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                                                    16 easy ways to make commercial customers feel like rock stars  Are you making yourself indispensable to your business customers? Treat them like rock stars ...
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                                                    5 ways to get a super sticky, can't-put-it-down brand  For many, branding involves only 1 or 2 sensory experiences. But brands that engage all 5 ...
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                                                    Bankers: how excellent service devalues your brand  I recently asked a variety of C-level people how often they were called on by a banker trying ...
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                                                    Better business development starts with heartburn  When a business development team gets charged up and ready to call on prospects, they’re often ...
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                                                    Dig a well before you are thirsty—the future is almost here  Do not write my name on my clothes: and other things you do for your convenience, not mine  It’s been a while, but I’m still fuming about the dry cleaner who wrote my name inside my ...
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                                                    Don't "nice" your institution out of profitability  A bank president recently told me he lets safe deposit box rent renewal notices slide because ...
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                                                    Don't leave employees (and customers) in the dark  Everyone is busy. Like many high-performing employees, your people may be running as fast as ...
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                                                    Five ways to be an all-weather financial brand  How a hound dog and a handshake bred enduring loyalty  My father-in-law Ralph was a WWII veteran and serial entrepreneur. Over his 94 years, he owned ...
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                                                    How to pay more than lip service to your brand  Many financial institutions struggle with differentiating themselves in this commodity-mindset ...
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                                                    I make a mistake, I pay. You make a mistake, I pay?!  I talk about banking with a lot of people. So last month, someone told me about accidentally ...
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                                                    Quit telling people you have clean restrooms  Too many institutions tout fast, local loan decisions and personal service like they're the ...
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                                                    Shhhh! Stop using the *S* word.  Many community bankers struggle with getting all of their staffers to feel confident with ...
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                                                    Stop hiring tellers—you need listeners  The moniker “teller” has been around in banking since time immemorial. And while it may feel ...
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                                                    The surprisingly effective response to a customer complaint  I recently had trouble with a community bank’s technology and emailed a banker there to ...
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                                                    What Dale Carnegie and Beyoncé can teach bankers about relationships  Almost every community bank will boast that they know their customers by their names. But do ...
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                                                    What tourist-y restaurants can teach banks about being sticky  I was a tourist in Branson, MO recently and as to be expected, had some sub-par experiences in ...
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                                                    You're not making it easy for me to do business with you  Dear Community Banker X: Your technology is behind. Your ATM is dysfunctional and you don’t ...























