“I don’t have time,” is a load of… I mean, if your customers are saying it, they are not lazy … it is YOUR fault!
Most people think more about where they should buy new tires than where they should invest and borrow their money.
Become more relevant and they’ll make time for you.
“I know the big bank is charging me too many fees, but I don’t have time to start a new checking account.” “I want that car right now! I don’t have time to go to your branch and close the loan.” “I don’t have time to read that brilliant blog post or call that dashing and charming marketing savant.” (Ouch – that one hurt!)
“I don’t have time,” is a load of… I mean, if your customers are saying it, they are not lazy … it is YOUR fault!
Last week I saw Jay Baer speak (Author of Youtility) and he put into words what I think we all inherently know, “Relevancy magically creates time and attention.”
It’s not that customers don’t have time, its that whatever you want them to do isn’t more important than what’s currently on their agenda. Tell a story that they care about and you’ll become a priority.
So, how do you become relevant?
Content
Prove you are an expert in topics that the consumer cares about – no your products do not count!
- Don’t talk about car loans, talk about the 5 safest cars this year or tricks to stretch out your gas mileage.
- Don’t just sell mortgages, conduct a survey of the best neighborhoods in your market and share the results. Or list which school districts have the best test scores or highest taxes.
- Don’t just run a brilliant and fun financial marketing firm, share free weekly blogs to help community banks and credit unions destroy their competition.
Experience
The products that we peddle usually touch several parts of our consumers’ lives.
- What if we offered moving boxes for free, would people think to get their mortgage with us?
- What if we had a list of all local utilities with contact info for people who are new to town, would it help get their checking account when they relocate?
- What if we offered free CarFax reports, would it help us get a car loan?
Expertise
Customers’ relationships are usually more with our team than with our logo. Help seed and fertilize that relationship.
- Share the branch staff’s favorite local restaurants.
- Share what clubs or charities your staff help out.
- Share ways that your team is saving money each month. Have they ditched cable for streaming? Are they biking to work to save gas?
As banks and credit unions we are the most important decision that most customers couldn’t care less about. Seriously, most people think more about where they should buy new tires than where they should invest and borrow their money.
If you want people to pay attention, you need to be more than some suits selling checking and loans. You need to stand out. To differentiate from the other banks who’ve been doing things the same way since 1825. You need to think more like a consumer and less like an FI. What do YOU care about outside of work? When what you say and do is relevant to your consumers, they will make time to listen to your message and care about your products.
