Independent Banker - April 2019 - 78

CONNECTIONS
Field Notes
Dispatches from community bankers
I love this bank. Don't you?
S
tep back and think about the bank you
represent. It provides jobs, supports the
community, fi nances local businesses, helps people
buy homes and gives people access to their
money anywhere in the world at any time.
Doesn't that just make you want to say, " I love
this bank " ? Sure it does. Then why don't you say
it to yourself and everyone you meet? Because as
community bankers, we are humble servants to
our clients, helping them get the things they want
and need.
It's time we become less humble. Why aren't
bankers more boastful? I think it's because we do
everything with such precision and make it seem
so easy. We don't see the tremendous value provided
in every transaction processed. We see it as
just doing our job.
Think about your client who travels 500 miles
away from home on vacation to a place where no
one knows them. Yet, they're able to walk up to a
machine and withdraw money from their account
as though they are standing in your lobby. How
great is that? No check writing, no identifi cation
and no waiting (if it takes more than 30 seconds,
they will start saying nasty things to the machine).
Are you a
leader at
an ICBA
member
bank?
Would you
like to be a
Field Notes
columnist?
Email
magazine@
icba.org
As bankers, we are
humble servants to
our clients, helping
them get the things
they want and need.
JOE FAZIO,
ICBA
Community
Banker of the
Year 2017,
is chairman
and CEO of
Commerce
State Bank in
West Bend,
Wis.
78 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q April 2019
quick and easy. Notice I say money, not cash. Let's
step back in time for a moment to prove my point.
Who created the checking account? Banks. People
no longer needed to carry cash because they
could write a check. Who made credit cards available?
Banks. With them, you no longer needed a
check. Same for debit cards. Who made electronic
bill payment, internet banking and mobile banking
happen? Banks. The list goes on, and it will be
banks that add to it in the future and lead it.
Don't apologize for a fee. Explain how great it
is to have your money available all over the world
at any time without prior notice. Who else would
do that for you, while keeping your money secure
and insured? Without a partner bank, fi ntech loses
on that every time.
So, go ahead, say, " I love this bank, " and tell
everyone you know that you love your community
bank, too.
Let's take it a step further and say they went to
Europe on vacation. Now we throw in currency
translation! How about using that debit card at
a restaurant? Same result: transaction approved,
no waiting, no identifi cation, no check writing
and no cash involved. Credit card? Same result.
Don't want to go to a machine for cash? No
problem. Simply pay with your phone.
Banks are the leader in providing technology-based
methods for clients to access their money
Independent Banker - April 2019

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