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“The image that we are going to be trying to project for
the next 10 years will be safety and security.”
Those were the words from a senior vice president for
external communications for a major bank. We were
meeting with him to discuss a program to help his senior
executives improve their ability to give presentations
to community groups.
Since we are in the business of training executives to
give speeches, of course, we found his words
particularly interesting. But his words also seem to
point out that with the financial services industry
melting down, banking executives in coming years will
have to dramatically improve their image.
The financial services industry, more than any other,
sells trust. If the public won’t trust a particular bank
or investment firm with its money, that institution
can’t function.
So how are financial institutions going to rebuild trust
after the current debacle? True regulatory reform will
obviously play a major role. And certainly marketing and
advertising will have a role.
But a firm’s brand, contrary to what many think, is not
the responsibility of the marketing organization.
Ultimately, the most important bearers of the brand are
the executives and employees themselves.
If a financial services company wants to build trust,
then their people are going to have to inspire
confidence. Part of the way you do that is by learning
to communicate with customers, business partners,
regulators, and prospects in a way that connects.
At
Speechworks we help our clients learn how to communicate
in a way that connects and persuades. If you’re
interested in becoming a great communicator give us a
call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
