Here’s a little tip that will probably save you a lot of aggravation and very likely some money as well: Make friends with your small business banker.
If you’re like us, you probably don’t have enough time to spend with your actual friends, so the idea of shooting the breeze with your banking professional might seem a little odd. We’ve been lucky in our business: We’ve banked with TD Bank since day one, and we’ve always had great people working with us there. Our very first banker was with us for years and even became an Admiral Road customer. Whenever we needed something, he was quick and responsive, and always helpful. On our end, we just remembered to add him to our mailing list, and we sent him the occasional ticket to a show we were participating in. In the early days, we would send him news clippings where our company was mentioned. Why wouldn’t we? We figured that if we invested in him, he would be willing to invest in us. It cost us nothing to build the framework for a great professional relationship.
A few weeks ago we found ourselves back at the main branch of TD Bank, setting up the accounts for our new venture. We had the chance to get to know our current banker, David Canseco, who is not only incredibly friendly and nice, but he’s also really smart, insightful and helpful. He was able to use his expertise to guide us through a pile of processes and decisions. Guess what? He’s already helped us out more than once since then, even getting the bank to make an exception to policy in order to make things run more smoothly for us.
Wherever you bank, your small business banker is there to help you. We’re betting she or he would love to take your call or a meeting to learn more about how to help you succeed. The next time you’re in a pinch and need something from your bank, we guarantee you’ll be glad you’ve got a friend on the inside.
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