Among the key components of a great model for estimating the Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses is consistency - the process must be repeatable from period to period in order to ensure greater accuracy. Consistency matters when evaluating a financial institution's loan portfolio and when dealing with the customers represented by these numbers.

This is the fourth in a series of posts which discuss steps aimed at reclaiming success as a community banker. The previous writings include overcoming ego, how to classify customers into groups, and the importance of planning (see previous blog entries). Since success is not a destination but a process of sustained achievement, it is equally important to establish a foundation for ongoing customer contact that can be relied upon again and again.

Staying in touch

As I mentioned in earlier parts of this series, it has not been necessary in the recent past for bankers to leave the comfortable confines of the office and venture out to find potentially good customers. Prior to late 2007, wonderful prospects were coming in the front door and ended at your desk without a lot of work on your part. But the world has changed, and some of the most talented banking professionals are struggling to adapt.

One personal visit or contact with a customer or potential client will normally do nothing toward maintaining or moving the business. It will take an unrelenting effort which requires creativity, and that may not come easy to career bankers. One of the best methods for building an inventive strategy to maintain constant contact with customers is to plan one specific event or activity per week for 13 consecutive weeks.

The time frame should be a given for financial types, since most live and die by quarters. It only makes sense to set a contact plan that follows the same period. Plus, this falls in line with the previous blog post about P5 - Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Establish what to do each and every week for 13 weeks in advance of making the first visit. Sure, the plan can be modified based on what new gems of personal info are gleaned as the relationship grows. A good outline will provide a starting point.

Personal visits should be at the heart of a plan. There is no substitute for this. Phone calls, notes, cards and letters are other great ways to reach out and let the client know you remain at their disposal. Don't be concerned about running dry when it comes to meaningful words to say or write.

Look toward the holidays that occur during the period. Greeting cards abound tied to these seasonal celebratory dates. Purchase a few and add a personal note. Need some help? Consider:

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• Ground Hog Day
• Valentines Day
• President’s Day
• St. Patrick’s Day
• April Fools Day
• Good Friday
• Easter
• Earth Day
• Cinco de Mayo
• Mother’s Day’
• Memorial Day
• Flay Day
• Father’s Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Halloween
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

Google for business quotes. Then look a little deeper into the author responsible for the quote. You could mine gold here with advice for business owners and managers. Magazines - online and print - are filled with articles devoted to rebuilding business and personal finance. Print, copy or clip these and send them with your correspondence.

Keith Ferrazi wrote a wonderful book, "Never Eat Alone." Follow this advice. At least once during the 13 weeks, have breakfast, lunch or dinner with the client. Remember, you eat on weekends, too. It might be more convenient, and more meaningful, to entertain sometime Friday evening through Sunday evening. 

Sometimes, an inexpensive token that represents your institution or a special occasion is in order. Think birthday and anniversary for the individuals or the business. Don't overlook milestones including when a customer's child first enters school, graduates, enters college, graduates, gets married and so forth. Of course, all of this intelligence will be gathered through increased personal contact. Get the point?

Each 13 week period will involve a local, college or professional sports season. Or maybe you work in prime NASCAR country with races that start in February and are scheduled through November. The opportunities abound if your potential client is a fan. Use the web to research recent info on a team or star player. Look for good quotes that serve as metaphors for doing business together. Maybe purchase a couple of tickets and take in a game or race together. 

Then there are the many current books out today on business, particularly small business. The shelves are also filled with a number of great titles from the recent past that should be re-read. And then there are the classics which have lessons that continue to apply to current day. Share a title. Lend the book. Give an Amazon gift certificate for the Kindle store.

Not reading anything currently? Haven't read a book in the past year? Longer? Check the blog next week.

Use all these ideas and information to build a step-by-step plan similar to the following example:

Week 1	Personal Visit: Introduce or reintroduce yourself and your institution
Week 2	Note: Mail a handwritten note on stationary embossed with your institution’s logo or some other high-end card. “Enjoyed meeting with you last week. Let me know if there is anything that I can do.”
Week 3	Personal Visit or phone call: Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner invite. Offer an invitation for a meal one day the following week
Week 4	Eat-and-learn: Break bread with the potential client. Ask lots of questions about the customer, his/her business, family, successes, plans, dreams, etc. Prepare in advance and commit key questions to memory
Week 5	Note: Let the potential client know how much you enjoyed the meal
Week 6	Article: Email a link to, clip or copy a business related article that applies to the potential customer’s business or some other point learned during the eat-and-learn two weeks ago
Week 7	Personal Visit: “Did you have a chance to read/access article/website? Anything there of interest? What is of most interest or concern to you and your business?” This is a great time to listen carefully and learn what products and services you may be in a great position to offer
Week 8	Holiday Card: May need to come earlier or later in the plan. There are two or more holidays or days of special observance each 13 week period
Week 9	Promotional Material: Drop by or mail info about some specific service or promotional offer your institution is extending that makes sense for this particular client. Hint – it has to be good for the customer
Week 10	Personal Visit or phone call: Follow-up on the info you dispatched last week. “Do you have any questions? Does this appear to be something that would interest you? What else do you need to know?"
Week 11	Ball game: call, email or stop by with tickets to a weekend game. You should know your potential client well enough by now to choose the correct sport, team, etc.
Week 12	Note: “Enjoyed the game. Let’s do it again soon.”
Week 13	Personal Visit: By now you have a good handle on where this client stands. Choose a subject, engage them in conversation, and listen carefully for key business opportunities.

When the 13 weeks end, what comes next? Simple. Start over. You may not need to initiate contact every week, but do not make the mistake of focusing attention on a customer at least once every seven days for three months and then ignore them after they retain your services. That would be a catastrophic mistake. 

Step 4: The odds in favor of sustained success are much greater with a consistent customer contact strategy.