Chamber Amplified
Each week Doug Jenkins of the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce talks to industry experts to help local businesses find new ideas, operate more efficiently, and adapt to ever-changing conditions.
Chamber Amplified
Networking, Trust, and Business Success with Rod Walton
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Rod Walton spent nearly 44 years building relationships in the banking industry, and while technology has changed dramatically, he believes the fundamentals of business success haven't.
In this episode of Chamber Amplified from the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, Rod shares advice on networking, building trust, following up with clients, handling mistakes professionally, and developing relationships that last throughout an entire career.
Whether you're just starting your career, growing your business, or looking to strengthen your professional network, this conversation offers timeless lessons that apply to every industry.
Topics include:
• Building trust and credibility
• Effective networking strategies
• Following up without feeling "salesy"
• Customer service as a competitive advantage
• Advice for young professionals
• Why relationships still matter in an AI-driven world
Music and sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
Why Relationships Still Matter
Doug JenkinsHello everyone and welcome back to Chamber Amplified, brought to you by the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce on your host, Doug Jacket. Each week here on the podcast, we're talking about the things that matter the most to local businesses and organizations. Whether that's workforce and leadership development, it could be marketing, IT issues, just the everyday realities of running something that serves our community. Today we're talking about building business relationships. Now everyone says that networking matters, but what does building real relationships actually look like? We're going to get a look at that from a 40-year perspective. Rob Walton, who really recently retired from West Banco, will be joining us to talk about all of that. We'll talk about technology. Certainly, it's changed a lot since Rod got back into the business in 1983. But the fundamentals of developing trust and relationships, that hasn't changed a whole lot, according to Rod. We'll talk about that. If you're early in your career, this episode is full of practical advice that still works today. And if you're into your career, it's a great refresher on doing some of the things you need to be doing to build that business, but to more importantly, build that trust with people. We're going to talk about networking, obviously, follow-up, credibility, customer service, and why people do business with the people that they trust. And Rod also shares what younger professionals are getting right and where consistency makes all the difference. Of course, if you enjoy the podcast, don't forget to leave us a rating and review. You can share it with others as well. We're also on YouTube now, so if you really want to share the message, just drop that link out there on Facebook or Instagram. Or are you still on X? Are people using X? I don't know. I still want to call it Twitter. But if you're using it, I don't know. Share the link there. That'd be fine with us. Now, let's get into it.
Who Rod Walton Is
Doug JenkinsJoining us now on Chamber Amplified, Rod Walton, who I can't associate with the business now because he's retired and now his first ever appearance here on Chamber Amplified. Rod, how are you doing?
Rod WaltonI'm doing great, Doug. How are you doing today?
Doug JenkinsGood. I'm glad to have you on here. I can't believe we actually haven't had you on the podcast before, but I'm glad we've got you now.
Rod WaltonWell, it's uh nothing like uh the present, especially when it's what, 90 and sunny and hot out in the middle of July. So hopefully you're staying cool.
Doug JenkinsWe'll stay inside and let the air conditioning do. I'm trying to. I'm working on it. Uh, but you know me, I'm always cool. Uh just like you, Rob. So let's get uh for people who are listening or watching and may not be familiar with you, if they you know, the few and far between, let's get them familiar with uh your career here in Findlay, how you got started and and where you uh ended up before uh before you hung it up earlier this year.
Rod WaltonWell, it all started when we moved to Findlay back in 1983, and um actually my wife already had a job at Marathon uh oil company at the time. And uh after we got married, I was one of those uh uh new grooms that didn't have a job yet. So uh I actually ended up moving to Findlay with with her, and uh long story short, I started uh uh opportunity with a diamond savings loan back on September 1st of 1983, and uh that led to a almost 44-year career in banking. Um just recently retired on April 1st from uh what started out to be first federal savings alone to first federal bank to Premier Bank and ended up with West Banco. So it's been a uh a long and great uh banking career in this community and one that I've always uh cherished and uh and really relished and and had a great time in uh carrying out the missions with all the banks that I worked for in my career.
Doug JenkinsSo,
What Changed Since 1983
Doug Jenkinsover the course of that, uh let's just kind of start from the beginning. Certainly, banking is an industry where business relationships are very important. And here's uh I guess a secret we'll get out of the bag right away is business relationships are important in every industry, certainly banking. But as you are new to town and working to develop those relationships, what are some of the things that you did then? And do you think those are still is that still practical advice in in 2026?
Rod WaltonWell, I I don't think there's any doubt about that, Doug. I mean, honestly, with um with with the things that I um developed, uh especially a skill set to develop client relationships, it it certainly, in my opinion, um really hasn't changed much from 1983 to 2026. Now, don't get me wrong, you know, things have certainly changed in in the industry and how we approach things, especially, you know, with the advent of you know all of the uh social media platforms was with LinkedIn and Facebook and you know, and now the advent of AI and everything else that goes along with that. But you know, certainly you know, it's really basic stuff. I mean, and I had great opportunities, got introduced to great folks, and certainly the chamber, uh, my involvement with that from day one in this community really led to a lot of those opportunities. And it really starts with networking and really getting uh in front of the right people and knowing who those right uh connections are. And I really think that's one of the biggest um things that led to uh success in my career is really just those opportunities that of all those folks that I got to know over the years, and certainly, you know, if you um take care of your clients and you get to know your clients, uh that usually leads to a referral or two or three. And it's just doing things the right way, Doug. I mean, I've always felt from from day one, if if you, you know, that's the old golden rule. If you treat people, you'll be treated just like that. And it just uh it just creates uh many opportunities and open opens new doors. So it's really just uh it's the connectivity piece uh that I th that I have found to be probably most helpful in my uh career journey over these many years.
Networking Beyond The Event
Doug JenkinsYou mentioned networking, and I think a lot of times people have maybe a negative connotation everything, oh, I'm gonna go to this event, I gotta get business cards, I gotta talk about my my business. And and there's an aspect of that, but I I think you would agree that networking takes place sort of outside of those things. And one area that I think you're particularly proud of, you've been involved in a lot of things in the community, whether it's service organizations or serving on boards, uh doing things that you care about, but in turn also serve as networking where you're not even really talking about what you do for a living, you're just out meeting people.
Rod WaltonThat's absolutely correct. And it, you know, it's those, it's those introductions that lead to the opportunities to have those further discussions. I mean, uh very rarely when it, you know, obviously when you meet somebody new, that you know, usually the opening line is, you know, obviously, what's your name and and where do you work or what do you do? And but I never dwelt on, you know, what I did or the or the position I had at the bank. I mean, it's always developing that rapport. And you know, as I think back to to you know how those how those relationships evolve, I mean, first and foremost, I think it's uh it's it's building trust and credibility. Um, you know, you don't get very far on that first contact, just like on the first date now you might have dug, you know, knowing how suave and debonaire you were back in your day. But um normally speaking, you know, you don't get far on that first uh first date and first contact. So you've got to build those relationships. You've got to build that credibility. Um because if people don't uh believe in you and trust in you, you know, that relationship's not gonna go any further. Um, you know, and we've all all seen and and um all developed you know outside sales calls that you know it's all sales, sales, sales, they don't get to know you. Um and and again, in my opinion, in in the the banking industry, that's that's not the approach to take. You know, as I think back to banking days, you know, we all have the same commodity. You know, we all have um you know deposit rates and we have lending rates. And yes, there might be somebody out there trying to buy the business being the lowest or best rate in town, but that's not how you get a long long-term sustained business model. Again, it's building those connections and relationships and working those over time. You know, you mentioned networking events, you know, that was one of the my favorite parts of my job, uh, you know, getting out, whatever event it might have been. But
Follow-Up That Actually Builds Trust
Rod Waltonyou know, you uh one thing I would say is don't lose sight of the of the how valuable those sessions and opportunities can be. And you know, make the best use of your time at those events and and don't forget to follow up. I mean, how many times have you know, you might have been handed a business card and you put it in your pocket and you find it a month later? Um, you know, take the time for those connections that might make sense, not every single one is probably gonna make sense, but file that away, uh, pull it out from time to time, you know, add it to a prospect or COI list, and don't forget about it. You know, I think that's one of the things that that people do uh or or maybe don't do correctly, is they'll create what I'll refer to uh as a top 10 list uh of clients or relationships you want to build upon or expand upon. And the worst thing you can do is start that um put that list together first of the year, and then you forget about it the rest of the year.
Doug JenkinsIt's something you have to be actively working.
Rod WaltonYou have to actively work that thing.
Doug JenkinsUh just touching it, touching base, that type of thing. Uh but also making it seem natural. That can, I think, can be the hard part too. Is like, okay, I'm gonna reach out to this person. I want to touch base with them. I may not have a real reason to reach out to them other than just to say hello, but those are the things that you have to do. I'm sure you over the years kind of developed a method to that uh where it doesn't feel like, hey, I'm just reaching out because I would like you to buy this thing or to do this business deal or whatever the case may be. What were some of the the the uh the strategies that you use there?
Consistency And The 80 20 Rule
Rod WaltonWell, you just you just got to get in the habit of doing it and and making it and doing it on a consistent basis. You know, you just can't uh think about it every quarter and pull it out and and start going through that. You have to have a plan, you have to have an attack. Um, you know, I guess one of the biggest things uh when I think about how I approach that is one of the tips uh I think we all have found uh useful, and it's the old adage as well, is you know, dealing, you know, follow the old 80-20 rule. You know, you want to you want to focus and concentrate on those that 80% that's gonna make a difference. Um not to say you ignore that 20% because you never know you know what might come out of that, but again, uh time is effort and um energy, and you just gotta make sure you're you're focusing your the the valuable time that you have in your daily life when you're in the business world, you just gotta make sure you're focusing on and what makes sense and where where the results are gonna come from. And don't waste your time on those that that won't service or create any additional opportunities.
Fixing Mistakes Without Losing Credibility
Doug JenkinsRob, one of the things you mentioned was uh building trust. And and certainly over the course of a career, you build trust with people. Sometimes you may lose trust, though. You screw something up, you get them the wrong information. There's you just can't help them with what they currently need, that type of thing. How do you manage those bumps in the road when it comes to a business relationship?
Rod WaltonWell, again, if that does happen, you you've got to own it. You know, you have to uh be upfront and honest with that individual and and take ownership, you know. And if uh you have um screwed up, to put it bluntly, um, you know, apologize and and like I said, own it. Uh and that's gonna carry far more weight with that individual or client than is if you're just kind of brushing it aside. And you're you're really um, you know, I think the thing where maybe some folks get in trouble from that respect is they don't maybe take the time to get to know uh that individual, get to know their business, get to know their company, get to know the industry. And if you don't do your homework and really get involved uh with that individual knowing their business, I think that's where mistakes can happen. And the business owner is gonna be the first to know that. And they're gonna see right through you if if you're speaking out of turn or don't know what you're talking about, that credibility is out the window from get from the from day one.
Humor, Respect, And Being Human
Doug JenkinsOne of the things that I I always appreciated about you, and uh I'm curious how you thread this needle, is you've never been afraid to be in on the joke or be the butt of the joke as it would come to some of our small business award videos over the years, uh, which I think is great, and it it humanizes people, but there's also I think a concern some people have is are people gonna take me seriously as a business person? Am I going to lose someone's respect if I do these things? What was your deciding factor in some of those? And I I guess you had to put your trust in us that we weren't gonna shine you in a bad light in some of those videos. And I think we did that okay for the most part. But I'm just curious because I I think I think a lot of times people lose their sense of humor in the business world because they're afraid that having that sense of humor is going to make them seem like less of a serious person.
Rod WaltonI think we really only pushed that envelope really close one time.
Doug JenkinsDionne reigned us in.
Rod WaltonYes, and we we know what time that was. But um, you know, I have um, you know, I've always enjoyed those opportunities to participate in the Small Business Awards videos. And you know, seriously, I mean it's just it's just all about having fun, you know, and if you can't laugh at yourself, and I never felt that any of those uh opportunities that presented themselves in those videos was going to be anything detrimental to uh the company, the business, my um what people think or thought about me. I mean, it it's all in jest, it's all in fun, it's all to kind of bring everybody together and and to sleep, you know, the 18 to 20 small business owners that we recognize every year. And and I like to think, and I think we saw it, is I think by me stepping outside of my box, I think we had a lot of others in the community in other videos that wanted to follow that lead. And I think that was awesome because I I really do think it made other people step outside of their box as well and say, hey, if if Rod's doing it, I can do it too.
Doug JenkinsI can I can vouch for that. I uh I won't show you the list of emails that I have, but there are people that have said I want to be funnier than Rod. Uh puts a lot of the writing department.
Rod WaltonI'm not sure anybody ever succeeded in that dog, but we'll we'll we'll leave that one alone.
Doug JenkinsWe'll uh we'll we'll let you retire as reigning champion there.
Relationships During Crisis Moments
Doug JenkinsUh certainly over the course uh of a career, you come across just hard times in made managing relationships during that. Uh there's the housing collapse in 2008. There's COVID from just six years ago. How did developing strong relationships prior to those help you as things started to get back to normal or move into the new normal after those times?
Rod WaltonYou know, it that's a great question. It really goes back to a lot of things I've already covered, but it also, you know, relationship building again, it doesn't happen overnight. So when you do run into those bumps of the road, whether it was back in the 08, 09 uh housing crisis and interest rates were sky high, or again, six years ago when when COVID hit, as long as again, you've uh really laid the groundwork uh with those client relationships and you've gone the extra mile, which I think um you know I always did, and that was always uh high priority for me as well. And you know, you gotta be patient in building those relationships, you know. Like I said, they're not gonna happen overnight. And you know, as long as again the trust is there, the credibility is there, uh, they believe in you, uh, you've gone the extra mile. Um, I've always thought, again, within the segment of the business line that I performed at the bank, we always looked at my role as kind of the go-to person, and that's what clients want. They want that one singular person they can go to, whether it's at the bank or whether it's at the drugstore. It doesn't matter where it's at, but they want to have that contact that they know again that they can call and for the most part get anything done. And as we all know, that customer service skills and levels have have deteriorated over the years, and a lot of things are getting pushed, obviously, to the 800 numbers or the automated answering services. And but we always felt that by picking up the phone, taking care of that client, and again, you might not know the answer right off the bat, but if you're but if you're up front and awesome, tell them I will get back to you, I will find that out, and I'll get back to you by the end of the day. That was always part of what we were taught and preached at throughout my banking career is um going the extra mile, being that point person, and always making sure that you responded promptly.
Doug JenkinsSo
Advice For Young Professionals
Doug JenkinsI think we'll wrap up just advice for young professionals. Certainly, we've got a pretty robust uh Findlay Young Professionals group here at the chamber, but really for anybody starting out their career, we're at a really weird and interesting transition point, not just here in Findlay and locally, but just all across the country where we have a lot of retiring business leaders and we have a lot of new people coming in. And that transition kind of can either go smoothly or there can be a lot of bumps in the road. If you think back to when you were first getting started, is there anything differently you would do that you would give advice to people just coming into either the banking industry, finance, whatever industry, but that you would advise them just lessons that you learned when you first got started?
Rod WaltonYeah, I don't think there was anything I would do differently. I again I I'll I'm maybe gonna um to repeat a couple of things I said earlier, but you know, and and I have had meetings and sessions um with a lot of the young professionals in our community here over the years, whether it's through some of the events we've done with Rotary uh or through the Chamber or the United Way, whatever uh group it might be, where we've kind of done some collaboration with that group, I am um so impressed with what I've seen out of these young uh young professionals. I mean, uh they're doing the things that I recall I did, you know, 40 years ago when I got started in this community. And, you know, they're they're being proactive and they're making sure they're attending those networking events. There's they're taking opportunities to collaborate with with us, old timers, if you will. Um, you know, I think of an event that we had months ago with the community foundation, which I am heavily involved in as current vice chair and will be chair of that organization here in the near future. And we specifically targeted that that young professional group to get them more knowledge of what the community foundation does, as an example. And we had a great turnout and they asked great questions. And I can remember when we kind of each took our turn speaking about advice or things we wanted to share with with them. Um, you know, again, I go back to the networking and not being afraid to get out and about and share who you are and what you do and what you can do for those clients. And I've always um talked about, you know, and maybe I'll sum it up with this, but um I've always stated that remember that the that your work that you work for your client is paramount in building a relationship. At the end of the day, no amount of personal connection can substitute for your great work. So if people uh work hard and network in the right uh spike spaces, if you will, it's gonna take them as long as far as they want to go. And I would uh you know just highly support that uh kind of the uh philosophy that I have followed in my career and uh hopefully uh impart that wisdom to those folks that will follow.
Retirement, Community, And Staying Active
Doug JenkinsWell, Rob, we usually wrap these up by uh letting you promote uh your business and how to get in touch with you, but you're retired, so we can't do that. What are you what are you doing these days? Obviously the community foundation, but uh it's always good to have a plan for retirement to stay active. So, how are you staying active?
Rod WaltonI'll tell you what, it's been a little over three months, and uh I have not um I have not missed a beat. Uh you know, people have always stated, and I did not believe this until now, um, until I've experienced that that people have said you'll be more busy in your retirement than you than you were in your in your daily uh career. Uh I never never felt that was going to be the case, but it certainly is. I mean, it's um again, it's just staying involved with uh the right um nonprofit groups, organizations. The volunteerism is still still uh a huge part of what I do daily. Um we are uh obviously trying to spend more time at Lake Erie and uh get up to Lake a little bit more often than I had the opportunity to do so when I was working uh day in and day out. But uh just uh getting out and enjoying life and um just staying involved in this uh wonderful community we call Findlay.
Doug JenkinsWell, Rod, we appreciate you being on the program. We appreciate everything you've done for the community. Thanks for taking part today.
Rod WaltonThat's not me calling, Doug.
Doug JenkinsI forgot to turn that off. Of course. That's the way to wrap things up on the podcast. Rod, thanks for joining us. Thanks, Doug.
Key Takeaways And How To Connect
Doug JenkinsAnd a big thanks to Rod Walton for joining us on this edition of Chamber Amplified. Again, the points that we covered, relationships not built overnight, they're built through consistency, and you need to build that into your time budget through the week, through the month, and make sure that you're delivering on that. Networking, not just about collecting business cards, it's about earning trust. In fact, the business card is just kind of the first step. Bringing that back doesn't mean that you actually network. Great customer service still creates opportunities that advertising simply cannot. And whether you're starting your career or preparing for retirement, investing in people always pays dividends. Great lessons from Ron. And again, we want to thank him for sharing nearly 44 years of experience of serving Findlay and Hancock County. And that'll do it for another edition of Chamber Amplify. That's a free podcast available to the community made possible by the investment of our members here at the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. If you're looking at ways to get your business involved in the community, a lot of times the chamber is the best place to get started. And if you'd like to learn more about that, just send me an email, D Jenkins, J-E-N-K-I-N-S at Findlay Hancock Chamber.com. Not sure why I spelled that out, for you can read it in the show notes pretty easily. I guess I just thought I was on a voicemail right there. Anyway, send me an email. We'll talk about how an investment in the chamber not only helps your business, but the business community as a whole. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you next time on Chamber Amplified from the Findlay Hancock County Chamber of Commerce.
