The Reality of Some Financial Institution’s Branch Sales Culture
In recent years, there has been a decline in trust for sales professionals of credit unions and community banks by consumers due to the use of poor and outdated sales tactics.
It seems that in some ways, there is a move away from the building of real relationships for the need to hit sales targets, quotas, and/or incentive payouts. As a result, not only is the consumer suffering, but the organization that perpetuates this type of behavior suffers as well.
Before, the platform or frontline employees were viewed as simply sales people who were responsible for pushing products on members or customers. Now, the frontline is expected to be advocates, consultants who are more concerned about the needs and desires of the members or customers, thus providing customized solutions.
To accomplish this, the branch leadership must lead the charge in ensuring that the branch sales culture is one that fosters growth and development of the frontline staff and delivers solution-based interactions with members and customers.
Front-line Leadership
That is why it is crucial for the managers who are on the front-lines to be well equipped to lead and guide their teams in a way that responds to the current climate.
The heartbeat of any branch in a financial institution, whether a bank or credit union, is the Branch Manager. This person is the leader, the visionary, and the pulse of the business. They are responsible for carrying out the objectives and plans of senior management.
Branch Managers today must be prepared to display the following attributes:
• Taking on the mindset of an Entrepreneur or CEO of their branch (Ownership of the Business)
• Ability to coach and development front-line staff
• Recruit and retain branch talent
• Understands and exhibits to staff how to sell by building relationships
The Opportunity
Unfortunately, many credit unions or community banks do not have the infrastructure in place to provide the training that is essential to prepare and equip Branch Managers for next level leadership. When asked, CEOs and other senior leadership understand the need for such training. Now there is a complete solution for this need.
The Solution
The Branch Manager Mastery program is a 3-Part Comprehensive Training System that has been developed by Jai A. Darden who personally worked as a Branch Manager for years and has coached many branch managers to next level success.
The training is targeted to provide Branch Managers with the tools they need to become transformational leaders for their teams and the financial institution. Areas such as Branch Leadership, Coaching for Success, Driving Sales and Production, Team Conflict Resolution, and Understanding the Numbers and KPIs are covered in this training system.
It guides participants to understand the steps and tools needed to increase sales and overall branch production. This is accomplished through a focus on building a R.A.P.P.O.R.T Based Culture, a culture that is centered around the coaching, developing, and mentoring of the staff.
The result would be a happier, more engaged staff as well as a better served customer or member base.
Your Branch Managers will walk away with a series of strategies, methods, ideas, and techniques to improve the volume and ease of sales, while building a successful sales culture that produces lifelong and meaningful relationships with your members or customers.
Ultimately, your managers will be empowered to lead their teams to new levels of achievement.
The participants in the Branch Manager Mastery program will gain the following knowledge:
1. The Psychology of Leadership (Developing the Correct Mindset is Key to Success)
2. Branch Manager – The Chief Executive (Taking Ownership of the Business & Understanding the Numbers)
3. Developing a Rapport Based Branch Culture (How to develop a culture that produces growth and sales success)
4. The Rapport Selling System for Sales Success (How to sell in a way that builds the business and strengthens member /customer relationships)
5. Coaching the Team for Success (How to add value to your team by coaching & providing real-time feedback)
6. Team Growth and Development (How to develop the talent you have)
7. Overcoming Challenges, Obstacles and Adversity
The Branch Manager Mastery Explained
The Branch Manager Mastery program could best be described as an Elite Coaching Program. Many of the top training and coaching experts in the world use the approach that Jai A. Darden uses in the Branch Manager Mastery so that students may receive the transformation and results they desire to achieve.
The 3 -Part Training System consists of
1. An On-Demand Online Training Platform
2. An Onsite Branch Manager Mastery LIVE Workshop
3. Weekly Coaching and Q & A Calls
This 3-part process ensures that your team will obtain the tools they need to better serve your members or customers.
The On-Demand Online Training Platform
The online training suite is designed to provide both an intriguing and welcoming experience while learning the mindsets, principles, and strategies that will develop your Branch Managers. Companies large and small are leveraging the strength and flexibility of virtual training platforms to assist with training their employees.
There are many advantages to leveraging this platform. Here a few:
• It provides real-time skill development
• Students can revisit trainings they need more help and/or clarity with
• Participants work at their pace and can complete courses / training on an individual basis
• Great for on-boarding new employees and ensuring that the training and leadership culture remains congruent
We also understand that having interpersonal communication is powerful and important while learning for most people. We have you covered on this. Introducing the Branch Manager Mastery LIVE Workshop.
The Branch Manager Mastery LIVE Workshop Description
There is something about attending an in-person training where discussions and activities are utilized for learning. Allowing your managers to participate in the onsite workshop is valuable and helps to reinforce what is learned in the online training.
The Branch Manager Mastery LIVE Workshop is a 2-day, in person, deep dive into the different areas that will help position Branch Managers for success. A third day is available for hands-on utilization of the lessons learned in the classroom setting. Time is spent with managers as they work in the lobby, with staff, and with members or customers.
This is ideal as it reinforces what the Managers have just learned and helps to seal in the concepts.
Branch Managers are encouraged to shadow the instructor during feedback and active coaching with the MSRs or CSRs. Doing so will prove beneficial when it is time for the Branch / Sales Manager to reinforce the strategies that their team learned during the Rapport Based Selling Workshop.
*The sessions are customized for your organization.
Weekly Coaching and Q & A Calls
Ongoing coaching is vital to the success of any professional or team. The third step in the Branch Manager Mastery program is the weekly coaching calls. On these calls, your team may join to ask questions about varying topics that will help them perform at their best as leaders of their branches.
Things covered could include but are not limited to:
• How to help my team achieve goals without creating undue stress and anxiety?
• The proper way to coach so that my team grows and reaches new levels of success
• Handling difficult employee conversations
• General role-play opportunities
Coaching calls are valuable in that they present participates with the opportunity to have continued learning and growth. There are three main ways for participants to benefit from these calls:
• Raise their hand for personal coaching and support with their questions
• Simply drop questions into the Q & A queue to be answered
• They personally have no questions but hear real-time feedback, gain insight, and apply it to their roles
Now is the time to position the organization and your team for success. There is no better time than the present to ensure that the entire team can deliver the world-class experience that your members or customers demand.
If your financial institution’s focus is on delivering results for your members or customers, the increase in sales and revenue will soon follow.