Published on Apr 4, 2007

My readers know how I emphasize the importance of having a “story” that separates companies from their competition. In today’s business economy, there are too many of everything! With products and services being so commoditized, the best companies find that consumers like to do business with the companies who have the best stories.

From Les Schwab Tire Center’s sales reps running to your car when you pull into their parking lot to Doubletree Hotels giving a warm chocolate chip cookie when you check in, small things create a lot of buzz. It makes people talk and perhaps decide to business with your company.

One of my favorite examples of creating “buzz” around your story is taking place in a small town in northwest Tennessee. This will be one of my favorites for a long time….

David Hayes is President of Security Bank of Dyersburg (www.bankatsecurity.com).
Security Bank is just like every other bank around; they focus on friendly service and their people as their difference makers, but understand that these qualities are like any other asset…they have to be experienced to be appreciated.

“I knew that if we could get people to engage with our employees, they would understand that we do indeed have something different going on at Security Bank.” said Hayes. “The problem is always the same…how do we get them to engage with our employees if they are not current banking customers?”

As an experienced banker, Hayes has seen it all…free checking, contests, cash gifts, and toasters…he wanted something unique that would draw visitors into his bank.

“I began to notice the lines at Starbucks when I traveled outside of Dyersburg” said Hayes. “I was also well aware that Dyersburg was missing out by not having a Starbucks in town.”

So David Hayes went to Starbucks and bought a Starbucks coffee maker.

Today, Security Bank of Dyersburg has a story…it is the bank that offers a cup of Starbucks coffee if you drop in during the morning. Drop in at most banks and you’ll get a nice dose of indifference. Stop in Security Bank of Dyersburg and get a cup of Starbucks coffee.

Timing is the key to banking growth according to Hayes.

“If a bank is to grow, it has to be on the top of a potential customer’s mind when they have a problem with their current bank. When a customer loses their lending officer or simply gets tired of the indifference at their current bank, we want to be the one they think of when they are considering a change.”

This is an example of a great story; the little thing that can cause a prospect to come your way. When the story supports your corporate culture, it makes doing business with someone else a lot more difficult.

I challenge my readers to ask what “story” your customers and employees talk about when it comes to your company. What is your “buzz”? Is it expressive, emotional, and timely, or is it bland and just like everybody else’s?

After all, how many lines are you seeing these days in the toaster department at your appliance store?


Ed Horrell is the best-selling author of The Kindness Revolution and nationally syndicated columns. For information on how to start a kindness revolution in your company, go to www.edhorrel.com