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Greetings!
Happy New Year! It was wonderful to see so many of our friends and neighbors at our holiday open houses on December 24th. We hope to see many of you on January 20th at our Fairfield branch as we continue to celebrate our 140th Anniversary and host a Business After Hours event from 5:30-7 pm. You are invited to join us for refreshments, raffles and a great professional networking opportunity that is co-hosted by the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to continuing our 140th anniversary into the new year, we'll be hosting new Build a Better Business workshops throughout the year, with our first one scheduled for February 3rd. It will focus on how to read and better understand your financial statements, how a bank looks at your statements, and what tax planning issues are on the horizon as we enter the new decade. Details and registration information are available here. In addition to the workshops we will be introducing new educational tools for customers on our Web site, and supporting the efforts of nonprofit organizations that make a difference in our hometowns.
Speaking of making a difference, I am proud to say that our employees have been participating in the United Way campaign for several years. In 2009, they collectively contributed $11,260.00 to the United Way campaign, as well as, over $5,000.00 to local causes including area food cupboards and fuel assistance programs through a program that allows them to pay to dress casual on Fridays.
In this month's issue of the Skowhegan Advisor, we're highlighting another aspect of our eTegrity electronic banking services - Online Bill Pay. Also, Rick Whalen, head of our retail banking services, offers some helpful tips for getting the most out of business networking opportunities. So read on, join us on January 20th in Fairfield and February 3rd in Waterville, and get 2010 off to a prosperous start!
Sincerely,
John Witherspoon
President & CEO
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Get your bills paid on time, Online.
Ever go on vacation and forget to drop the electric bill in the mail before you got on the plane? Planning to make an unscheduled payment in a few weeks and don't want to forget? Online bill pay can help. The secure Bill Pay program available through our eTegrity Services offers the flexibility and convenience of paying bills anytime, anywhere with an Internet connection. Payments may be scheduled in advance or processed same day. This secure service is available to Online Banking users and allows any number of bills to be paid from funds in your Skowhegan Savings' checking account(s).
No more stamps, no more checks and no more wondering if the check made it through the mail. Electronic payments are debited twice daily, allowing users to keep track of their account balance and be certain of when a payment has been processed.
This service is free for the first 12 months, after that, up to 10 payments per month are free, additional payments are only $0.65 each. Any company or individual in the electronic payment database will accept this form of payment. Non-participating companies and individuals may also receive payment via bill pay. If funds cannot be sent electronically, a check will be created and mailed directly to them. Online bill pay provides an easy and efficient payment method that maintains payment records for up to 19 months.
It's easy to sign up. If you are already an online banking user, just sign in and click on the Bill Pay tab. Not yet taking advantage of the secure, convenient online banking system? Sign up here and get started today.
A list of frequently-asked questions about Online Bill Pay can be found here, or you can contact our customer service representatives at 1-800-303-9511. |
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Making Connections - Rick's Top Five Tips for Better Business Networking
There are numerous opportunities to expand your business and professional network. While online tools like LinkedIn and Facebook are popular and useful, sometimes nothing beats the face-to-face conversation you can have at local events and business meetings. The upcoming Business After Hours event on January 20th at our Fairfield branch is a great opportunity to make new connections that can lead to new clients, a new partnership or a new job. With that in mind, here are some tips for getting the most out of a networking event:
1) Smile and introduce yourself with a handshake. You have only one chance to make that first impression, so make it a memorable one. Use your first and last name when introducing yourself and most importantly, make eye contact.
2) Bring plenty of business cards and USE them. Now that you have made your first, and hopefully, best impression, be sure to circulate your business cards with prospective clients, customers or business partners. A key ingredient to building new business relationships is repeated contact and follow-up. Make sure new contacts have a way of reaching you!
3) Be able to describe what you do/your company does in a simple and efficient manner. Talk about what you do in layman's terms. Stay away from using industry jargon and acronyms that only you may be familiar with. Know your audience so you don't lose them and don't dominate the conversation, but contribute to it.
4) Circulate. It's only human to want to gravitate towards people you already know at a networking event. Be outgoing and try to make new relationships. This will help you grow your professional network and lead to more business opportunities.
5) Follow-up. After meeting, send an email or a follow-up note within a day or two. You can master tips #1-4 but if you skip tip #5, it was all for naught. Be sure to reach out to those you met at the event, let them know how good it was to meet them. This will help you differentiate yourself from your competition as well as from others at the event. Hopefully you have made the same good impression at the event and receive similar follow-up responses from new contacts.
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Skowhegan Savings, founded in 1869, is an independent mutual savings bank dedicated to strengthening the Maine families, businesses and communities it serves. Named as one of Maine's Best Places to Work in 2009, Skowhegan Savings' team of friendly, committed employees takes pride in delivering personalized, competitive banking services with integrity and putting the needs of their customers first. An innovative and progressive approach to banking ensures their customers enjoy a banking experience that is quick, easy and convenient. Skowhegan Savings' nine Maine branches include two locations in Skowhegan, as well as locations in Belgrade, Bingham, Dexter, Fairfield, Madison, Norridgewock, and Pittsfield. For more information, visit www.skowsavings.com or contact Customer Service at 800.303.9511. | |
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