ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – At First Carolina State Bank,
the employees are nuts about their customers and they are not afraid to show it.
On Friday, July 2, the employees handed out two-ounce bags of peanuts to customers
with a card designed by the Capitol Bancorp Marketing Department
that read, “We’re nuts about you!”
It
was a modest appreciation gift that went over well with the clientele. “They were
so appreciative,” said Beverley Riley, the bank’s retail banking
manager. “You would have thought we were handing out money.”
The first customer to visit the bank that day almost missed out on his gift.
Riley said that day’s first customer used the drive-through service. As the man
was pulling his car away, teller Sheila Stallings realized she
had forgotten to give the customer his gift. Stallings grabbed a complimentary bag,
left the building and ran after his car.
“He
was about to turn onto the street when he heard Sheila calling his name,” said Riley.
“She explained to the customer that it was customer appreciation day and she had
forgotten to give him his gift.”
Stallings apologized to the customer and said, “I just wanted you to know that I’m
nuts about you.” Then she handed him his gift bag.
“He was absolutely elated and said, ‘How sweet,’” Riley said.
The “We’re nuts about you” customer appreciation campaign at First Carolina State
Bank was originally conceived by Riley as a customer appreciation strategy for the
bank’s sixth anniversary shortly after she joined the bank in November 2006.
At the monthly sales meeting, Riley likes to express her appreciation to employees
with small gifts. In April, she gave each employee a bag of nuts with a tag that
read, “We’re nuts about you!”
Bank
President/CEO Tim Taylor liked the idea so much that he suggested
that Riley re-create it as an appreciation gift for customers.
Riley contacted CBC's Marketing Department to design a poster/flyer with the “We’re
nuts about you” theme. On July 2, the poster was displayed on a balloon-festooned
easel in the lobby and flyers were displayed on the front door and on the drive-through
window. Riley purchased white gift bags for the nuts and printed small “We’re nuts
about you” tags based on the poster that were attached to the bags.
The bank invested about $120 in materials for the promotion. Riley said the two-ounce
bags from Planter’s Peanuts contained cashews, salted peanuts or honey-roasted peanuts.
A box of 24 bags cost $8.32.
Photos: From the top, First Carolina State Bank’s Beverley Riley; teller Sheila
Stallings poses with the balloon-festooned ‘We’re Nuts about You’ poster in the
bank’s lobby; and customer appreciation gift bag.