. Kreiman, Senior Vice President for Glenview State Bank in IL.

“Every ounce of whatever marketing “expertise” I may have started with the decision to go to the SBMM in 1999. The classroom learning was great, sure, but what I have learned over the years is that you are nothing without resources. I am not the best “book learner, but what I do know how to do is ask for help. Our SBMM class consisted of almost 100 marketing minds, and each one of us continue to pick each other’s brains to this day. What started out 11 years ago as an email distribution group among our class (maintained on an Excel spreadsheet) has now blossomed into a group seven times as large and a fancier way of communication (the ABAMN Professional Group Site).

Without the SBMM, I would never have gotten as involved in our professional industry as I have. From there, I have gotten involved; co-chair of the ABAMN Network, member of the ABA Marketing Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, faculty at the SBMM, presenting for the third time at the ABA Marketing Conference in Minnesota, and teaching an ABA/AIB online course for Bank Marketers.

Just as importantly, I have made lifelong friends and have more than 10 years of great memories of the social side of being involved. They might not be able to say it in a brochure, but the SBMM is about fun also. Work hard by day – play hard at night. And that’s not a frivolous statement. It is the play hard at night part that cements those bonds you make with fellow marketers and those bonds are just as valuable in your career as the information you get in the classroom.

So, how does all this relate to the bank that pays my salary? Well, they may have no clue about my professional achievements within the industry (and outside of our little community bank bubble), but without it all starting at the SBMM in Boulder in 1999, I would not be half as effective for my bank as I am today.

Luckily our industry changes and evolves (which for some may be viewed as a challenging headache), but for me, that change and evolution is the catalyst for the opportunity to keep learning, teaching, and yes, even having a little more fun and meeting new people.”

30 days and counting down