Does anyone know what a loan is?

One of the best parts of my new gig is that I have more time to get out of the office to do sales, recruit new employees, meet with other industry professionals, and continue to get educated on the ever changing market.

Yesterday was one of those days. I had the opportunity to educate some very important people on what I do every day.  I was asked to visit my little cousin’s kindergarten class and talk about loans and what it is to be a banker. Every day they are having a different professional come in to speak.

I tried to break lending down to 5 year old lingo -- toys, sharing, allowances, chores.

But even though I was there to "teach" I was able to take a very important detail away with me.
Here's a little sample of my morning:

Me: Good Morning Class

Class: Good Morning Mr. Jones

Me: Today I am here to talk to you all about banking . But don’t worry, I will make it fun for you all.

Class: Yeahhh!

Me: Does anyone know what a loan is or what it means to borrow money. (A little boy raises his hand)

Little Boy: A loan is when you are at home by yourself and your mommy and daddy are gone.

Me: Well yes….that is correct. ALONE is when you are at home by yourself. A "LOAN" is when you borrow money from the bank.

Ha, well how can I argue with that?

What did I take away from this?  It is important to remember that when speaking with your clients, you must explain to them things in a way they will understand.  It is crucial to know your audience and take out all the complicated jargon that comes 2nd nature to industry professionals.

It was a refreshing experience and a nice little break from the ups and downs of the work day.  Hopefully I made some new clients or future bankers in the process. Thank you to AMES School and to my little cousin Aubrey for allowing me to speak to your class. J