You know the big guys — Amazon, eBay, QVC, L.L. Bean — but there are a lot more players in the internet, TV, and mail-order retailer space who are gearing up for the holiday shopping season. In fact, the niche consists of 40,000 companies that generate $705 billion annually.

We may be in the lull before the storm. I really like to think optimistically, but looking at the cold hard facts, it seems like things are going better than they should be both for banks and their business banking clients.

2020 has been a year packed full of crazy, and this week’s elections are likely to serve up more chaos. I’m not much for conflict. I am certainly not going to dive into a passionate political discussion in a blog or even conversation this week. But I will likely reach out to friends, co-workers, and clients to touch base and let them...

Barlow Research Associates is probably the most well-known, and certainly the most accomplished, banking research company, especially with regard to gathering insights on how businesses view their banks.

September saw NFL and college football starting to come back to life, bringing a much-needed boost to many people’s spirits as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Along with many other Americans, I spent last weekend cheering on the guys from my fantasy football team. 

I’m continually amazed by what you can do with new technology, applications, digital solutions, and system integrations in banking and beyond. But I’ve discovered that, for some business bankers, high-tech is becoming problematic. Today, next-gen business customers want high-tech banking options, and it’s time to get on board unless you...

Our Vertical IQ co-founder and CEO, Bobby Martin, recently co-hosted a webinar with Jim Marous from The Financial Brand and Shaalin Parekh from Seismic to discuss how banks can provide a more personalized experience to their business customers.

Of course every business services firm that calls on small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) says they are a trusted advisor to their clients, but reality doesn’t always support that claim. I read a great article this week about how most firms that call on SMBs instead tend to provide “Random Acts of Consulting.” 

A value-added advisor is someone whose ideas and advice you respect enough to invest time and money into having them around. The business relationship is about more than just the product purchase itself.