Dear Banker: A Message from COVID to You

I go by many names: Co-Ron A. Virus, Coronavirus, COVID, COVID-19, ‘Vid, “The Big One.”

Some of my names are downright hurtful. The 2020 Plague. The Dirty ‘Rona. Those are actually some of the milder ones.

And yes, for some, I was devastating in every way. I don’t feel bad about that because I have no feelings, remember? I’m microscopic. But I did help you with loan growth with those PPP loans, so there’s that. 

I also messed with your relationships. Oh, and your plans? Yeah, those were toast. I turned your events calendar into a barren wasteland.

It is what it is.

Even though you TRIED to terminate me, I was persistent in my mission to destroy almost everything you love. Still, for most people, I was, at best, a scary nuisance these past months, causing nothing more than a few sniffles and thousands of canceled plans.

But I caused pain in other ways too. I made you watch endless hours of mind-numbing Netflix, and I made you use the LEAST amount of toilet paper a human is allowed to by law. Yet still, you fought on.

It wasn’t all bad, right? You learned to actually cook at home for a change, and I gave everyone a chance to think hard about life and what’s important. And then the government programs came along and made everyone happy and kept your lenders busy with loan growth … for a while.

Still, during the shutdown, everybody’s skills suffered, and your best lenders and superstars were busy responding instead of developing. Because of this, their sales skills became even rustier (if you want to call them sales skills, but that might be offensive to rust). Now everyone is desperate for those A+ clients and wondering how to increase loan volume.

There’s a rumor going around now that I might be running my course. My best days are behind me, they say, yada yada. But don’t even THINK about transitioning back to the way life was before I came on the scene. My influence is here to stay one way or another.

As my beautiful children Delta, Doug, Omicron, and Nelly continue the family business, I hope you’ve learned some important lessons and rededicated yourself to the success of your bank.

Still, with the government payouts over, you need a plan for loan growth NOW, not later.

Registering for The Unstoppable Loan Growth Mastery Summit in Florida on April 22, 2022, is a great first step to take, if I say so myself.

To your sickness,

 ‘Vid 

Please read and share COVID’s blog with your exec team and board.

Ready to give your loan growth against your bank competitors the shot in the arm it needs? Register now for The Unstoppable Loan Growth Mastery Summit in Florida on April 22, 2022. 

This article originally appeared in Issue 35 of Extraordinary Banker^® magazine, the only magazine for high-performing community banks. Subscribe today for your digital copy and to receive your quarterly copy.