Sterling Miller

Since my job is to increase sales to fuel growth and profitability for my clients, I am always thinking about sales.  I analyze what my clients are doing, what’s being done in the industry now, what’s been done in the past, and what my personal experiences have been. I listen to what people “in the trenches” are saying. I listen to what customers are saying. I read an uncountable number of articles on the subject written by people I respect, and I read a lot of books. All of this research influences how I approach sales, sales management, and sales training, and this information is telling me that things are changing again. 

The chatter about “banks” on Twitter is that the service is pitiful. One person characterized her bank as a “hard sell” place to stay away from. The chatter about “credit unions” seems to indicate that they are better than banks, and perhaps more consumers might be making the switch. Here lies opportunity for both types of financial institutions to modify their approach to service and sales to take advantage of their markets.

Tellers, Customer Service Reps, and even Branch Managers all express their distaste for “sales” because, before they are re-indoctrinated to a softer, more effective approach, they don’t want to pressure anyone. They don’t want to seem like they are trying to sell something; they just want to service their customer as quickly as possible, and call it a day. Apparently there are still many banks and perhaps credit unions who still pressure their customers into buying products instead of identifying needs, and educating the customer about appropriate products and services that they would benefit from. Additionally, the level of customer service everywhere has declined. We all have heard story after story about the deplorable service at a restaurant, super market, or electronics store, and yes, still a bank or two.

So, the way to kill two birds with one stone for my clients is to 1) insure that the customer’s experience in dealing with them is consistently over-the-top, and 2) that  everyone understands that it’s their job to educate customers about products and services that are appropriate for that customer, and to act by making a referral. No pressuring allowed. No pushing allowed. They learn how to market their services by having meaningful conversations with their customers, and making every customer encounter a positively memorable one. It’s more about staging a customer experience  and promoting education, than it is sales training, but it’s a whole lot more effective at increasing sales.

The Hugs & Kisses project was designed to address the customer experience aspect of selling, and the educational aspect of selling. Enthusiastic employee committees are being formed at two separate non-competing financial institution clients, and you can keep up with their progress right here.