As a bank, we’re always stronger when we work together. Our business banking team has a long history of referring their clients to colleagues at North Shore Bank who can help with personal banking needs.

“We’ve all seen the benefit of having clients who have multiple products with the bank,” said vice president and mortgage production manager Chris Boland. “If a customer has more than one relationship with us, they’re more apt to come here first when they need something.”

Last month, the numbers came in showing which business partners made the most referrals to other areas of the bank. Our top referrers were:

Investments
Roxanna Bruss
Ted Green

Mortgage
Amy DeMain
Sherry Leanna
Linda Tait

Retirement Services
Vikki Dolezal

Shorelines talked to some of these employees about why referrals matter to them, how to identify a good referral opportunity, and how to ensure a referral is successful.

Why referrals matter
“My ultimate goal is to make my mortgage customer a North Shore Bank customer — I want North Shore Bank to be their primary financial partner. The more products a client has with us, the ‘stickier’ they will be.” —Amy

“I believe in our bank and care about our customers!They’ve chosen to invest in our deferred compensation plan, over our competitors, to save for their retirement, and I think it’s so awesome that we also provide valuable access to other opportunities at the bank to achieve their goals. By offering free checking accounts, refinancing opportunities, and broader investment options outside of their 457 plan, we build a stronger and longer-lasting relationship with them.” —Vikki

How to identify a good referral opportunity
“Our clients are people trying to do the best with what they’ve got from a financial standpoint. Many of them have needs or goals but aren’t sure of how to express them. It is our job to get to know those goals and objectives and to help them work toward achieving them. That means asking questions and digging a little deeper than just offering a product. SOAR training can help in digging deeper and being comfortable asking those questions.” —Ted

“With every application, I review their financial picture and current relationships. Often, a repeat customer will contact me for a new mortgage, and after review, we’ll determine that the best course of action is not a refinance, but a new line of credit.” —Linda

How to ensure a referral is successful
“A referral to another department can be helped along by telling the client how that department can help them, communicating with the colleague I’m referring to, and indicating what it was that triggered the referral.” —Ted

“You have the customer who wants information and help from you — now is the time to uncover ALL their needs.” —Sherry

“We have great staffing at our branches — I know they will address customers’ needs promptly and professionally. We communicate on pending transactions through email and R1.” —Linda

“I love scheduling joint meetings with my referral partner, but if that’s not possible, then I let our customer know who will be calling so they are comfortable talking with them.” —Vikki

“I find that my referral success rate is much higher with clients I can connect with a banker in person, by phone, or using email. Follow-up is also important. If I mention a specific product or service at the time of application, and the client doesn’t act on it, I revisit it just before we close the loan. Consistency in presentation is key —
it doesn’t hurt to have an amazing team of coworkers to refer to, either!” —Amy

“We always put an emphasis on helping people,” says vice president and retirement program services manager Becky Reinhardt, who proudly notes that her employee Vikki “kicked my butt” in referrals this year. “Which is a great problem to have!” Becky adds that in her experience, it’s useful to think of it that way — as helping people — rather than simply as a “referral.”

“Referrals are the lifeblood of the bank,” says Ted. That’s the truth — so keep them coming!