Community Bank CEOs: Why Your Competitors Are Winning Your Customers After Closing
The deal closed.
You think the hard part is over.
It's not.
Your competitors have been calling your customers non-stop since announcement day.
Now that closing happened, they're ramping up even harder.
They smell opportunity.
They're telling your customers the new bank won't care about them.
That relationships will change.
That service will suffer.
You need to move fast.
The Calling Blitz You Can't Skip
Since the announcement, you've been doing regular customer outreach.
Phone calls.
Brief check-ins.
Reassuring conversations.
That's not enough now.
It's time for the calling blitz.
This is a concentrated effort to visit customers at their place of business.
Face-to-face meetings.
Not phone calls.
Not emails.
In-person conversations.
The goal: Make absolutely certain customers know their business won't be disrupted.
"Wait," you're thinking.
"Didn't we just do this 90 days ago during the announcement phase?"
Yes.
You did.
Do it again.
Why You Can't Over-Communicate Right Now
Never worry about over-communicating with customers.
Especially now.
While you've been focused on closing details, shareholder approvals, and regulatory requirements, your competitors have been relentless.
They've called every single one of your top customers.
Multiple times.
They've planted seeds of doubt.
They've made attractive offers.
Post-closing, they'll intensify their efforts.
They know this is their best window.
Customers are uncertain.
Change is happening.
They're vulnerable to switching.
You have to counter this aggressively.
What Customers Really Want
Here's what most banks get wrong:
Customers don't want your logo items.
They don't care about your branded pens or your new website.
They also don't want to hear generic statements about who you are.
"We want to be your trusted advisor."
"We're committed to exceptional service."
"Your relationship matters to us."
Empty words.
Meaningless noise.
Every bank says this stuff.
What customers actually want is simple:
They want to not be distracted.
Their bank shouldn't become a problem they have to manage.
Their business already has enough challenges.
They want stability.
The calling officer who understands their business should stay the same.
The person they've invested time educating about their industry and needs shouldn't disappear.
They want smooth transitions.
No abrupt product changes.
No surprise pricing adjustments.
No system conversions that disrupt their daily operations without warning.
They want to feel valued.
They want the "new guys" to know who they are, respect their business, and genuinely want to serve them.
If you don't make frequent contact demonstrating these things, customers will fill in the blanks themselves.
And they'll assume the worst.
The Cost Your Competitors Aren't Mentioning
Switching banks is expensive and disruptive for customers.
Your competitors conveniently leave this part out during their sales pitches.
Moving accounts takes time.
Learning new systems requires effort.
Training employees on new procedures costs money.
Updating vendor files and payment systems creates headaches.
Most customers don't want to switch.
But they will if they think staying will cause bigger problems.
Your job is to make staying the obvious choice.
The Post-Closing Calling Strategy
Here's how to structure your post-closing customer blitz:
Tier 1: Top 10-20 customers meet the new CEO
Your biggest, most important relationships need to meet the new CEO.
With you present.
This sends a powerful message:
"You matter. The CEO of this bank knows who you are and came here personally to meet you."
Tier 2: Top 50 customers meet the senior credit officer
Bring the new senior credit officer on calls with you.
This is the person who will approve their loans.
Customers need to meet this decision maker face-to-face.
Tier 3: All other significant relationships get personal visits
Even if you can't bring executives, every important customer deserves a face-to-face visit from their relationship manager after closing.
The presence of senior executives matters.
It demonstrates priority.
It shows customers they're not just account numbers.
The Preparation That Makes or Breaks These Meetings
You can't just show up with the new CEO or senior credit officer and wing it.
Preparation is everything.
For meetings with the new CEO, create a briefing document that includes:
- Key players in the customer's business and their roles
- How long the business has been operating
- Brief financial snapshot (revenue, assets, borrowing capacity)
- What's important to them (growth, stability, succession planning)
- Why they chose to bank with you originally
- What they might want to hear from the new CEO
- Full extent of the relationship with your bank (deposits, loans, treasury services, etc.)
Deliver this briefing to the CEO at least 24 hours before the meeting.
Not two hours before.
Not in the car on the way there.
A full day in advance.
Why this matters:
The CEO can review the information.
Think about relevant talking points.
Come across as knowledgeable and prepared rather than rushed and generic.
When the CEO walks into that meeting and says,
"I understand you've been banking with us since 2008 and you're planning expansion into the southern region next year," the customer knows they matter.
For meetings with the senior credit officer, do the same thing.
Yes, the senior credit officer reviewed this customer during due diligence.
They already know the file.
Do the briefing anyway.
Make it easy for them.
Show them you're organized and thoughtful.
The senior credit officer will see you as a high-value relationship manager worth working with closely.
The Career Advantage for Relationship Managers
Here's what relationship managers need to understand:
Doing this level of preparation makes you invaluable.
When you consistently provide executives with well-prepared briefing documents, you become their go-to person.
Need to understand a market?
They ask you.
Need to prepare for an important meeting?
They come to you.
Need someone who makes them look good?
You're the one they want.
Your value rises.
Your career accelerates.
All because you prepare properly.
And the customers feel appreciated because they're interacting with executives who clearly did their homework.
It's the right thing to do.
It benefits everyone.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Remember: Customers are tired of hearing what banks claim to be.
They want to see what banks actually do.
Showing up at their business with your new CEO or senior credit officer is action.
It's proof you mean what you say about valuing the relationship.
Following through on commitments is action.
Calling when you say you'll call.
Delivering what you promise.
Solving problems quickly.
This is how you keep customers when competitors are circling.
The Temptation to Turn Inward
There's a natural tendency after closing to focus internally.
So much is changing.
New systems to learn.
New processes to follow.
New colleagues to meet.
New organizational structure to navigate.
It's easy to get consumed by internal changes and forget about customers.
Don't let this happen.
The changes inside your bank don't matter to customers.
They care about their own businesses.
They care whether their banking relationship will help or hurt their success.
Balance internal adjustments with external focus.
Make time for customer calls even when you're overwhelmed with internal changes.
Your competitors aren't waiting for you to get organized.
They're calling your customers right now.
Think Through Your Top Customers Now
Even if you're not selling, this exercise is valuable.
Make a list of your top customers.
Prioritize it.
For each customer, think through:
How would you present this customer to a buyer?
What makes them valuable?
What's unique about the relationship?
What would a buyer want to know about them?
Financial strength?
Growth potential?
Relationship depth?
Industry expertise you've built serving them?
What would this customer want to know about a buyer?
Decision-making authority?
Credit philosophy?
Service capabilities?
Geographic reach?
This thinking helps you understand your relationships more deeply.
It prepares you for customer conversations whether you're selling or not.
And if you do sell, you'll be ready to facilitate smooth introductions between customers and the new bank.
The Bottom Line
After closing, launch an immediate calling blitz with face-to-face customer visits. Bring the new CEO to your top 10-20 customers and the senior credit officer to your top 50. Prepare detailed briefing documents 24 hours in advance to make executives look knowledgeable and show customers they're valued. Your competitors have been circling since announcement day—action speaks louder than words in keeping these relationships.
P.S. I'm not a lawyer, an accountant, or an investment banker. Just a former bank CEO who has been in your shoes.
There are zero hacks or tricks in this newsletter. Just proven tactics that help you choose the right path for your bank.
Your path will:
- Inform your strategic plan.
- Guide your annual business plan and budget.
- Clarify priorities.
- Define your message so it can be communicated with confidence.
This is how savvy bankers navigate.
They build smart and valuable banks and choose the best time to sell on a timeline of their own choosing – serving the needs of the shareholders and the board.
I hope you found this short lesson helpful.
What are your thoughts?
I’ll see you next week.
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