Reading about the sales & marketing skills of banks is like reading about Dick Cheney's marksmanship - nice shot, wrong target.

by Art Gillis

I have 13 accounts with my bank of record. I had 14, but my bank sold their merchant business to Wells Fargo. My bank never calls me, and that's their loss. I could use a couple more accounts. I never call my bank, and that's to their credit. They do things right so I never have to call to correct.

The best targets for banks today are their existing customers, but I get the feeling we birds are in the bag, so banks look for other fish to fry. Wells Fargo calls me a lot and I don't mean from Bangalore. The lady makes a very good case, and she sounds right. She even has the right surname for Dallas. She lists the incentives for me to switch, and there are some freebies included. I pause for fifteen seconds and tell her I'm already getting free this and free that. She thanks me and we end on a high note. And no one had to call 911.