Marketing is Selling!
 Jon Rollefson
Manufacturers Bank & Trust Co.
Forest City
For many of us, the word “selling” makes our faces wrinkle up and we want to turn, run and hide. Selling is definitely not glamorous, and yet everything that we do as bankers involves selling ourselves, our banks, and our communities. So in this sense, promoting the features and benefits of our banks to others is of critical importance. Over the years, Iowa banks have been thought of as solid, trusted and integral partners in our neighborhoods. Due to the recent sub-prime lending debacle that has faced our country, this is an opportunity for us to reinforce this concept of being a significant player in our customers’ lives through our marketing efforts.
In his book The Feel of Success in Selling (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990, pp. 103-120) author Jim Schneider lists three steps in building the relationships with existing customers as well as prospects. I will briefly attempt to place them into a marketing context.
1) Feeling Successful- Do we feel that we have the “answers?” If so, then let’s show it! As we develop these relationships with people, our internal feelings of success should also increase. Most advertising is concise in content, so the goal of this strategy is to describe the confidence we have in assisting people in a way that also portrays enthusiasm.
2) Developing Trust- What a key element to our “image!” What avenues can we use here? Advertising our knowledgeable employees and their expertise is helpful. Our involvement in community activities can be promoted through press releases and other advertising means which are both reasonably priced and effective. Also, this is where customer testimonials can assist in the credibility process. At Manufacturers Bank & Trust, we have recently implemented a marketing program using key individuals in our markets to provide additional credibility through testimonials on radio and television media. Our desire is that people will know and trust us as their banking institution in part because they have respect for those endorsing us.
3) Problem Solving- Former President Richard Nixon once wrote, “People are persuaded by reason, but moved by emotion.” A critical factor with assisting people is proving to them that we have the answer to their problems. Using all of our media avenues, let’s share our ability to provide these solutions.
With all of this in mind, are we are able to wrap our marketing campaign around the fact that our customers desire to trust us and that we have the expertise to assist them? Due to the years of prudent, successful lending practices by Iowa bankers, the opportunity is now for increasing our marketing efforts in promoting our image to our communities. After all, if we have these three steps in place, shouldn’t we use them?
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