I’ve worked at Van Lanschot Kempen for almost 25 years, and I’m still learning new things. I started as a private banker and, ten years ago, specialised in supporting entrepreneurs. We saw a gap in the market for clients with valuable, scaling businesses whose wealth was tied up in the firm, which often made it difficult for them to get a mortgage.  

 

They come to us because they know we will take the time to understand their potential, offer tailored advice, connect them with a wide network, and provide support for a range of transactions through our investment bank. 

 

There are different approaches to acquiring clients, but I find that it comes down to your network. If you have a happy client, they're more likely to introduce you to others. Over the past few years, I’ve found LinkedIn to be a valuable tool for reaching out to more prospects – even posting short personal updates can often lead to new connections.  

 

I spar with my clients every day about growth, impact and vision. Being responsive is a sport to me – I like to move fast and surprise my clients. I once got a message from a client at the weekend, and we met in person on Monday. We can also complete the Know Your Customer process in a couple of days, which gives us a strong competitive advantage. 

 

Entrepreneurs come to their banker with questions like, “How can I fund my business growth?” or “What is my business worth?” We connect them with our specialists and open our network to match them with like-minded entrepreneurs. We’re also working to do more to open up to potential clients who may currently not feel like they belong. We see increasing diversity in the business world, and by diversifying our workforce to reflect the demographics of our client base, we’ll be even better placed to serve clients with a wide variety of cultural backgrounds and perspectives.