At this time of year, our company, like many others, focuses on strategic planning, and one of our initiatives relates to ongoing efficiency. When our bank was first founded, some strategic decisions early on greatly influenced our efficiency — we operate on a banking model that relies on single locations rather than a retail branch network. Of course, as you can imagine, one building in a metropolitan area keeps our costs down. In today’s banking environment, as I watch other banks with extensive branch networks close one branch after another to reduce costs, I am pleased we started with our more efficient model.
One location not only reduces our costs, which of course helps us offer more competitive pricing to our clients, but also centralizes our experts for greater collaboration. Our Treasury Management experts work alongside our Commercial Lending experts, who work alongside our Trust & Estate experts. These teams naturally join efforts to identify opportunities to help our clients grow their businesses and personal wealth. They develop comprehensive financial plans; frequently collaborate to introduce clients to the best accountants, lawyers, suppliers, and even clients; and work together to identify ways our clients can improve their businesses.
When I talk to people about our bank, they quickly grasp the benefits of one location, but often wonder if it’s inconvenient for clients. They start calculating how much time it will take them to drive to our location. My question is: “When is the last time you actually went to the bank and why did you go?” The funny thing is that our clients don’t ever have to physically come to our bank if they don’t want to. From the beginning, our bank was built on the idea that we’d go to our clients instead of asking them to come to us. We give them the latest technology, and provide comprehensive training and support to make things as easy as we can. How is this possible? As a specialized, focused bank, we have fewer clients and can really concentrate on each and every one.
If your business is concerned about efficiency and attention, I invite you to consider working with the experienced professionals here at First Business Bank in the Kansas City Metro. We’re a focused, efficient business with many benefits to afford our clients. We look forward to many more years of helping the local business community grow.
