Craig Kelly, the EVP & CMO at SunTrust Bank delivered a fine keynote on Monday. 

We were at the 5th Annual Financial Services Symposium, which was pretty much a dud overall.   Some of the speakers I caught were very good, though:  Sylvia Reynolds from Wells Fargo and Jenny Powell from U.S. Bank in particular. But, for being a small conference, it didn’t have the intimacy and connection that I’ve seen at other small conferences we’ve attended.

Here what I found notable from Craig’s speech :

• “Embrace Change as a Friend” - this was the title and theme of his presentation.  The point: to thrive in business you have to go beyond losing your fear of change, you have to expect change and welcome it. 
• “Simple to Sell, Easy to Buy?” - I loved this.  Whenever a marketing manager presents to Craig, it’s the first thing he asks.  Great ideas are often bogged down in complexity.  Taking the time to make it simple is a key to success.
• “Two Ears, One Mouth” - an old saying, but a great reminder.  We should all be listening at least twice as much as we are talking.
• Less “vision” / more value proposition - I’ll be walking the floor of ad:tech in a few weeks and I’m sure I’ll be thinking about this.  A 10×10 booth is a great opportunity to see whether a company has honed its value proposition or just has a general idea for what they want to sell.
• “Don’t Give them a Bic”- Craig made a great comparison between Bic and MontBlanc pens.  They both know their markets and have their own specific value proposition.  For everyday use, Bic does gets the job done.  But, if you are making a gift, then you might not want to choose the Bic.

“We are in a noble business”

Craig concluded by reminding everyone in the audience that financial services is a “noble business” that requires the trust of the public to succeed.  I know that the industry has come under fire lately for the sub-prime mess, but I want to echo Craig’s sentiment.  There are thousands upon thousands of people in our country who work very hard to ensure that our finances are safe and secure.  And almost everyone I’ve met in our industry over the years has made me proud to be a part of it.