Straight Talk — Let them know you care

The 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life embodies what most people know about bankers: there are good bankers like George Bailey, and there are evil bankers like Mr. Potter. Everyone wants to work with the good banker. Problem is, they can't always tell which bankers are like the Jimmy Stewart character and which ones are like the Lionel Barrymore character. So, help them out. Tell them that you are like the Jimmy Stewart banker..That advice comes from Michael Chandler, a character out of the Old West who spoke on marketing at the ICBA convention last month. I think he is on to something.."Don't spend money telling people you have checking accounts," he said. "Don't tell them that you make loans. They already know that. What you need to tell them is that you care.".Noting that decisions are made emotionally and rationalized logically, Chandler encouraged bankers to appeal to emotion. His point: if you care, then tell them. "Everyone is looking for a person who cares," Chandler said..Caring begins with listening. Banks that pour resources into listening to their customers will reap big-time rewards. When banks do advertise, campaigns should reveal more about who the bankers are rather than what the bank offers..A banker has a much better chance of connecting with customers on an emotional level by affirming what they already think rather than by trying to change what they think. Just about everyone values family, so Chandler cited an example of a banker who talked about his own family in a way others could appreciate. The bank president made a radio ad talking about the community's local high school football team. It was having a good season and the president's son happened to be on the team. He concluded the ad by telling his son he was proud of him; his voice cracked with emotion. There was no mention of any bank products or services in the ad..It was the most successful ad the bank had ever run. People called that president for weeks after the ad ran, and new customers even came in the door to open accounts. Clearly, the banker had connected emotionally with his community..In an era when digitization is depersonalizing banking, people are desperately looking to connect with bankers who care. They think they want George Bailey, but I bet they really want you. You just need to let them know who you are and that you care.