1. Keys to Branding Your Culture
Corporate culture describes and
governs the way a company’s
employees think, feel and act.
Rich Jones, President/Principal
Leading2Leadership LLC
@rich0747
5. Elements of Culture vs Brand
• Culture
– Mission
– Values
– Purpose
– Performance
– How we work/play together
– Shared Stories/History
– Communication
• Brand
– Mission
– Values
– Purpose
– Personality
– How we engage members
and each other
– Brand Story/History
– Communication
19. Elements of a Brand Guide
1. Internal Brand identity
2. Business model and value
proposition
3. CU history
4. Brief Explanation of the
internal Brand Identity
5. Values
6. Brand Promise
7. Brand Personality
8. Brand tone and manner
9. Specific examples of:
How to answer the phone
How to interact with a
member
Email signatures
Out of office messages
Font/typeface guidelines
Conversation stucture
Structure for doing their job
10. The employee
commitment
20. Create an Internal Brand Identity
• embraceRED – internal brand at Elements
Financial (Eli Lilly FCU)
21. Identify the business model and value
proposition
Elements Financial is an at-work, SEG-based,
financial wellness provider with a national
footprint helping members and their families
achieve financial wellness by providing
accessible products, services and financial
wellness education.
22. Brief History
• Elements was established over 80 years ago to
provide share and loan products to the
employees of Eli Lilly Company
• Major growth initiatives
– 2005 expanded their charter to include family
members of Eli Lilly employees…
– 2008 transitioned to a multiple common bond
– 2012 began the name change process
23. What is embraceRed?
It’s not what we do but how we do it
• Financial Wellness Experts provide a memorable service
experience that sets us apart from other financial
institutions
• Our guiding mantra:
– “Helping our members achieve financial Success
• Call to action
– Live embraceRED
– Be embraceRED
– Grow embraceRED
• Vision statements
– “Employer of Choice”
– Community Leader and Financial institution first sought by
its members for all of their financial needs.
24. Define the credit union values
• Trust
• Accountable – we will do what
we say we will do.
• Knowledgeable – we more
about financial wellness than
our member
• Excellence
• Service
• Innovative – we will continually
seek to innovative ways to help
our members with their life
journey.
• Inclusiveness – we value
diversity with the goal of serving
all stages of our member’s
financial life.
25. Clarify the Brand Purpose
Credit Union Example:
To intentionally serve our members with
the perfect balance of expert advice and
integrity so our service is seen as a clear
differentiator in our chosen markets.
27. Clarify Tone and Manner
How we communicate with others
• Nurturing
• Knowledgeable
• Friendly
• Without judgment
• Exciting
• Genuine
• Collaborative
28. Communication Standards
Answering Phones
• Individuals should answer the phone, “Thank
you for calling credit union. My name is
[insert first name], may I have your name
please? Thank you [insert their name as
given}; how may I assist you today?”
• At the completion of a call and after
confirming, “How else may I serve you
today?” be sure to add, “Thanks for choosing
credit union.”
29. Member Interaction
Member Interaction in person:
• “Welcome to credit union. My name is [insert
name]. How may I serve you today?”
• At the completion of a visit and after confirming,
“How else may I serve you today?” be sure to
add, “Thanks for choosing credit uniont.”
• The more casual and natural and frequent use of
our name, the better.
• In all human interaction, remember our Tone and
Manner guidelines: Nurturing, Knowledgeable,
Friendly, Without judgment, Exciting, Genuine
and Collaborative.
30. Email Signatures
• Your signature affects the tone of every email you
send.
• Suggest email body Font type – Calibri, Font size 11
• Suggest email signatures (Font Type – Calibri, Font Size
10)
• ---- EXAMPLE ----
Standard signature for employees. Toll-free and cell
number lines are optional.
Rich Jores |Marketing Manager
Credit Union
(555) 555-1172 x 3308 | rjores@cu.org
3333 Kenworthy St. Elsewhere, TX 75555 | www.cu.org
31. Don’t Forget
• Out of Office Messages
– 1. Dates of Your Absence. Let everyone know how long
you will be out of the office. It helps your contacts decide
what their next step will be; whether to wait for your
return or to direct their request elsewhere.
– 2. Who to Contact in Your Absence. Leave contact
information for at least one alternate contact while you
are out of the office.
• Email Typeface Consideration
– Typeface Guidelines
• Calibri 11pt
• Black font should be selected.
• Avoid using stationery designs and patterned backgrounds within
Outlook.
32. Structure Conversations
• We versus They
– As a first step to changing the conversation, every employee
must understand we are one team working in tandem to
build lifelong relationships, and ultimately, their success.
There is no “They”; only “We.”
• Relationships vs. Transactions
– Before opening any new account or beginning any new loan
process, it’s important that we learn what the member wants
to achieve to ensure the best product for their needs.
Transactions become secondary; the relationship is the
primary focus.
– Ask questions that show you care about the member before
you delve into the transaction or the process.
33. Structure how to do their job
We seek to understand before we seek to be understood
• Working for our members is the most important work we can do.
• Use active listening skills
• Ask clarifying questions by rephrasing and asking back
Understand the purpose of the transaction by asking.
Example 1:
• Member: “I would like to open a savings account.”
• MSR/Teller: “Great, I can open that savings account for you. Are you saving for
something special?”
• This query not only allows you to demonstrate you care for the member beyond
the transaction but can also be used to help you direct the member and their
saving’s strategy to the appropriate product.
Example 2:
• Member: “I would like to apply for a signature loan.”
• MSR/Teller: “Great, I can help you get started with that loan. Are you borrowing to
buy something or do you need some money to solve a short-term expense? We
have a couple of options for you. We will need to run a credit report, would it be
okay for us to take a minute to look it over and see if we can find a way to lend you
money for less interest?”
34. Getting Commitment
The Oath for Living – Talking – Doing: I promise to:
• Seek to understand before I seek to be understood.
• Diagnose the problem/request before I prescribe a solution.
• Proactively fulfill, to the best of my ability, any member’s request
accurately, professionally and with respect.
• Ensure the timely resolution of any member’s need and communicate the
outcome.
• Explore opportunities to exceed a member’s expectation that is beneficial
to both the member and FirstLight FCU.
• Protect the privacy, security and assets of our members and FirstLight.
• Promote teamwork, innovation and continuous learning.
Employee Signature Date
Witness Signature Date
35. Final 3 Steps to Branding you Culture
• Performance management and coaching to
the brand values, personality and promise
• Hiring to the brand personality and values
• Onboard to the brand and continuous train to
the brand
• Do as I do, not as I say
36. Performance management and coaching
• Make how an employee lives the brand
values, purpose and promise a staple of the
annual performance review process
– If an employee cannot live the Zappos brand
attributes they can leave at any time with 30 days
pay regardless of length of employment
37. Zappos Example
• Calls not timed –
PEC,
Personal
Emotional
Connection
• Thank you notes
and flowers
38. Hire to the Brand
• Every new hire or internal promotion or
reassignment must pass the percieved ability
of the candidate to live the brand values,
promise, purpose
– “We will only hire people that we’d like to go for a
drink with after work”
39. On Board and Train to the Brand
New and existing employees don’t typically
come to work to do things wrong. They do
wrong due to lack of training and lack of
awareness
40. Do as I Do, not just as I Say
• Do as I do, not as I say
– At Zappos every new hire, regardless of position,
title or role must spend 4 weeks on the telephone
– CEO and President COO have an open area desk
just like their admin assistant
