Are you ready for an online relationship?

Online dating services spend millions of dollars on advertising each year. Millions of (presumably) unattached people use these services to find their mate. The occasional complacent Pina Colada lover notwithstanding, thousands of people have developed new relationships through personals ads, and now through online services..But imagine for a moment that your online dating service didn't allow you to meet your new partner until the wedding day. You could exchange information, but you'd never really meet until you're signing the papers. .This example seems ridiculous, and it is. But as banking moves more toward electronic relationships, the human factors that ultimately determine the value of your relationship are losing ground to numerical analyses. Unless your business strategy is based on 'winning' the rate game, your best opportunity to gain profitable customers is still with a handshake and conversation..Following are four ideas for encouraging customers to meet you face-to-face:.• It's not about the transactions: Your customers should see your lenders and personal bankers when they're in the lobby. When your customers need a new product, they will approach someone they're familiar with..• Stand out in the crowd: If you really are different from your competitors (and we hope you are), show it. If you restore old cars, put one in your front yard (or your lobby). Consider what makes you the best bank in town, then express that in your space. .• Liberate your tellers: Is the first view into your bank one of impassive faces hiding behind your teller line? If so, liberate your staff. Electronic Teller Cash Recyclers allow you to lose that barrier so tellers can truly engage visitors. Build trust by showing customers you have nothing to hide. .• Make it fun: Banking is serious business and can't be mixed with fun. Really? Tell that to the mega churches. Whether or not you agree with their approach to salvation, it's hard to argue against their success getting families out of bed on Sunday morning. Follow their lead and create an experience that leaves people informed, entertained and energized. .Electronic banking is here to stay, and that's great. However, until the internet can effectively convey values like trust and integrity, your story will be best told in person. Spend some effort bringing prospective customers in, and you'll find those lasting relationships, or at least someone else who likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain..Mike Kraft is a principal with HTG Architects, Minneapolis.