We were lucky to catch up with Timothy Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Timothy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you ever seen (or implemented) a really awesome way to show a client you appreciate them

I would say the best thing that I’ve ever done to show a client I appreciate them is to show up and show out for their business no matter what. I have clients in many different industries, ranging from food, healthcare, construction and more. I had been helping this one client in particular that wanted to open their own restaurant, of course this isn’t something that happens overnight. This is something that we had been working on for years, from the opening of his accounts, to finding ways to get funding. I wanted to let my client know that no matter how long it takes I will be there every step of the way. He had a set date in mind when he wanted to do the grand opening but setbacks kept happening and he kept on pushing the date back. Eventually he decided to open it but only for private events. Then the day came where he decided to do have the grand opening of his restaurant to the public and I made sure that I was there. Him knowing that I was there to support and not just because I was getting paid for it let him know that whether its during work hours or outside of work hours, he can depend on me for support.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Right out of college I got a job at State Farm Insurance. It’s becoming more common knowledge but at the time when I first started not too many people knew that State Farm was also a bank, a bank that offered checking, savings and credit cards. I worked in both the banking and insurance side of things and since I have my Property & Casualty license I was the one getting people set up with their home and auto insurance, I also helped people with their financial needs. From there I realized that I wanted to focus more on financial services so I decided to transition to Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. I quickly came to see that I had a passion in helping small business owners. As a business solutions advisor my day to day includes helping people come up with solutions to their business needs. This includes if they need assistance with ways to get funding, hr solutions for their current employees, if they need ways to accept more methods of payment and anything that a small business owner can imagine. I’m most proud of the way that I am willing to come through for people. I’ve never been the person to do anything just to make a “sale”. I’m never going to have someone come out of a conversation with me in a worse off position then when they first came in. I realize that at Bank of America we might not be a fit for every single person, even if that is the case I want to give someone the proper resources that way they know even if they didn’t do business with me they still got something out of our conversation.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Networking, not many people know the power of it. Sometimes it can only take one good connection to put you on a path that will forever change the trajectory of your life. I understand that life gets in the way sometimes but it’s important to carve some time out and go to events where you can meet like minded people. In Cleveland we have what’s called Arts & Culture Network Nights where many people within the arts community get together and discuss what’s going on in the art scene. I have gotten the opportunity to attend a few of these and meet so many great people as a result. I would also say word of mouth is another factor. If you do good work people tend to talk about it, I ask in my meetings “If you feel satisfied with what I’ve done for you, let someone else know that could also benefit from it” Community is the foundation of small business, without community we have nothing.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Having a meaningful conversation with everyone no matter what their situation may be. In my opinion I feel like there are those that may feel like a person or business may be too small to be worth their time, or that the time meeting with them could be better spent doing something else. You never know what may happen with someone’s business or how it might evolve. People remember those who stuck with them and help them from the very beginning. My mom always says “You know where you’ve been, but you don’t know where you’re going”. Even if all someone has is an idea for a business I listen to them because I want them to know that I care and even if I can’t help, I’ll point them in the right direction.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sbbankers.bankofamerica.com/tlewis27
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tjlewis95/?igsh=MWphaGZqM2M2b3M4eg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-lewis-999001122/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TJLewis95