A State of Gratitude [VIDEO]
A powerful Thanksgiving message on how gratitude shifts leadership presence, reframes pressure, and strengthens your bank’s performance culture.
Welcome to the Top 5 Percenter™ Blog
The Real Question Is, Can You Afford Not To? [VIDEO]
A dear friend asked me a question one time, “Oh really, can you afford not to?”
And I thought that was one of the most brilliant questions I’ve ever heard.
Let me pose it to you this way.
Can you afford not to figure out how to increase your net interest margin by 100 basis points while bringing down your cost of funds and bringing up the quality of the loans you’re making?
Can you afford not to invest deeply in the people who you have on your team to move them from being transactional bankers to transformational bankers?
Can you afford not to build a system such that your marketing and your sales ties together so that you can close those top 100 next best prospects at premium pricing with an 85% close rate or above?
Seriously, can you afford not to, when 50-140% of your profits come from that top 100 list of your most profitable customers?
The true question that we need to ask ourselves as executives is, “Can we afford not to?” And can we break loose of the old belief system that we’ve had for a long time that certain things can’t be done?
During challenging times, the things that “couldn’t be done” in the past must be done now. So, step up and ask yourself this question: “Can I afford not to?”
To your success,
Roxanne Emmerich
More From The Blog
How to Tie Everyone to Profit [VIDEO]
Most employees believe they’re top performers but can’t show how they drive profit. This episode shows how to tie every role to the bottom line, boost profit per FTE, and build a high‑performance culture in your community bank.
The Dangers of False-Attempt Sales Training [VIDEO]
Traditional sales training fails because it focuses on tactics, not transformation. Discover how to shift from sales training to sales culture and achieve lasting growth.
Master the Four Levels of USPs [VIDEO]
Escape commodity pricing. This episode shows how Level-4 USPs—proprietary, client-valued processes—let community banks command +150–200 bps and keep deposits loyal.
Stop Matching the Competition [VIDEO]
Rate matching drains margin. Install USPs that matter, differentiate, and promise explicit benefits—so buyers pay more without a price match.
Your Team Selling Checklist [VIDEO]
Tag-alongs aren’t team selling. Use this checklist to assign roles, split first vs. second call objectives, and run the pre-call prep that produces 85–90% close rates on top-100 prospects.
How Community Banks Deliver WOW Customer Service [VIDEO]
Most banks deliver “pretty good.” That’s not loyalty. This episode reveals a 3-step execution system—blended learning, measurement, coaching, and celebration—to engineer daily WOW service that sticks and grows deposits, margin, and community pride.
The Silent Profit Killer: How to Stop Rate Matching and Take Back Your Margin
Roxanne Emmerich exposes the hidden flaw in your strategy that’s quietly destroying net interest margin — and the proven path to take back your pricing power.
The AI Wild West
AI isn’t coming—it’s already here. Discover why most bank roles are now obsolete, and what your team must become to survive.
Your Plan Won’t Save You in a Merger—But This Will
Your plan won’t save you. A strategic planning system designed for high-stakes execution will. Here’s how top community banks avoid merger collapse.