The team at Howard-Suamico recently worked together to lock down a big win for the branch, as a former customer of teller Roberta Strazishar began moving his banking relationship and accounts over to North Shore Bank.

Roberta Strazishar

Roberta has known “Phil” for years, going all the way back to when she and her ex-husband owned a convenience store in Howard in the ’80s and ’90s and he was a regular customer there. She reconnected with him when she started working at Baylake Bank in 2000.

“The other week, when he stopped by at the branch to pay his property taxes, we were delighted to see each other again,” she said. “I invited him to move his banking relationship to North Shore, so I could be his banker again, and asked him to consider moving his deposit accounts here as well. We talked about the near-record-low mortgage rates and awesome HELOC rates.”

Eric Van Den Busch

Upon learning that Phil hadn’t had a mortgage review done in many years, she asked him if mortgage loan originator Eric Van Den Busch could reach out to arrange one. When Phil agreed, Roberta quickly let Eric know, adding that Phil appreciates prompt service.

“I had just started my lunch and pushed it aside, because Phil wanted fast service and I wanted to call him right away to earn his business,” Eric said. ” I let him know that when he has a mortgage with us, he has all of the best products at the branch, and I gave him some details. I had my amortization spreadsheet ready and gave him our rates, using the tools in MortgageBot. I also took some handwritten notes on what he was saying, so I could relay that useful information back to the branch to cross-sell other products.”

After speaking with Eric, Phil also talked with assistant branch manager Emmeline Knight-Guzman, challenging her to “wow” him.

“Phil told me he was looking for a bank to be his ‘forever bank,’” she said. “He mentioned that he has been with the same bank for over 35 years and how they have been through a lot of mergers with other financial institutions. I assured him that North Shore Bank has no plans to close or change. And I talked to him about what makes North Shore Bank different from other financial institutions: that our goal when we meet with customers is to build relationships and to be their trusted bankers.”

That must have convinced him, because this week, after meeting in person with Eric about refinancing his mortgage, Phil told him, Emmeline, and Roberta that North Shore Bank had passed the test and that he’d be moving his relationship over to us. Besides the mortgage and a potential HELOC, the accounts he’s moving include personal checking and savings accounts, and two separate business accounts.

“This started with Roberta taking the opportunity to build on a previous relationship and understanding how we could help, followed by an outstanding display of teamwork and communication to earn this relationship,” district manager Kerri Collins said. “It really demonstrates that our financial products are competitive, and that when we focus on identifying opportunities, offering excellent service, and taking care of the customer from every angle, that’s when we win.”