Advice to Bankers: How to Avoid the Bad Rap

In case you haven't noticed, banks have been getting a bad rap lately. Bad news and even worse headlines have put banks in the leading role of some of this country's biggest economic problems, and regardless of what kind of bank you are, the general public likely has a preconceived notion - or two or three - about you as we speak.

What can you do repair these unfounded assumptions, particularly if you're a struggling community bank looking to connect with a potentially distrustful local community? You might think a big-budget marketing campaign is a great way to save face, but in fact the real solution is a lot more "grass roots" than that.

According to Robert Sumner, CEO of First National Bank of Pasco (FNB Pasco) near Tampa, Florida, "If you're a community bank looking to save face in the community, go where the community is."

Sumner adds, "Banking is a people business. Now more than ever, your community needs to see you as a person, not a business. Get involved with the community; it just makes good banking sense!"

Getting active in the community provides dozens of mutual benefits for you and the community. For instance, you can brush shoulders with potential customers while sharing information about banking in general. Since you are likely a smaller community bank with more personal customer service, it only makes sense to increase your visibility in a more face-to-face way out in the community.

But where to start? Sumner has four simple rules for becoming more visible in the community, and they all start with more hands-on community involvement:

• Rule # 1 - Make it a Priority: First off, you can't expect the community to come to you; especially not in this day and age. You have to agree, as a board, as a team, as a staff that you are going to get more committed to your community and make it a priority in your ongoing promotional atmosphere.
• Rule # 2 - Make it a Department: The worst thing you can do is tell the community you want to get involved, that your doors are open, that here is the 800-number to call - and then have them on hold for 12 minutes while you find someone willing to take the call. Create an informal but established committee, team, or simply one person to act as a "liaison" with the community and train them on what you want to accomplish - and how. This way the community always has someone to go to when they want you to get involved.
• Rule # 3 - Make it a Commitment: You can say you want to be more active in the community, you can even create a team to help you achieve that goal, but if it's not an actual commitment on a day-to-day basis, it's never going to happen. Commit to being more active in the community, then…
• Rule # 4 - Make it Happen: Finally, you have to actually do something about it. Sponsor a community event, partner with a school, enter a team into the local chili cook-off! The more you participate, the more goodwill you spread, the more information about your bank you disseminate and, frankly, the more you'll want to participate.

Banks often see such community involvement as extras, but Sumner stresses that community involvement - particularly for a community bank - is more like a job requirement. "You can't see it as an either/or option anymore," Sumner explains. "If you're a community bank, you need to be out here in the community. That's where the people are; that's where your customers are."