One of the topics that I am most passionate about discussing is the concept of reciprocity. We are predisposed to have positive feelings for those who make goodwill gestures toward us. And we subsequently have the desire to reciprocate.
The topic came up recently when I had a conversation with a reporter working on an article about whether banks should be increasing their advertising budgets during a slow economy.
I explained to her that I have a bias for dedicating a portion of a budget to things that many "sophisticated" marketing folks treat as an afterthought.
I wondered which would cost a bank more — a billboard along the interstate or sponsoring all the uniforms for their local soccer league? Would it cost more to run an ad in the Sunday paper or become their local scout troops' most visible supporter?
Through the years, I've found few concepts that have been met with as much agreement from front-line personnel and branch managers as when we discuss reciprocity. It's been my experience that folks become more animated in those conversations because they know that simple goodwill gestures are (usually) within their power to deliver.
In many organizations, front-line folks feel generally removed from their organization's marketing. People somewhere else in the organization come up with marketing campaigns and send support material to the branches. Branch staff members are more spectators than participants in their companies' marketing.
But when they are made to see that their personal interactions and relationship-building gestures are a vital part of their organization's marketing efforts, they tend to be more engaged and energized. And when they are given even small budgets or trinkets to use as icebreakers and goodwill gestures, their activity and involvement almost always increases.
Few banks have the kind of evidence of community support that customers can see and touch on a daily basis.
In tough economic times, folks are more aware of the people and organizations in their communities who support them. My bias toward gestures that involve children comes from my long-held belief that if you want people to like you, you should be nice to them. If you want them to love you, you should be nice to their children.
Simple, high-touch support doesn't have to be only through youth sports teams, scout troops, etc. How many local schools and school teachers struggle to acquire basic school supplies each year?
Through the years, I've had some marketing folk say that those kinds of "feel good" gestures are nice, but it is hard to measure their effectiveness.
They claim that these goodwill gestures don't really tell customers anything about what their bank offers. When I hear those types of responses, I usually joke, "So … you're after those customers out there who simply don't know what banks do?"
I'd humbly suggest that most customers have a pretty good grasp of what banks do and what they may use them for. The challenge is giving them a reason to want to choose you.
These types of gestures and sponsorships aren't a substitute for our more traditional marketing. But they can be a very effective complement.
Maybe the most underappreciated aspect of an organization supporting personal goodwill gestures, local sponsorships, etc. is that employees tend to have increased pride in their organization. And they usually feel more justified and motivated to ask folks to do business with an organization they are proud to be a part of.
What simple gestures will set your organization apart this month?
Dave Martin is an executive vice president and the chief training consultant at NCBS, a SunTrust Banks Inc. subsidiary that offers consulting, training, design and construction services for retail banking programs. He can be reached at
