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Community Banking Toolkit | Employee Talking Points
Use these talking points to help answer common questions about community banking. They aren’t meant to be memorized or repeated word for word. Use them as a guide, then put the ideas into your own words to have natural conversations with customers about what makes community banking different.
Part of the Community
Key Message
We’re part of the community we serve, and we have a shared interest in seeing it succeed.
Supporting Points
- We live and work in the same communities as our customers.
- We understand the people, businesses, farmers and ranchers who make our community what it is.
- When local families and businesses have opportunities to grow, our entire community can benefit.
- Community banking has deep roots in South Dakota. 93.8% of banks operating in the state are community banks.*
Put It Into Conversation
“We’re not just doing business here. We’re part of the community, too. We want to see local families, businesses and farms succeed because when they do well, it helps the whole community.”
Local Knowledge Matters
Key Message
Our knowledge of the community helps us better understand our customers and their goals.
Supporting Points
- We understand our local economy, agriculture, small businesses and the communities we serve.
- Local knowledge gives us valuable context when working with customers and making banking and lending decisions.
- We take the time to understand the person, business or operation behind the numbers.
- Every customer’s situation is different, so we work to understand the bigger picture.
Put It Into Conversation
“We’re here in the community, too, so we understand a lot of the same things our customers are navigating. That local perspective helps us look at the whole picture.”
Relationships That Last
Key Message
Community banking is built on relationships, not just transactions.
Supporting Points
- We take the time to know our customers, understand their goals and learn what’s important to them.
- We’re here through life’s milestones, from first accounts and car loans to buying a home, growing a business, expanding a farm or ranch and planning for retirement.
- Customers can work with people who know them and understand the community they call home.
- Our goal is to build relationships based on trust, service and being here for what comes next.
Put It Into Conversation
“One of the things I like about community banking is that we get to know our customers over time. We’re here for more than one transaction. We want to understand where you’re headed and be someone you can call along the way.”
Supporting Local Growth
Key Message
Community banks help provide financial resources that support families, businesses and agriculture.
Supporting Points
- Community banks help finance homes, businesses, farms and ranches throughout South Dakota.
- Those loans can help families put down roots, businesses pursue opportunities and farmers and ranchers invest in their operations.
- 87.6% of bank branches in South Dakota are community bank branches, demonstrating the strong presence of community banking across the state.*
- When customers choose a community bank, they’re choosing a bank with a connection to the people and places it serves.
Put It Into Conversation
“When we help someone buy a home, grow a business or invest in their farm or ranch, that impact can go beyond that one customer. Those opportunities help keep our local communities moving forward.”
*Source: Independent Community Bankers of America. Data current as of December 31, 2025.