Top Quartile

We bring back some of the guests that were part of the inaugural year of Top Quartile for a roundtable discussion about key lessons learned in 2021. Check out the video version of this episode on Youtube! Guests appearing in this episode and links to their original Top Quartile episode include: 

Sarae Janes Lewis SVP, Director of Associate & Client Experience at Pinnacle Financial Partners – The Inside Story of Pinnacle’s Growth 

Rick Claypoole EVP, Client Analytics at Infusion – The Value of Customer Data For M&A 

Delynn Byars SVP of Marketing at First South Financial CU – Systematic Onboarding 

John Oxford SVP and Director of Marketing at Renasant Bank – Key Marketing Trends 

Douglas Scarboro SVP of Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Regional Executive Memphis Branch – Helping Communities Thrive and Fostering Payments Innovation 

Tim Keith CEO at

Business Development Strategist and author of How to Turn Order Takers Into Rainmakers, Charlie Moon, talks about how banks can enhance revenue growth through a systematic approach to sales coaching and management with host Dan Marks, including: 

Charlie’s unique background in banking 

How Charlie applies his skills to help non profits raise funds in his spare time 

Charlie breaks down his book and the acronym embrACe 

Navigating the relationship between technical skills and personal skills in sales 

The importance of engaging clients with a story 

Charlie’s process for individual development 

Charlie’s advice to his younger self 

 Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn 

Check out getcharliemoon.com 

Download Charlie’s book

Senior Vice President and Director of Associate and Client Experience at Pinnacle Financial Partners, Sarae Janes Lewis, talks with host Dan Marks about how building a great culture focused on delivering a great client experience drives growth at Pinnacle, including: 

Sarae’s background and the genesis of her role 

How Pinnacle has grown from 250 employees to a top 40 bank by assets 

How culture and delivering an excellent client experience interrelate 

Pinnacle’s leadership philosophy and the story behind using Partners in the name  

Pinnacle’s distinct operating approach and how analytics and listening to clients drive Top Quartile growth 

Sarae’s advice to her younger self 

 Connect with Sarae on LinkedIn 

Check out Pinnacle’s website 

Fastest Growing Metro Areas in the US

Will Chase, the founding CEO of Triumph bank, discusses key observations and lessons learned that led to the founding, profitability, rapid growth, and eventual successful exit with host Dan Marks including: 

Will’s journey from repossessing cars to founding Triumph 

The banking climate in Memphis while starting Triumph 

The strategies that kept Triumph successful through all types of economic cycles  

How Triumph built a differentiated brand 

How a community bank can use data and analytics to win customers 

Will’s view on adopting technology and how a community bank can be successful even in a “scale game” 

Reflections on leadership, culture, and learning from mistakes

Scot Lenoir, Chairman at Evolve Bank and Trust, talks with host Dan Marks about their partnerships in the FinTech and Crypto space and how it drives growth! The conversation includes: 

How Scot started Evolve 

Scot’s love for sports and music 

Evolve’s role in in FinTech and Crypto 

How Scot thinks about the current banking and financial services space 

How Evolve embraces innovation and regulation at the same time 

How FinTech partnerships benefit end consumers 

How Evolve leverages data and analytics to serve clients 

Scot’s key takeaways around serving the FinTech and Crypto space 

Scot’s advice to his younger self and what he would have done differently if he were to start a bank today.

Connect with Scot and Evolve on LinkedIn

Follow Evolve on Facebook and Twitter

Visit getevolved.com

CEO at Infusion Tim Keith talks best practices in growing loans with host Dan Marks based on analyzing billions of industry specific peer data points. 

How macro trends impacts planning 

Peer benchmarking to uncover new opportunities 

Data mining to prioritize high potential opportunities 

Understanding needs along the customer/member lifecycle  

How to grow loans with higher risk adjusted returns 

How to easily and quickly discover new data-driven opportunities for loan growth 

 Connect with Tim on LinkedIn 

Check out infusionmarketinggroup.com

B2B Marketing maven, author, and podcaster Drew Neisser sits with host Dan Marks to discuss some of the marketing guidelines outlined in his new book Renegade Marketing: 12 Steps to Building Unbeatable B2B Brands, including: 

Drew’s role at Renegade and what led him to write his new book 

Drew’s fascination with Ben Franklin 

Why Drew has a passion for B2B Marketing specifically 

The CATS methodology 

How to be a Courageous marketer 

How to be an Artful marketer  

How to be a Thoughtful marketer – and why purpose matters 

How to be a Scientific marketer – and how to focus on metrics that matter

Georgia United Credit Union’s Chief Marketing Officer, Aaron Chestnut, joins host Dan Marks to talk branding, mission, the heart of marketing, and how to build an analytic-driven marketing culture! Highlights include: 

Aaron’s role at Georgia United (plus his company band!) 

Recent growth at Georgia United 

GU’s mission to serve, and why a company should walk the walk 

Aaron’s unique history building brands and how it helps Georgia United grow 

How “Freedom to Fail” leads to more winning 

Balancing the art and science of marketing 

The Jurassic Park Principle 

Aaron’s take on working for a company with a powerful culture and brand 

Aaron’s advice to his younger self as he moved from consumer products to financial services 

 Visit Georgia United’s website and check out the GUCU Foundation 

Follow #GUCUCares on social media:

Cornerstone Advisors’ Sam Kilmer, co-host of The Fintech Hustle, and host Dan Marks discuss the latest technology and data driven growth trends from Sam’s perspective advising hundreds of institutions including: 

Sam’s banking career history and his current role at Cornerstone 

The story of Gonzobanker 

How the ecosystem of Financial Institutions is changing 

Banks utilizing data and analytics to gain market share 

Real world observations on lessons learned in using data for revenue growth 

Organizing for success to unlock the potential for data driven growth 

The importance for executives to recognize pain and using data to alleviate that pain 

What Sam’s priorities would be if he were to take a Chief Banking Officer/Chief Revenue Officer role in a bank or credit union

Ed Francis, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer for InBankshares, Corp and InBank, talks with host Dan Marks about the re-invention of the 100 year organization and subsequent growth including:

How InBank’s growth has doubled in 3 years

The importance of humanizing CEO’s and being “touchable”

InBank’s origin story and the “why” of the InBank brand

Ed’s leadership philosophy and being hands-on

Using research and analytics to make better, data driven decisions and build long lasting relationships with customers

Over-delivering on customer expectations with a combination of quick service technology and human interaction

Ed’s advice to his younger self – and all new bankers

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn  Visit Inbank.com