2 Nov
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. Calvin Coolidge
Today we must “press on.”
7 Apr
Marketing or Bust!
Tip #7
When times are tough it is tough to keep your marketing program strong. What happens when you stop marketing? What affect does this have on your business?
• Your brand is determined by what the marketplace perceives it to be. Not by what you want it to be.
If you’re trying to establish your brand as that of a secure and stable bank/company, you had better tout what makes you secure and stable. In today’s marketplace your customers hear those words all the time, usually just before a bank or company closes its doors.
• Ideally, you want to make sure you are communicating with your customers as much or more than your competitors are.
Today with companies reducing their marketing budges clients are not hearing from you or the competition. You have a captive audience when it comes to marketing. More than ever it is important to communicate with your customers and prospects.
• Quality matters. Relevant communications help your brand to stand out among the competition.
Non-relevant communications help you blend in. In this economic market “blending in” is not what you want. Blending in means “we have problems.” You want to stand out, be the bank or company that is wanting new customers and able to go get them.
• Be on Top of their mind: this more important than most people give it credit for.
I guarantee that a certain percentage of business you gain or lose is simply due to being or not being in front of the contact at the right time. Good marketing puts you in front of your customers and prospects even when you are not there. They have a marketing piece they can pick up, a piece that is current and relevant to their needs. In fact, they just got it in the mail today!
• People notice companies cutting back.
It creates a perception that you’re in trouble and makes it easier for your customers to justify listening to your competition’s value proposition. At our core, we all want to be associated with winners, and people want to do business with companies that they perceive as stable, progressive, and successful.
Remember recessions always create a redistribution of market share. This is the time to seize the opportunity.
If you would like to discuss your marketing needs and how MICR can help you with finding your direction please contact us at: marshan@micrtechnologies.com or larryn@micrtechnologies.com
If you have missed any of the previous tips and would like to see them you go to go:
https://sunwestdocuments.wordpress.com
Quote of the week: What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
MICR Technologies, Inc.
23061 La Palma Ave
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
714-463-1490
19 Mar
WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?
A few months ago we were talking about how to survive the coming months and the challenges this economic climate would bring us. Today everyone is talking about just surviving. It may be surviving your job loss, your pay cut, surviving on unemployment, surviving without health care, surviving home foreclosure and even surviving a business closure, whatever it may be, everything listed above has touched our lives in some way.
As this is a business to business email I am going to focus on surviving a business downturn.
First you must remember: most banks and businesses will survive. The business you are working for, invested in or own will no doubt look a bit different when we turn the corner. The positive; we will turn the corner. If you understand change you understand that change happens no matter what the economy. In the great times if you are around long enough you will go through difficult times, change will happen. The economy is cyclical, ever changing up and down. To understand your business will survive, you need to focus on the bigger picture. This picture includes the facts of the past and how you made it; the lessons learned from the past and how those lessons have been a positive influence on the present along with understanding that nothing and I mean NOTHING, stands still, everything changes. If you can find ways to stay mean and lean, still produce, sell and market your products and services, you will survive.
Staying Lean and Mean: make a list of what you really need to maintain your business and then eliminate your wants. We all have them and they are usually ones we all take for granted. Employees and managers all feel a certain amount of entitlement for certain perks, certain wants. Do you “need” a coffee service or do you want a coffee service. Do you “need” a plant service or do you like how they look and want a plant service. The two I listed are pretty easy ones; others may not be as easy. It all depends on your business and the needs required to operate that business. Maybe you can cut back on the cleaning service, can you take out every other light blub in your fixtures. How about the heating and air conditioning, can you reduce its operating? Do you supply your staff with bottled water? Here is one everyone can do: did you know that electricity still pulls when your computer is turned off? You must turn off the power strip to truly cut the electricity. Business has many requirements, or so we think. Most are perks that have become a permanent fixture of our business landscape. Take a hard look and decide what you truly need and what wants you can elevate.
When you go through this evaluation it is easy to let fear do the driving. Decisions made in these difficult times should not be made from fear; they should be made with complete understanding of the consequence each one carries. Remember fear is an assumption of the future; what might happen or could happen. The decisions made today will have greater and longer lasting ramifications than ever before. As a president, manager or owner of your organization the buck stops with you. You were created for a time such as this. Get a list of all your expenses; categorize them by needs and wants. All business must spend on office supplies, software and support, phone service, utilities, customer service, sales and marketing, to name a few. However, you can select the less expensive pens to use in the office. Check with your phone service to see if there is a less expensive plan. Remember there are areas you can not afford to skimp on. Your software and support, customer service and your sales and marketing, these items are the life blood of all business.
Part of the lean and mean process has to include the painful decision of staff. Many times we must eliminate staff, reduce hours and even cut wages. With jobs vanishing, nest eggs cracking and home values tanking, consumers are not the only ones that must rein in their spending. Our challenge as presidents, management and owners is to find a way to break the vicious circle of negative forces. I am a firm believer that it will be the average American worker, you and your staff, that is willing to sacrifice, that will ultimately bring America back to productivity.
Reduction of staff is not easy and for me it is one of the most difficult functions a president, manager or owner has. These decisions change lives and most of us have taken on our rolls to be encouragers and builders. I understand the ebb and flow of economic conditions and not everything is in my control, however, this knowledge does not relieve the feelings of guilt when I have to lay someone off. This is just part of my personality. I accept it and go on with a heavy heart.
You have faced the situation, made cuts to nonessential cost. You are lean and mean so, Now Where Do You Go? We are bombarded with negative input from the main stream media. We are on overload with slumping markets, housing foreclosures, and bail outs. However, there are people still working, companies still producing and business still operating. You need to focus on reaching companies and people that need your products and services. Look at upgrading your image, renaming your products, improving your products and services. Communicate with the market, “I’m here, I’m safe, I’m secure, we want to make you safe and secure with our products and services.” In today’s uncertain market if you can identify your customers/prospects fear and calm those fears you will have made a loyal customer.
When faced with an economic downturn confidence building becomes the main focus of any company and today that confidence and trust must be rebuilt by banks, all types of financial institutions and insurance companies. Not only do these industries need to rebuild confidence and trust they must do this in spite of the government and in spite of the media. This is by no means a small task; it is a task that can be completed successfully. How do you regain lost confidence in what appears to be a broken industry? You can choose to believe your business/industry is like Humpty Dumpty and is broken beyond repair or you can choose to believe your business/industry is like a broken heart, hurting, painful but still beating, still pumping the blood through the body. I choose to believe the latter and as we step up to the challenge we will be the ones pumping the life blood back into our economy. You can only convey confidence outwardly if you believe it inwardly. People today have a heightened since of doom. They will pick up on yours the minute you lose your confidence.
Your choice will decide your next step and the next step will decide if you will survive and what that survival will look like. Again I stress that recovery will be the choice of the American people. Recovery will come in spite of the interference of government programs and bail outs. We are a people of strength, courage and faith. We do not lay down when faced with challenges; we take a stand, we overcome by the grace of God. Your choice of how you proceed will be a defining moment for your business. Chose well, chose wisely.
What are your options, your choices? Right now most business would be happy with a flat line. Your flat line today will be your profits of tomorrow, your marketing and sales today will be your increase of tomorrow. You have customers who will stay with you and hunker down. You understand their fears, show them your gratitude. It is your existing customers that are proactive and the new customers, who will grow your business tomorrow.
The one area economist and business development professionals agree in saying “Do not cut” is sales and marketing. There are many ways to continue on with your marketing and still keep within your budget. I understand it is not easy; however it is a must if you are to survive and grow. I encourage you all to take this to heart and make this your choice. Today is a season of sowing. As business leaders, managers and owners we must take the wisdom gained from sowing and reaping. If we are to reap the bounty tomorrow we must sow, plant today. When you sow there is one aspect to remember, pick the soil you sow the seeds in. You can throw good money away if you do not have the right ground to plant in. Marketing and sales when focused, can reap great benefits. Marketing and sales when approached with a shot gun mentality can cost a company large amounts of money. Taking this approach in hopes you hit the right market, will be seeds sown on rocky ground. We will reap the harvest if we plant the seeds of success today with wisdom.
Our marketing department is helping business plant the seeds of success. It may be with direct mail, it may be with community involvement, it may be over the Internet or with an advertisement in a business journal, however and in whatever media you choose, the fact is you made a choice. We are doing more consulting, more web page development, more re-branding than ever before. The staff at MICR can help you define your focus and help you with the tuff choices. Give us a call to see how we can help you define the future of your bank/business.
MICR Technologies, Inc.
23061 La Palma Ave
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
714-463-1490 ext 200
marshan@micrtechnologies or larryn@micrtechnologies.com
4 Mar
NEWS RELEASE
March 3, 2009
Marsha Nix, President of MICR Technologies, Inc. located in Yorba Linda, California announced today the release of:
“Official Check Imaging”
This highly anticipated module is a cutting edge addition to the MICR Plus Software. MICR Plus software was designed to improve the operating efficiencies and reduce the operating costs for banks.
This new module will give financial institutions the ability to image any official check at time of creation. The teller will print a cashier check or any type of official check and the program will automatically store an image of that check in a SQL database. As with all of the MICR Plus software modules, there are added security measures with the program. This will increase the detail and compliance to BSA reporting for banks.
In addition to today’s release MICR Plus software also has the ability to integrate with a banks core system. The recent release of the Electronic Monetary Instrument log has been an addition to a banks efforts to improve operational efficiencies while adding to their reduction of paper use.
If you currently are using the MICR Plus Official Check module you can add this module for an additional fee. If you do no have MICR Plus Official Checks and would like to know more about this outstanding product, please contact me directly at
marshan@ or 714-463-1490 ext 200micrtechnologies.com
4 Mar
A few weeks ago I was demonstrating the Document Domain to a bank for consideration to use as their Director portal. This requires a secure site for the documents placed in the folder for Directors only. I was asked a question concerning the security of the documents, can you believe I could not answer the question @#&#@. I am the first to admit I do not know all there is to know about all of our programs, as many of the features are updated and improved before I have the chance to use them. Many times our customers are the ones telling me what they have done, how they use particular software or have requested a change to meet their specific needs. As our customer base grows I am challenged to keep up with the programs, changes and upgrades. I have to say that now in our office it is a game played by the staff to “stump Marsha.” I love it…..
What I learned as a result of this security question I want to share with you.
First and foremost our hosting service is SAS70 certified. That is a certification that is a must when it comes to your Directors books. The information hosted must be secure, the server must be secure and to stay in compliance a SAS70 certification is required. As many of you may or may not know to receive this certification there is a cost of $100,000 to $300,000. Not a small fête for any company.
With the Document Domain, there are four levels of security required. Any software you are considering for Director portal must have at least three of the below.
1. Login security. How is the login handled, how is the login information secured. If someone has access to the login and password of a Director they have access to the Director books. As with most passwords, once given the Director must have the ability to log in and change their password. In that way no one, even the site administrator has access to passwords.
2. Folder security. The Document Domain is set up with multiple folder options. The first level of security is given to each user within a bank. The Director folder will be accessible by assigned Directors or other bank management. The security of the book information continues from Document Domain login to folder. A secure folder can not be accessed within the library or outside the library without the proper access code which is in the login and password. Once a bank is set up with the Director folder and they have chosen to be the Director administrator MICR has no access to this portion of the Document Domain.
3. Book/document security. When the book/document is uploaded into the Director folder a password will need to be placed on the file by the file creator. This will restrict access to this information without proper knowledge of the password. Even if the URL address to the document is known access is denied due to failure of procedure from login to folder to document.
4. Security can go three levels down from the original folder if it is required by the bank. Documents can be set at different levels for various reasons within a single folder. All levels of security will have the same procedure requirements. If the procedures with login and passwords are not followed access is denied.
If you are interested in a Director portal you can contact me directly at marshan@ or 951-353-0010 ext 204. micrtechnologies.com
Many banks are using these challenging times to focus on internal processes and improving operational efficiencies.
If you do not have the Document Domain and are interested in a demonstration please feel free to contact me.
Quote of the week: Sitting still and wishing makes no man great.
The good Lord sends the fishing but you have to dig the bait.
23 Jan
Facing the Storm
In considering what my next post would be about I decided to sit aside discussing the benefits and features of our products and talk about the storm we are all going through. It is like the one ton gorilla in the room, ignoring it does not make it go away.
I have mentioned the winds of change and how strong this storm is. I have also discussed how important our attitude is toward the storm. We all know change is a part of life yet this storm has hit with unexpected strength.
We can and will survive this storm, these winds of change, but we need to understand how to harness the winds and get them to fill our sails and propel us forward.
It’s hard to stop a storm in progress and many times that is what we try to do. With that we waste a lot of time and energy trying to fight it instead of learning to adapt to it. Life is filled with unexpected situations and we learn to move along with the wind, if we don’t it can destroy us.
Maybe you are tempted to cling to the past in fear of what the future holds. Many business people, ordinary people hunker down, pull in because they fear the wind. The wind shifts direction and they scramble for security. I guess you could say we get stubborn and think “I just want it the way it was.”
The reality is that if we don’t learn to adapt to the winds of change, we will never enjoy life, much less grow our businesses. Change is frightening, uncertain and threatening, but it can also be healthy, dynamic, refreshing and necessary. To maintain our joy and peace of mind we must acceptance the fact that life is a journey and we will encounter storms at times. Growth in either business or personally is not found in navigating around the winds of change; it is found IN these changes.
If you have ever done any sailing you know that on the open sea you will encounter storms. An experienced captain knows that steering against hurricane winds can snap the ships mast like a tooth pick. Normally they will steer with the storm, that way they can pick up speed and avoid capsizing. If we take a life lesson from an experienced sea captain we can do the same and rethink the way we perceive the storm we are currently in.
I know, your saying “That sounds great, but I can not see when and how this is going to end.” Remember Winston Churchill once said at a very difficult time “If you are going through hell, keep going.” We MUST put our efforts toward the choice of looking beyond the storm. Not easy to do because as humans we usually look only at the problem. We become negative, depressed and desperate to escape from our pain and discomfort rather than looking beyond to the long-term effects.
Learning to adapt and change course to ride out the storm is not easy, we must do it to survive. You may be angry, afraid, depressed, and anxious. The storm may be on the verge of claiming your boat. You are going to make it. We will all make it through the storm. Life may look different when this storm is over, we will have grown in ways that today we can not even imagine.
It is also important to find your anchor. Mine is Jesus Christ. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
I hold on to verses such as Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Quote of the week: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.” Maya Angelou
12 Jan
Direct Mail is Still the Best for you Buck
The December issue of DM News (a publication for Direct Mail companies www.dmnews.com had an article sighting a survey conducted by DM News and Pitney Bowes.
I found it interesting enough to share some of the findings with you, our valued customers and prospects. You will find it a bit surprising and I think the information will also help you decide on a direction for some of your marketing strategies in 2009 and beyond. The survey gave some statistics that you may find different from the popular opinions currently circling various financial institutions and companies who are working hard to get past this economic recession. With many of you using variable marketing and transactional communications this information will be of great interest.
You know without a doubt the strength of transactional documents such as bills and statements for grabbing the attention of your customer. Most of the time you would never be able to reach your customer with an independent marketing piece the way you touch them with a transactional piece. The first question that is covered in this survey is:
According to the survey results, a resounding NO! The survey found that 50% of the respondents actually enjoyed reviewing their mail more than they enjoyed working through their email in-box. Many people do not even check their in-box daily and if it is a work email many respondents never saw emails sent to them. 85% of consumers review their USPS mail daily.
This surprising statistic was present even in the 18-39 age groups, of which popular belief is that email, smart phones or social networking sites is the only way to reach the younger consumers. We all know reading mail is not the issue but responding to the offer is the bigger question. Hold on to your hat, 94% of consumers said they took action on promotional offers or coupons they had received over the last year. This in any way means they responded to every offer they got in the mail. Three-quarters of the respondents replied to 11% of the total number of offers they received. I would say that is still pretty good.
There is no doubt that to have an offer responded to you must make it relevant and compelling. It would be of no surprise to find out that the largest portion of the 89% of offers that did not have a response were poorly designed, miss targeted or lacked good communication.
The survey showed some information that was no surprise; consumers are highly price-sensitive today. 69% of them report that price is more important to them this year than it was last year. What does that tell us? Coupon use is up. Consumers are shopping for the best interest rate, the cheapest checking account, the best return on investment and they are looking for additional services.
Consumers prefer direct mail as the delivery system for coupons – 78%. Email came in second. Between 30% and 66% of the survey respondents stated their coupon use increased over last year on some specific purchases; groceries, health products, entertainment, electronics, auto parts, office supplies and travel.
Two-thirds of the consumers surveyed said they are examining their mail more closely for coupons and offers than they did a year ago. This is good news for you. This may seem old-school because it is something that has been done for decades; you can not dismiss the importance of coupons and special offers.
Almost half of the consumers reported receiving only 1 – 5 offers a week. You must view this as a great opportunity. You can get some exclusive attention when your piece arrives. You can not say that about email delivery.
It is very tempting to send an e-mail to hundreds of thousand of consumers. There is no doubt it is cost effective, it is NOT response effective and that is what you want, response. You have to factor in spam filtering, un-deliverability, open rates, (how often is the email opened) and click through rates (read it and click through). To increase email response you have to send higher and higher volumes of emails. There is no doubt email should be a component of your total marketing approach.
Saving money is the main reason for reducing or cutting down on your mail campaign. Everyone wants to spend less. There are numerous ways to cut costs and make sure that the money used to fund mailing is well spent. If you are considering cutting back on your direct mail, please give us a call. We can develop ways to get the most benefit from the dollars you spend on the marketing channel that seems to have the greatest promise for results – even in this challenging economy.
Quote of the week: Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.
If you would like to discuss your marketing in more detail you can reach me at marshan@ or 951-353-0010 ext 204 micrtechnologies.com
6 Jan
I am sending out information to the banks that are using the document library on how to use it and how to make it more beneficial. Part of this is informing the users in the bank what they can do and how the Document Domain can add value to them. Remember, the more forms you put on the library the more it will be used and most importantly the more you will save in both hard and soft costs.
TIP #1
Remind all the users that they can build their own private library of forms. They can select the file folder
icon on the right of each form. A screen will pop up with the option to “save.” If they select save it will
save in the tab at the top right called “Favorites.” When they log in they can go to the Favorites tab and
all the forms they use will be right there. No searching, no guessing, quick and easy.
The option is always there to form fill the documents on the screen, save the form to your computer if
you need to. You can also save the document to your desktop and email as an attachment, filled in
and ready to be used. You can save time and money with this feature. No mailing forms (unless they
have private information.) You can send the forms from department to department or branch to branch.
Banks are saving hundreds and even thousands of dollars on courier service.
If you have any questions on how these features work or you would like information as to how other community banks are using the library please feel free to give me a call. 951-353-0010 ext 204 or contact me at marshan@micrtechnologies.com
Marsha Nix, President
MICR Technologies, Inc
Ouote for the week:
Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.
6 Jan
Tip #5
Boxes, boxes, boxes. We live in boxes, we work in boxes and we stuff our potential as human beings into invisible boxes.
Sometimes boxes are imposed on us from without; it is what you’re supposed to do. You get stuck operating your business a certain way, its what you’re “supposed” to do, it’s your box.
Then there are the boxes we impose on ourselves, these boxes are imposed from within. Sometimes this occurs because of what society or our industry tells us and we embrace this box, we internalize these messages. But, if we are honest with ourselves, sometimes we voluntarily climb into the box and pull the cover tight because we feel safer in there.
What box are you in? Do you use a share drive (located in a box)for your documents, because that is what you were told to do? What does the share drive do for your business in the way of operational efficiencies? You have no tracking with a share drive; you have no security, no search options. Documents, even when saved as secure in Word or Excel are not truly secured. You have no version control, no reporting capabilities, and who manages the share drive?
What is your core business? What creates growth in your business?
What amount of time and effort is going into managing your share drive of documents? Does this time and effort produce less work, increase communication, assure timely updates, and improve operational efficiencies? Have you had to increase staff to support your share drive? It is easy to climb into the box and hold on tight to the cover. It takes courage to get out of the box and look at alternatives to your operational processes.
The Document Domain, your document library, your documents; one single repository for all your documents, reduction of print, email documents, fax documents, intelligent documents, workflow for your documents, real time inventory for the few documents you have printed, print on demand, distribute and print, chat room, one manage point for all your documents, links for your web documents, complete reporting options and tracking options. This and much more.
If you are interested in getting out of your box, give me a call at MICR Technologies, Inc. 951-353-0010 ext 204 or email me at marshan@ micrtechnologies.com
Marsha Nix, President
Sunwest Document Technologies, Inc
MICR Technologies, Inc.
Quote for the week: Tell me, I’ll forget. Show me, I may remember. But involve me, and I’ll understand.
– Chinese Proverb
6 Jan
As we being to ramp up for the Holidays many people do so with trepidation. It is understandable that people get upset or disappointed with the way our economic climate is. We do have a choice as to how we get through this.
W. Clement Stone said, “There is very little difference in people. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”
Don’t become preoccupied with things that aggravate or upset you. Seize this time as a chance to learn and grow. Your choice – be positive, optimistic, and enthusiastic.
Tip# 4
This is the time of year when changes are being made and you need a way to
communicate with staff. Did you know you have the ability to change the
“banner” that scrolls across your library? You have 500 characters to let staff
know information such as “There are new law changes with FDIC. Be sure and
read our FDIC Brochure SWW-001.”
Or
“We want to wish a Happy Birthday to the following people…………”
Or
“We are offering a new CD product. Be sure to read the disclosures in the
Business Development folder SWW-01.00.001, and familiarize yourself with this
product.”
There are many ways to use this tool for quick communication. If you are interested in having this option made available or if you do not have the Document Domain and would like more information please contact me at marshan@ or micrtechnologies.com
951-353-0010 ext 204.
Regards,
Marsha Nix, President
MICR Technologies, Inc
Quote of the week: A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.
Document Domain 