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Bank club leaders told travel key to business development

Hilgert, Jackie

For those battling in the trenches to build relationships through bank-sponsored seniors' clubs, the annual Heritage Clubs International's Peer Group conference can feel like furlough. That was the sense, at least this year, when more than 100 bank seniors' club directors from around the country gathered March 22-26 in Omaha, Neb., to learn from travel and marketing experts, and their contemporaries, new ways to keep clubs growing and vibrant.

"There's a concentration of knowledge here that takes my breath away," said Kitty Nash, Home State Bank, Crystal Lake, Ill. Commenting that the duties of most bank club directors exist beyond the comprehension of their bank colleagues, Nash said that it's her once-a-year visit to Peer Group that affirms her. "There is no other place like this; we get each other. We get what it is that we do!"

Reno, Nev.-based Heritage Clubs International, which trains and supports bankers who operate community bank affinity clubs, began as an offshoot of the Heritage Club operated at First Citizens National Bank, Mason City, Iowa. George Aker joined HCI in 1998 as president and has overseen its annual Peer Group conference ever since. "This group grew up as bankers building deposits, cross-selling services and providing social opportunities to build membership," Aker commented.

As banking gets more competitive and margins get tighter, bank club leaders fight for survival at many community banks, sometimes because of misperceptions. Some view bank clubs as frivolous "travel" clubs. Aker dispels that notion: "Travel turns our bankers into salespersons for the bank."

When travelers return from a bank-sponsored adventure, Aker explained, they tell everybody they know how much fun they had with the good people from their bank. It's this reaction that puts club directors "into business development mode," Aker said.

As for the perception that bank clubs cater to "old people," some HCI-affiliated banks have already taken steps to steer their membership toward bank customers as young as 40. "I make sure to include photos of young people in my newsletter so others can see that their peers are participating in events," commented Joan Gibson of American Trust, Dubuque, Iowa. Gibson conducted focus groups before lowering the eligibility age at her AmeriClub. Other banks have dropped age-based eligibility for club membership, opting instead to bring in customers who meet deposit requirements. One bank, in a nod both to younger customers and managers who prefer to grow loans rather than deposits, expanded eligibility to those with at least a $50,000 mortgage balance at the bank.

With 19 bankers in attendance for the first time, HCI called on repeat presenters Marc Mancini and Bob Negen to anchor its conference. Travel expert Mancini led directors through an exercise on building and promoting itineraries meant to compel customers to book travel with their bank. Retailing expert Negen delivered a meat-and-potatoes lesson on how to implement an e-mail marketing campaign designed to increase club membership and participation. And, along with representatives from HCI's eight Preferred Travel Organizations, several dozen Destination Marketing Organizations also were on hand to promote their regions for group travel.

Yet when asked why they return to Peer Group year after year, attendees consistently echoed Nash - networking with others who understand the challenges of running a bank club.

"Networking with peers is the most important part of this conference," said Kathy Tripp, Unizan Bank, Canton, Ohio. Tripp is 2005-06 Advisory Board Chair for HCI; the group's Advisory Board acts as liaison between membership and Aker. The eight-member Advisory Board meets mid-year to review emerging issues for their members and plan the annual conference. "We receive way more than we give," Tripp said.

Nash, who conducted an informal poll of attendees before leading a tip sharing session, tried to put the challenges into perspective for attendees. When asked how many work full-time at their bank, approximately 75 percent of the group responded affirmatively. Of those, Nash asked how many were able to focus solely on club management without having other responsibilities at the bank. When Nash saw that less than a dozen bankers were left with their hands in the air, she said she wasn't surprised.

"Always remember one person's success may be another person's weakness," Nash counseled. By bringing weaknesses to Peer Group, she offered, the strength of the troops would rally to help. "The more people we can get here the better it will be here for all of us," Nash said. She closed by challenging each attendee to call a bank club leader who opted to stay home in 2006 to encourage them to attend next year's conference scheduled March 1-4, 2007, in Houston.

By Jackie Hilgert

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