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• Position: Marketing News - Customer friendly bank lobbies - Brief Article

Question of the month, courtesy of Frank Hoell, executive vice president and chief operating officer of LibertyBank in Eugene, Ore.:

"Where is it written that teller counters have to be made of plywood and laminate?"

If you've followed our coverage of bank lobby design trends in previous issues, you probably know the answer. Hoell's answer: It isn't written anywhere. Make 'em of anything you want. He made them like glass department store showcases. Inside the showcases he offers "money-related" merchandise Like currency converters, books about structuring your assets for retirement, wallets and financial planning software.

And why stop there? Why not comfortable chairs and sofas, computer terminals, stock-quote displays, a retail-oriented color scheme of greens and golds, reds and yellows. Maybe carpets with the bank's logo inlaid in the design.

"We were looking for a 'wow' factor," Hoell says. An upscale retail look. "We don't expect to sell as much of this merchandise as the local store in the mall or on Main Street, but it adds to the image."

Liberty also is trying to eliminate what Hoell calls the "as the crow flies" approach, in which a customer enters the bank, goes straight...