CFMP--the credential with clout: three marketers explain how both they and their banks benefited from the designation.

• Position: MARKETING edge

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Marketing does not always receive the respect it deserves. This is a fact at too many financial institutions. However, there are strategies that marketers can employ to counteract this unfortunate tendency. One approach is for marketers to earn a Certified Financial Marketing Professional (CFMP) credential.

"Marketing Edge" recently asked three marketers who had received their CFMP within the last several years how the credential had benefited them and their financial institutions. Mentioned by all three was the belief that the CFMP helped to bolster the reputation of marketing within the bank.

"I believe that it has ... helped me gain greater respect from my peers at the bank, especially at the senior management level," says Lisa Artz, executive vice president at Choice Financial Group (assets: $370 million; 10 locations), Grafton, N.D. When Artz joined Choice Financial two-and-a-half years ago, the achievement of a CFMP designation was made part of her performance work plan. She explains that the bank puts a strong emphasis on continuing education. After Artz became the first CFMP holder in the state of North Dakota, she was promoted to her current position. She believes that the promotion can be attributed in part to the determination she showed in reaching the CFMP goal.

While studying for the CFMP, she gained a greater understanding of how the bank makes money, and how product pricing decisions drive funding and costs. She acquired a network of experienced peers with whom she exchanges advice and ideas. The bank also benefited, she explains, by retaining a more knowledgeable and loyal employee.

"Personally, the CFMP designation has given me a little more credibility within my institution and throughout the industry," says Nick Kastner, assistant vice president, Gainesville Bank & Trust (assets: $500 million; nine locations), Gainesville, Ga.

Kastner made the decision to seek the CFMP at the same time he decided to attend the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management. "In my mind, attending the School of Bank Marketing and Management and not taking the CFMP would be like going to college for four years but not bothering to graduate."

In the past, people tended to pay more attention to his youthfulness and relatively limited experience in bank marketing (less than five years) rather than to his marketing skills, Kastner says. Since obtaining the CFMP, people listen more closely to the ideas he brings to the...