Sales Training

Bank Sales Training & Sales Management Programs
RE:
Bank Sales Training Programs
Greetings, Thank you for expressing interest in our Bank Sales Training Program. We offer sales training for all levels of bankers, in nearly every business segment. We also offer programs in Sales Management for those who are responsible for the business production of others. Our programs were designed by the industrys leading Rainmakers in banking and have been specifically-tailored around the unique issues and challenges faced by bankers. Close to one billion dollars in new commercial bank loan commitments, tens of millions of core deposits and millions of dollars in new fees have been generated as a direct result of the sales training program we have highlighted in these materials. Rather than rote memorization of scripts and aggressive cold calling tactics, our participants are encouraged to build sales plans based on the techniques and tools that fit most naturally with their style, personality and comfort level. This package of materials includes some program overviews, highlights, a sample table of contents and select sections of our workbooks. Weve also included our proprietary initial sales audit and our participant pre-course sales aptitude survey. Combined, these materials, should provide you with a good sense of our approach and overall philosophy to building and sustaining a sales process and discipline within a bank. Should you wish to discuss our approach and how we might assist you in meeting your growth objectives, we would be delighted to meet with you.
Best Wishes,
John D. Callos President & CEO (800) 986-1230 x225 [email protected]
Bank Sales Training Programs Copyright IdeaBridge, LLC 800.986.1230 www.IdeaBridge.com
Sales Training
Our bank sales training programs are based on the activities and disciplines that have been proven to consistently deliver results. Since sales people are more focused and engaged when they are working from a plan, we work with participants to custom-tailor a sales blueprint that works with their unique personality, style and comfort level. Bankers using our proprietary systems, tools, methods and process have developed literally hundreds of millions of dollars in new commercial loans, deposits and services.
SALES TRAINING
SALES TRAINING MODULES Sales Planning & Pre-Call Planning Developing Your Market Position & Message Client Referrals and Cross-Selling Generating Internal Referrals Prospecting and Appointment Setting The Sales Process & Funnel Management Maintaining Prospecting Momentum Following-Up And Staying In Touch Improving Sales Meeting Effectiveness Proposing, Negotiating & Closing
IDEABRIDGE, LLC | (800) 986-1230 | WWW.IDEABRIDGE.COM
Sales Training Process
Advanced
5
Next Steps
Pipeline Development and Closing: 1. Meet Pipeline Standards (Blueprint) 2. Improving Sales Effectiveness 3. Personal Sales Process/System 4. Advanced Negotiation Skills
IDEABRIDGE, LLC | (800) 986-1230 | WWW.IDEABRIDGE.COM
Weekly Plan & Review Meetings
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First Steps
Prospecting and Referrals: 1. Pre-Call Plans 2. 2/10, New-New (Inspect in Weekly Plan & Review) 3. Book of Testimonial Letters 4. Top-20 Prospect List
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Foundation
Low Hanging Fruit and Introduction: 1. Client Advisor List (Professional advisors of largest clients: CPA, etc.) 2. Circle the Wagons (Top 50 100 Suspect List) 3. Referral Resume
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Backbone
Assessment and Planning: 1. RM Self Assessment 2. RM Sales Blueprint 3. Client Retention Checklist (Annually to uncover potential at-risk accounts)
Oversight, Accountability, Coaching & Support: 1. Bi-Weekly: Sales Meetings (Using the Agenda and keeping focused on sales.) 2. Monthly: Compass (reviewed for early warning signs) 3. Sales Playbook One stop resource for all Sales Plans, Top 20 Lists, Pre-Call Plans, etc. 4. Training Workbook and Online Resource Library

B ANK S ALES T RAINING : O VERVIEW
Program Summary: We are discussing an initiative and / or training program to improve the sales effectiveness and results of your bankers that have production goals and cross-selling objectives. Some of the key measurements to evaluate the ultimate success of this initiative would likely include: An increase in the average number of new bank clients (in target markets, target size and target profit levels) An increase in the effectiveness (as measured) of business development activities (initial prospect calls, referral source calls, etc.) An increase in cross-selling results An increase in the level of professionally-sourced new business referrals A high rate of adoption and level of program satisfaction of the participants, their managers and the program sponsors An increase in the number of profitable products cross-sold into each client relationship (PPC)
IdeaBridge would introduce, develop and reinforce a common business development vocabulary and principles across multiple offices and regions such that everyone will be using familiar terms, systems and sales processes. We will also assist your managers in developing a common platform from which to manage the entire sales process. To insure a measurable impact from this initiative, we would encourage each participant as well as the program sponsor to set minimum aggregate program objectives for this year and the next. We would also encourage all participants to set minimum productivity, acquisition, cross selling and conversion rate goals (over baseline levels).
Key Success Factors in Sales Training Success and Sales Culture Initiatives: The successful implementation of any cultural change initiative or sales management program is largely dependent upon the work we do with the managers, not just the staff. Ultimate success (defined as increased activity levels, improved conversion ratios, incremental new business and increased profits), will depend largely on a program and an ongoing sales process that: Is modeled and supported and at the top by the managers of the participants Is embraced by the participants Is flexible enough to incorporate ones individual style, personality and comfort level Is simple in design and implementation such that all of your people can easily understand what to do, when to do it and how to do it 5. Is consistently reinforced with our personal contact, coaching, face-to-face meetings and our proprietary monthly accountability Compass to track both efforts, progress and results 6. Is sustainable and one that will maintain momentum long after the conclusion of our formal training program Gaining buy-in from the participants is an important aspect to a successful implementation; one way to do this is to allow participants the flexibility to use what works for them while concurrently layering the best ideas and methods that have proven to work for banks in your markets as well as around the country. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Ultimately, the individual must incorporate those ideas that are most appropriate and comfortable for them; an unnecessarily rigid program is bound to deliver sub-par results. Once a program is custom-tailored to an individuals unique style, its vital that they get consistent reminders, support and follow-up accountability to ensure that they actually begin to use these techniques with their clients, referral sources and prospects. Finally, all participants must commit at least five (5) hours every week on the programs highest leverage, highest impact activities that are irrefutably-proven to work at developing new bank business and which the participant is most comfortable performing. Without a consistent focus on simple, fundamental prospecting and sales activities, any program or cultural change initiative is bound to fail. More than any program workbook, seminar or delivery method, it is the ongoing follow-up, the personal coaching and the managers ongoing support that will largely determine the ultimate success of any sales culture transformation and sales training initiative. This has proven to be the winning formula for achieving sustainable results for banks. Now let me explain how we deliver this proven formula.
Flexible Training Process, Not rigid Systems: Our work is almost exclusively with banks and financial services companies in local markets, in western states markets, nationally and even abroad. We see what works, where it works, and why it works in one market, and maybe not in others. When we find anything new that has the potential to work better than our baseline programs, we incorporate the technique into our toolkit of tactics and menu of options for participants. We do not represent any particular sales system and are not bound to represent any particular sales management company. Rather than being tied to one particular system we are totally independent. We constantly scour the worlds best sales management ideas, techniques and practices. We adopt the worlds best sales training and sales process management practices, constantly updated, and allow the participants to custom tailor the ideas that work best for them and fit with their comfort level and personality. We have consistently found that in order to gain lasting commitment to the sales training process, we must recognize that people are different and they need the flexibility to incorporate what they already know with the new ideas we bring; this is the only way to get sincere and lasting buy-in and ownership. Beyond a base level of common program methodology and standards, we work privately with each participant to custom-tailor a plan that works with their unique personality, style and comfort level.
Program Pricing Philosophy: All of our programs and services are quoted on a fixed-price basis to ensure that there will never be any surprises or unexpected add-ons or up-sales. We have never charged an hourly fee and we do not work from retainers. 100% of our programs are based on a fixed price format and never involve ups, extras or hidden charges or fees. Our clients can rest assured that once they commit to a program fee schedule, IdeaBridge will stick to it.

Industry experience and credibility is a significant differentiator with participants: John Callos will be the project lead for this program; there will be no mid-stream switch. This is an important fact and critical differentiator because participants are much more comfortable and rapport is rapidly built, when they are dealing with someone who understands their industry, has actually sold bank products, managed banks and sat at their desks struggling with the same issues they are going through. John has worked exclusively in the banking industry for over a quarter of a century. IdeaBridge is focused nearly exclusively on banks; this focus gives us access to the industrys best ideas and also helps build immediate credibility with those whom we work. The result is that participants pay very close attention because the training is based on what works in the real world, at the street level, for bankers just like them. The typical skepticism and defensiveness toward those who havent spent their career in this industry, is eliminated when John Callos is leading the training. In short order, the participants have a crystal clear understanding that our programs are based on what has been proven to consistently produce sales results for bankers. Further, our training is always buttressed by recent stories and examples weve experienced in our work with bankers across the country. These real-life, in-thetrenches stories of triumph and sales success make a dramatic difference in the level of engagement and key concept retention of the program participants.
Our Training Methodology: Our experience in working with nearly 1,000 bankers has conclusively demonstrated that the greatest training value is obtained when participants actually retain and confidently use what they were taught. The key to retention is repetition over some period of time; lasting results can never be obtained from one-time motivational pep talks, CDs or TeleTraining alone. There must be an element of personal, consistent follow-up and contact. There must also be accountability to ensure that people are actually using the training and modeling in the field (on sales calls, client calls, prospect calls and referral source calls) what theyve learned in the classroom and workshop training sessions. Without individual coaching, consistent follow-up, reinforcement, accountability and oversight, results will prove elusive. Therefore, regardless of the curriculum or program, we stick to a proven training methodology that includes a series of workshops, assignments, proprietary tools/templates/forms/surveys/assessments, personal coaching, individual telephone follow-up and the banking industrys only online accountability Compass system that is followed-up by phone, email and in person visits. Our typical engagement lasts at least six months, but more typically spans 12 15 months with additional quarterly follow-up thereafter. To ensure that results are obtained, we have developed a proprietary accountability tool that is a customized plan of action for each participant. The plan is reviewed monthly and participants are contacted when their results fall behind plan. Hundreds of bankers around the country are currently using our proprietary process of accountability. We developed the tool and are the only people in the industry who use such an accountability process (we own the technology and the process). The monthly results can be compiled, aggregated and reported directly to the program sponsor. This tool, along with our monthly follow-up, has become a key differentiating factor for positioning IdeaBridge as experts in achieving measurable sales results for banks through our training, sales culture initiatives and accountability process.

Our Typical Approach: Our first order of business is to make certain that we are a good fit to work together. Part of that assessment will be a candid discussion about your expectations and goals. If the goals, or the timeframe for their achievement are unreasonable and depend too much on lucky breaks and good fortune, IdeaBridge will politely pass on the opportunity. Weve worked extremely hard to build a stellar reputation for consistent results, and therefore will not accept projects or assignments from any group that has unrealistic expectations. If nothing else, we can help ground you in the current reality of how difficult many change initiatives can be, how resistant to change many bankers can be and how stubbornly irrational other banks will be when it comes to them trying to hang onto the clients that we are trying to woo over to your bank. There is no silver bullet. But there are certainly methods, tools and processes that are best in class and can be readily-executed by bankers of average intellect and drive. But the key success factors again, are consistency of utilization and management support for the new expectations. We will need to be clear about all these items before we agree to move forward with any project work or training. If we decided to move forward together, the format for a typical program usually involves an initial assessment, rollout plan and agreement with the program sponsor as to all the specific initiatives and training program elements they want to include in order to quickly build momentum and sustain ongoing results. We would enjoy answering any questions and providing a review our materials, tools, program content and overall process. However, until such a meeting is scheduled, let me just briefly outline some possible program elements wed typically discuss: 1. Interview well-known Rainmakers throughout the bank to learn whats already working very well. (Its always easier to get buy-in when people see that we are supporting and leveraging whats already working well with their peers throughout the bank). Review reports, tracking tools, conversion rates and results in your key markets Interview the key program sponsors to outline exactly what the measures of success will be and to explain the level of support that will be required to ensure success A pre-course introduction, assignment and survey A program workbook A kickoff workshop A follow-up workshop (approximately 45 - 60 days from kickoff) Ongoing training modules and updates on a 3 10 week rotation depending on the banks program selection A private coaching session with each participant (or with the Managers, or both, depending on the program selected) Monthly individual telephone follow-up with each participant to reinforce program content and offer assistance of any kind A monthly, custom goal setting and accountability Compass to track results Unlimited phone coaching with all participants for the programs duration plus an additional three - six months following completion of the program A six month review of best practices (workshop format) Quarterly follow-up meetings with program sponsor and managers Tracking against success metrics that were established at the programs initiation Tracking against pre-program performance benchmarks Other elements as we mutually determine prior to the start of the project.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

Here are some additional points for your consideration: Our vast experience with bank-sponsored sales training initiatives has provided us with unique insight as to what works best in training bankers, what doesnt work well and why. Based on this experience, weve developed these training axioms to guide people through the decision process: 1. The most important element in implementation of the program is not the initial training event or the amount of the content, but rather, the ongoing management and coaching of the participants and those people that the participants are expected to supervise. Further, we must work with your managers to ensure that they learn how to have those difficult, but necessary, conversations with their subordinates who are dragging their feet, engaging in subterfuge or just not performing to expectation. Helping managers learn to communicate with their subordinates in a productive, effective and caring way is an important part of our program. Our 360-degree surveys of bank executives consistently indicate that the leading issue subordinates have with their managers is their ineffective communication style. The number-one issue that executive bank management tends to have with their managers is that they are not dealing promptly or effectively with non-performers. These communication themes have remained the top issue for our bank clients in over 68,000 survey questions. We believe that any training program that does not include content on how to coach subordinates on tough performance issues is incomplete. 2. The program must be simple. Anything that requires the participants to constantly refer back to a complicated program methodology to decipher the process, will not work because people will not take the time to study and review the materials. Sadly, these are the new time constraint realities that most management teams dont understand. Your people, and those whom they lead, are experiencing a time management crisis; this is a fact most fail to consider. Working harder is not the answer. Thats why we spend so much time on proven high-leverage, high-impact activities. Then, we boil down the process so that its easy to understand and simple to communicate. Less than 15% of all participants will ever go back and review their workshop materials without pressure from their manager (or us) to do so. They claim that they simply dont have time. 3. People rarely respond well to a rigid training program and process that does not allow for adjustment and tailoring to their personal style and comfort level. Thats why we invest so much time in the private coaching sessions (Managers and even participants at the banks option) to help people develop a plan that fits their unique style. 4. A large percentage of relationship managers bristle at the mention of sales and reject any kind of sales training. Its the unique and rare relationship manager that embraces the opportunity to use new sales techniques in the field. 5. Most managers will not consistently support and be role models for what they have learned in sales training classes, largely because they are not comfortable selling or asking for the business themselves. We believe that sales process and sales management training is more valuable than just sales training alone. 6. Despite training, incentives and severe consequences such as elimination of bonuses, most relationship managers will revert back to whatever sales method is most comfortable for them and fits with their own personality and natural style, despite the classroom training they received. Thats why we must really help them find their voice, their style and then inject those proven sales and prospecting activities that complement their style, personality, comfort level and professional self image.

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7. Consistent success in selling requires certain innate talents; training and desire alone are not enough. Putting bankers through a sales training class has never been proven to yield a permanent increase in sales productivity unless their immediate supervisor is strongly supportive of selling. Lukewarm compliance and simply going through the motions just wont cut it; we need managers who are passionate advocates committed to this program. Thats why we start all significant sales training programs with an initial meeting with the managers of the participants; we must first impress upon them their personal responsibility for the success of the program. No amount of program content or banking best practices can ever compensate for a manager thats dragging their feet, resistant or negative about selling. More than anything else, if we do not have the support and buy-in from the managers, the program will struggle and results will prove elusive. 8. Most bankers lack the talent and initiative to independently achieve acceptable business development results predictably over time. The managers coaching, encouragement, and follow-up are the leading predictors of success. 9. A Gallup study of over 250,000 sales people and 25,000 sales managers supports our internal findings that the highest performers use a variety of sales approaches and styles. Even within the same company, many different sales approaches are used by these top performers. In fact, if all the top performers were forced to use a single sales style, many of them would cease to be top producers, would get frustrated and quit. Gallups conclusion: No one style is best. Gallups study supports our consistent findings: The bank must be flexible enough to allow people to adopt the ideas and techniques that best fit their personality, style and comfort level. Otherwise, while they may do fine in a classroom environment and will do fairly well parroting back responses, they will not maintain these techniques on a sales call. This bears repeating: despite what they learn in training, if they are not comfortable using the techniques in the field, they wont! Therefore, we pay particular attention to helping people leverage what they already do well and then layering-on only those ideas and techniques that fit with their style, personality, comfort level and skills. This can only take place in the safe environment of a private coaching session where we carefully match their skills with proven methods. 10. Its been proven time and again, that better results will be predictably obtained by having people focus on what they do best. Conversely, predictably poor results will be obtained when people are forced into rigid compliance to do those things that they are not comfortable doing or those things for which they have no innate talent. This is especially true of bankers forced into a rigid program of sales scripts and memorized responses to common objections. 11. Face-to-face coaching will always trump distance learning. We do not believe in, nor do we support distance learning/training for bankers. While long distance learning methods are compelling because they cost far less and are packaged in slick containers, the reality is that people rarely crack the workbooks or remove the cellophane wrappers on their CDs and videos; we know, we see these unopened programs sitting on the desks of loan officers all over the country. CDs and workbooks cannot possibly replace the accountability and follow-up that our individual coaching process provides.

ABBREVIATED SALES PROCESS FOR A COMMERCIAL BANK
Summary Most commercial banks develop annual loan production goals without a clear understanding of all the timing and inputs required to consistently generate new business. Further, most banks lack a written sales process to ensure that everyone involved in new business development understands their role in helping the Bank achieve its growth objectives in the most cost-effective manner. This is a simple outline of the high-level aspects of developing a sales process for a commercial Bank. By no means is it intended to be all-inclusive, but rather, a starting point for executives and strategic planners who must determine how to best allocate limited resources in order to achieve their loan and deposit growth goals while maintaining acceptable margins. Sales Process Outline 1. Determine the net profit objectives of the Bank 2. Determine the profit contribution expectations from each business unit, including retail, all product groups and each group within the Bank that generates revenue 3. Determine the profit contribution expectation just for your commercial banking group (for purposes of this example, commercial banking includes: Small Business Loans, SBA, Leasing, Business Banking, Middle Market Banking, Corporate Banking, etc.). If each group within commercial banking has separate goals, then break down the goals to the lowest level. 4. Determine the net new business development goals based on the following: a. How much new business will existing loan officers develop from existing customers? b. How much will existing loan officers develop from NEW customers? c. If you are planning on hiring new loan officers, then what is your minimum level of performance expectations with respect to how much new business they will develop in this fiscal year? Remember that a new loan officer will need a period of time for rampup and will not be highly-productive for the first 60-90 days following their hire. d. What is the anticipated portfolio runoff for amortizing loans, transfers to the workout group, loss of existing clients through attrition, etc? e. Net/net, how much new business is expected to be developed by the loan officers? f. How much new business, in aggregate, is expected to be developed from your sales group (be careful not to double-count) 5. Determine the average amount of profit per new relationship 6. Determine how many new relationships will be required to meet your profit objectives a. NOTE: Be very careful to remember that the value of any new banking relationship in terms of current years earnings is largely dependent upon booking that deal as early in the year as possible. It is well known that most new deals booked after September th 30 will not materially contribute to your earnings in the current fiscal year. Plan accordingly to really push for booking your new loans as early into the year as possible. Many Banks are now evaluating bonus programs that contain performance multipliers based on deals booked in the first and second quarters. 7. Understand your numbers:
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a. How many pieces of direct mail does it take to generate a sufficient number of call-in leads that will ultimately convert to a qualified, face to face appointment? b. If telemarketing is used: How many dials does it take to set an appointment with a decision maker who agrees to meet with your Bank? c. How many face to face appointments does it take to generate a qualified loan package? d. What percentage of loan packages do you convert into proposals? e. What percentage of loan proposals are accepted by your prospects? f. What percentage of accepted proposals are ultimately funded? 8. Understand the timing of the entire process, and plan according in your projections: a. How much time passes between setting an appointment over the phone and actually going out to meet the prospect? b. On average, how long does it take until you generate a complete loan package, meaning, you have obtained everything from the prospect that is necessary in order to evaluate the credit and issue a proposal letter? c. How long does it take for the Bank to approve the issuance of a loan proposal once the completed package is delivered to the appropriate credit people? d. How many times, on average, are your people going back to your prospect for additional information to answer any remaining credit questions? e. Once a proposal is prepared and issued, how long does it take before the prospect finally gets back to you and decides to sign the letter and move ahead? f. Once a proposal is signed, how long does it take until the loan is finally booked? 9. With all this background in mind, lets examine what actually happens once goals are assigned to any group with commercial loan development responsibilitieswell take it from the top: a. A prospect list must be developed based upon the exacting criteria regarding geography, business type/industry/classification codes, business size, etc. i. How will the list of names be tracked? Will you use an in-house database, will you use ACT!, Goldmine, Baker-Hill, TeleMagic, Siebel? ii. If you are using a new system, how long will it take to get people trained? Will training be consistent for all people or will certain members of your team require advanced skills for pulling reports and assembling territories, call lists, etc.? iii. Who will have access to view the productivity reports of your system? b. A sales strategy must be developed with respect to how the prospects are to be contacted (this is a critical step that is often overlooked). For example: i. Will they be placed on a mailing list, an email distribution list, etc? ii. Will they be sent a series of letters, postcards, ad specialty items, etc. to warm them up and get them familiar with the Bank? iii. Will a loan officer contact them first? iv. Will they be contacted by a telemarketer, and if so, will that telemarketer be from within the bank or from an outsourced agency? c. Once it is decided how the prospect will be contacted, and by whom, then a phone call of some sort must take place. i. Who will make that call? ii. What will they say? Do they have a proven script? iii. How will they position the Bank?
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iv. Will there be a single, distinct message about the Bank and the reason for the call (There should be a scripted message that everyone repeats verbatim at least to describe the Bank and its most compelling attributes/differentiating factors) v. What will be the standard qualifying questions that 100% of your people will ask? Who will set those qualifying standards and how will you ensure that they are consistently applied? vi. If the prospect has questions, how will they be handled? Who will the questions be forwarded to? vii. If the Bank employee finds that the prospect is not a good candidate, how do they avoid wasting any time by going out to see them, while also avoiding problems with the regulators? Is there a process in place to deal with this kind of situation? (There should be) d. So the prospect is qualified and wants to meet, now what? i. Who gets to go out on that call? The person who made the phone call, or rather, the most qualified, proven Rainmaker that can consistently bring home closed deals? This can be a highly-charged problem, but the reality is that it takes strong leadership to tell people that the limited number of great opportunities will be going to the proven performers who can consistently deliver results. ii. If two or more people go on the call, who will take the lead? If a salesperson and a credit officer both go, who will run the call? iii. On the call, what will be the consistent process that each person will always use? There should be a standard script or process that everyone knows by heart. Not verbatim, but directionally. They should understand that a sales call has a logical flow and objectives. The sales people should have a consistent message that is crafted and constantly refined based on feedback from the field on whats working best. iv. If a BDO is used, at what point is the prospect instructed that the BDO will not be their primary account officer? This should be scripted as well. The whole idea here is to get all of your people with a consistent message. v. What questions are the bare minimum that should be answered? We have a list of over 100 questions to choose from, but some are vital and some only nice to know. Your people should know the difference and know whats expected back at the office. e. The prospect shows some interest and is willing to provide some information, now what? i. What is the standard package of information that is required? This should be in writing and presented to the prospect so that there is no misunderstanding and that they dont feel that you are always coming back to them for just one more thing. Prospects are irritated by having to provide so much additional information. ii. What are the essential questions in the sales process that your people must ask in order to avoid wasting time on a prospect that has no interest in changing, but rather, is only using you to extract concessions from his existing Bank? (Hint: There are some vital questions that absolutely must be asked before anyone leaves with a loan request package; we can help you with those.)
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f.
So a BDO comes back to the office with the loan package, now what? i. Who decides which loan officer will look at the deal? ii. What agreements and performance measurements are in place to ensure that the loan officer gives new business opportunities top priority status? iii. In which cases, if any, can a BDO claim that the deal is so urgent that it must be put on the top of the list? iv. If a loan officer is busy and cannot look at a deal, then what? (NOTE: this happens constantly. People get too busy to look at new business, the packages sit around, the BDOs get frustrated, the loan officers feel the pressure and everything goes downhill from there. At this point, it is important to have a fall-back plan that was developed well in advance of the problem.) v. What are the agreed upon turnaround times in that complete loan packages must be analyzed and decisions must be made? Its best to set these standards in the initial design of your process so that everyone is on the same page with respect to turnaround times and performance and timing expectations on new deals. vi. If the deal is declined by a loan officer and the BDO feels that it was just to get the deal off his desk, what recourse does the BDO have, where can he go, if anywhere? Spell this out ahead of time.
g. The Bank is prepared to issue a proposal, now what? i. Who gets to go out on that proposal meeting? ii. Has the loan officer been introduced to the company yet? iii. Who else should go on the call? iv. What is the scripted process that both the loan officer and the BDO follow to ensure that the deal will not be shopped or used to extract concessions from the incumbent lender? v. Who is going to lead the call? Who is the top-dog in the call? There must be just one person who is in total control of the call, who is it? vi. When will the prospect be presented with a solution that encompasses all the Banks products and services? Will a list of products/services be developed to ensure that nothing is forgotten? Will a script be developed that resembles a decision tree: if they say thisthey we go hereif they say thatthey we go there, etc.? Will the Bank develop a recommended package of products and services that reflects those services typically needed by business owners who use working capital facilities, or those who need equipment loans, or those with lots of employees, or those with only cash management needs, etc.? The answer of course, is that there should be a process in place to immediately sell deeper into each new relationship. h. The prospect will not sign the proposal on the spot, now what? i. There should be training process to walk your people though the most important part of the process, which is getting the deal signed. There should be very specific steps to follow that your team has rehearsed and agreed will be followed in such cases. ii. Do not allow prospects to think it over or to give your proposal top consideration. There should be a very specific, well-rehearsed, scripted process for closing each new proposal.

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i.
OK, so the prospect signs the proposal, now what? i. Very specific performance criteria must be established to ensure that the signed deal does not fall apart in internal processing, boarding, etc. ii. What is the script for the post close to insure that the prospect does not back out later when pressured by his incumbent lender to stay with his existing bank. iii. Support department guarantees should ensure that processing will be kept to a pre-defined time schedule. Signing loan documents, what happens, who should go? i. There should be a process with respect to who goes on the closing. To maximize the potential for referrals, cross sells and other sales opportunities, a highly-experienced sales person should accompany a any junior loan officer to the doc signing. If the loan officer is a proven closer that consistently has a very high cross sales ratio, then its possible they might go on their own, but typically, an experienced sales person should attend the closing to press the delighted new client for names of other company owners that the Bank should be calling. Further, loan closings can be a great time to cross-sell additional services. Leveraging the relationship after the sale i. It is wise to have a Quality Assurance Program to ensure that your new client remains delighted with the Bank, his loan officer, his branch contacts, etc. If there are any problems, youll want to hear about them before any competitive Banks catch wind of his displeasure. The key point here is to be proactive in following up with the new client to press them for referrals, ensure that they are delighted and to see how you might service them even better by suggesting additional services that could help them.
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SALES AUDIT SURVEY FOR BANKS
DIRECTIONS: The Bank Sales Audit Survey should be viewed as a tool to help identify potential areas of improvement within a Bank's sales organization. Please select either "Yes" or "No" and do not make a mark in between the bubbles; force yourself to pick one of the two possible responses. For the purpose of this Audit, sales person refers generically to anyone in the Bank that has any responsibility to add new clients or to increase the amount of business they are generating from their existing accounts, or they are responsible for attempting to refer or cross sell any other Bank products. Yes 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Our sales people are the best trained in the industry. We have enough sales people. Our incentive program works effectively to motivate our sales people to do more. We have competitive products. Our people can effectively articulate the Banks unique selling proposition in terms that clearly resonate with our prospects. On average, we receive at least one warm referral from each customer each year. Everyone at our Bank is required to add new clients. We pay more incentive for adding new clients, than for simply adding additional business from existing clients. We convert in excess of 60% of the business/loan proposals that we issue. Whenever we lose an account, we have someone other than the former relationship manager call them and find out what really happened. The unfiltered results of that conversation are immediately relayed to the Banks CEO. Our Board of Directors is familiar with the Banks Top 250 Prospects and they are actively engaged in promoting our Bank throughout the community. We have developed a standard list of interview questions for those potential new hires that are interested in a sales-oriented position, and all interviews minimally address the core competency sales questions that weve established as the minimum benchmark. We are consistently asking our staff how we can more effectively process new customer requests in order to speed-up the processing and dramatically reduce the hassle factor involved in changing Banks. Once a new client joins the Bank, we have an independent person contact them and interview them about their experience with the transition. The unfiltered results from these new client interviews are forwarded directly to our CEO. No
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Yes No
15.
We have a standard by which all loan and new deposit accounts are measured in terms of estimated processing time and all other aspects of the approval and total account set-up. We are able to consistently recruit the top sales people in the banking industry. We retain our best sales people. Our sales people are extremely motivated. Sales people are some of the most well-respected and admired people in our Bank. We have mapped the ideal sales process for our Bank. Its in writing and we follow it closely. Someone from the Bank independently calls every prospect after each meeting to follow-up and inquire how the sales call went and to verify the next steps. Each of our sales people has a Top-20 Prospect List that is updated monthly. Each of our sales people has a Circle the Wagons template where they record the CPA, Attorney, existing Bank, Business insurance agent and other professional advisors of their top prospects. Within the past 18 months, we have purchased an updated list of prospects in each of our markets, wherein the prospect names meet our ideal customer profile. We have removed all known process roadblocks from our sales people so that they can be their most effective at all times. We have removed all trivial reporting requirements from our sales people in order to allow them to focus on selling, not paperwork. We have had a formal sales training program within the last 18 months. Our sales people are happy with our incentive plan. We have critically and systematically analyzed every aspect of our sales organization and noted in writing, all improvements that are necessary. We have tracked and can readily identify the percentage of appointments that convert to either loan requests or new account requests. We have tracked and can readily identify the percentage of loan requests that convert into loan proposals. We have tracked and can readily identify the percentage of loan proposals that ultimately convert into new Bank clients. Our sales people have completed a time management class within the last 18 months. Our sales people are meeting with at least 4 new companies each month that they have never met before.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23.
24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

18
Yes No
35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44.
Within the last 12 months, each sales person has been reviewed (by an independent person) on their sales performance/skills while on a sales call. We have conducted a detailed customer satisfaction survey in the past 12 months We have conducted a blind survey of involving all of our sales people in order to solicit their input, gripes, ideas, and potential areas to improve our process. An independent party has formally observed the work practices of our sales organization both while sitting at their desks and out on sales calls. We have defined the ideal customer experience and created Bankwide customer satisfaction characteristics/benchmarks for customer satisfaction. We retain 100% of all desirable customers. We keep track of every incoming phone call that was generated from any marketing or advertising effort. We have a dedicated phone line to specifically-track the response rates to each ad campaign and marketing activity that we sponsor/initiate. We know the exact payoff from each marketing campaign because we carefully track the results. Prior to starting any new marketing or advertising initiative, we estimate the anticipated response rate, the costs and the ROI. Then we track these details relentlessly throughout the campaign. We always do a post-mortem on each marketing initiative and ad campaign in order to determine whether or not we achieved our budgeted ROI. We keep a detailed list of every proposal that is not accepted. An independent party always follows up with every single proposal that is not accepted. We uncover the real reason why the proposal was not accepted and we communicate the unfiltered results to the CEO. We know the exact ROI for every marketing campaign, ad series or PR event. We have a sales training manual for all sales people. Our sales people can quickly and convincingly state our Banks unique selling proposition such that it truly resonates in a compelling way with our prospects. We know exactly how many ideal prospects are located in our key markets. We know what our market share is for commercial loans, deposits and other key Bank product groups. Our tellers have an incentive plan that is working to improve cross selling and internal referrals to the platform. We know how much time our customers are spending waiting in lobby lines.
45. 46. 47.
48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54.

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Yes No
55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75.
All of our customers know with clarity, exactly what products and services we offer. Each sales person is required to complete their own annual sales forecast and develop a written action plan showing exactly how they will meet their numbers. We have sales territories that are defined in writing. Our sales people carry a sales kit that allows them to discuss any product or service that a prospect or referral source may be interested in. Our management team gets out of the office to make client and prospect calls every week. We have excellent sales automation tools that are easy to use and effective. Our customer service reps are familiar with our products and know when to refer customers who may need additional services. Our customer service reps can earn a referral fee for cross selling or cross referring. Our sales incentive plans are so easy to understand that they can be explained and understood in about one minute. The information necessary to calculate an incentive award is readily available to those who are earning the incentives. We have fired the bottom 10% of our sales force in the last 12 months. Sales managers and Bank management are known to clear obstacles in order to help sales people be more effective. We dont carry low performing sales people. (NOTE: Yes = you Agree) We deal promptly with poor performers. We set clear expectations for performance, monitor them at least monthly and take decisive action on those sales people that do not produce at expected levels. Expected performance measures are in place for each sales person and these measures are monitored monthly. We have some sales people on written performance improvement plans with timelines, expected improvements and consequences for non-performance. We have documented the key success criteria for landing new business at our Bank and weve distributed these criteria to each sales person. We have documented procedures for each sales person, including a detailed explanation of performance expectations. We keep track of what our competitors are offering in the market by collecting copies of proposals that fall into the hands of our clients. We have a detailed list of the training needs of each individual sales person.

20
Yes No
76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82.
We have defined the candidate must haves for all new sales personnel. We have a candidate selection form that is used in all interviews for sales people. We have a list of each competitor Banks rainmakers and our Banks senior management is keeping in touch with them. An independent person asks our customers and prospects to assess our sales skills and the unfiltered results are presented directly to the CEO. We train our sales managers. Our sales managers are the best in the business. We have defined the optimal sales productivity characteristics of our best sales people. (i.e. We know exactly what our most effective sales people are doing with their time.) There is an independent person assigned to survey customers, prospects and referral sources to inquire as to their level of satisfaction with the Bank, and the unfiltered results are forwarded directly to the CEO. We have an industry-leading follow-up system with prospects. Nothing ever falls through the cracks. We have had an independent sales quality and sales process audit within the last 18 months. We have a rock-solid system to detect flaws in our sales operating system. Our sales organization is exceptionally-effective and productive. We carefully track the ROI of our sales organization. We know how much it costs us to develop each new deposit account. We know how much it costs us to develop each new loan request. We know exactly what it costs us to develop each new loan proposal. We know exactly what it costs us to develop each new loan account. We have had a major redesign of our sales organization within the last three years. We have formally reviewed our incentive plans within the last 18 months. Annually, we have at least three seasonal, thematic sales campaigns that the staff enjoys and has fun with. Management is keenly involved with each of these. Employees can be recognized in a public forum every time a sales success occurs.
83.
84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96.

21
Yes No
97. 98. 99.
Our sales people are given the opportunity to amend, modify or otherwise refine our sales process based on their field experiences. Our sales people document flaws in our system and feel free communicating bottlenecks without fear of reprisals. We have identified all the sales bottlenecks within the Bank.
100. Our sales people have documented the strengths and weaknesses of each of our major competitors. 101. We keep track of how long a prospect stays on our list---we do not allow stale prospects to clutter our top prospect lists. 102. We keep track of first appointments on a 2-week, rolling forward basis. 103. We establish a written next action on every sales call. 104. Our sales people always follow up with new clients to do a post close review. 105. We have had negotiation training for all sales people within the last 18 months. 106. Our training programs for sales people last at least 6-months for each program and involve face to face classroom work as well as personal coaching. 107. A member of the Banks executive team goes on all significant business proposal meetings with new prospective clients. 108. Our sales people are highly disciplined. 109. Our sales people look and act like professionals (attire, speech, materials, etc.) 110. On sales calls, our people are listening at least 70% of the time and asking questions the other 30% of the time. 111. Our people love to sell. 112. Sales people have a career path at our Bank. 113. The executive management of our Bank are terrific sales people. 114. Senior Bank management encourages a growth mindset around the Bank. 115. Our people make plenty of business development calls on their own initiative; we really dont have any issue with trying to see more prospects. 116. Our advertising programs and marketing initiatives are definitely good investments with a proven ROI that we track every month. 117. Our sales people consistently send thank you letters following every prospect meeting or referral source call. 118. Any business opportunities we develop, but do not meet our minimum standards, are referred to other companies where we can earn a success fee (e.g. leasing company, A/R finance, factoring, mortgages, SBA loans, etc.)

22
Yes No
119. Our loan officers and deposit managers are capturing every possible referral opportunity from their existing clients. 120. Our loan officers have met 100% of their clients professional advisors (e.g. CPA, attorney, business insurance broker, leasing agent, etc.). 121. Our people understand that in order to land a new Bank client, that in most cases they must convince the prospect to leave their existing Bank. 122. In addition to tracking the result of each referral, we track the number of referrals that the Bank receives from each referral source as well as the number of referrals that we make to others. (i.e. referrals-in and referrals-out) 123. We are convinced that our existing sales people are operating at peak efficiency. 124. We wont issue a proposal until were at least 70% certain that it will be accepted. 125. Our marketing and advertising departments are held to the same level of control and accountability for results as any other profit center in the Bank.

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Program Overview............................................................................................................................... Section 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1A Sales Tools and Process................................................................................................................................... 1B Concerns About Selling.....................................................................................................................................1C The Four Key Activities of Bank Rainmakers ...................................................................................................1D Primary Activities Proven to Deliver Results ............................................................................................1E 1F Satisfaction Versus Loyalty ...............................................................................................................................1G Client Retention Checklist .................................................................................................................................1H Sales Funnel Overview .......................................................................................................................................1I Self Assessment: Sales Background........................................................................................................1J 1R Program Resources, Forms and Tools............................................................................................................. 1S Program Definitions ........................................................................................................................................... 1T Time Management ............................................................................................................................... Section 2 Time Management: Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 2A Reducing Stress and Anxiety ............................................................................................................................ 2B Universal Time Management Principles ...........................................................................................................2C The Pareto Principle (aka The 80/20 Rule)...................................................................................................2D The 80-20 Rule and Your To-Do Lists ............................................................................................................. 2E The Critical Path to New Business Results ...................................................................................................... 2F Developing CenterPin Solutions.....................................................................................................................2G Sample: CenterPin Activities.............................................................................................................................2H Time Management Best Practices......................................................................................................................2I Maintaining Your List System.............................................................................................................................2J 130% of Goal in 9 Months ................................................................................................................................. 2K Sales Planning ..................................................................................................................................... Section 3 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 3A Sales Blueprint Instructions............................................................................................................................... 3B Sales Blueprint Sample ......................................................................................................................... 3C 3E Blueprint Activity ................................................................................................................................................ 3F Sample Blueprint Activities.......................................................................................................................3G 3H The Sales Blueprint Template.............................................................................................................................3I Blueprint Activity Filter ........................................................................................................................................3J Pre-Call Plan..............................................................................................................................................3K 3L Additional Pre-Call Considerations ..........................................................................................................3M 3N Additional Post-Call Considerations..................................................................................................................3O Developing Your Market Position and Message ......................................................................................3P 3S Positioning Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 3T The Sales Playbook...........................................................................................................................................3U Weekly Plan and Review ................................................................................................................................ 3V Weekly Plan and Review Agenda ................................................................................................................. 3W Weekly Plan and Review Template and Notes......................................................................................3X 3Y

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Client Referrals and Cross-Selling.................................................................................................... Section 4 Client Referrals ..........................................................................................................................................4A 4B Who Do Your Clients Know?.............................................................................................................................4C Scripts: Client Referrals..............................................................................................................................4D 4I Earning Client Referrals .....................................................................................................................................4J Generating Internal Referrals............................................................................................................................ 4K Workshop Exercise: Generating Internal Referrals...........................................................................................4L Creating Cross Selling Opportunities................................................................................................................4M Cross-Selling A Case Study.................................................................................................................. 4N 4P Internal Coordination and Cross-Selling Success Stories ...............................................................................4Q Cross-Selling and Partnering Examples...................................................................................................4R 4T Referral Building Tips ........................................................................................................................................4U The Immutable Laws of Referral Building......................................................................................................... 4V Referral Building Best Practices in Banking .................................................................................................... 4W Referral Rainmaker Axioms .............................................................................................................................. 4X External Referral Building and Networking ..................................................................................... Section 5 Current Referral Assessment ........................................................................................................................... 5A Ranking and Categorizing Your Contacts ....................................................................................................... 5B A Network of 15 Advocates...............................................................................................................................5C Sorting and Ranking your Rolodex ...................................................................................................................5D My Referral Advocates ...................................................................................................................................... 5E Inner Circle Backgrounder........................................................................................................................ 5F 5G Referral Relationship Bank Accounts ...............................................................................................................5H Expand Your Network .........................................................................................................................................5I Developing your Quick Pitch ..................................................................................................................... 5J 5K Quick Pitch Template .........................................................................................................................................5L Quickly Building Momentum with Referral Sources .........................................................................................5M Client Advisor List .....................................................................................................................................5N 5O Value Exchange................................................................................................................................................. 5P Why a Referral Resume?..................................................................................................................................5Q My Referral Resume Sample.................................................................................................................5R 5T My Referral Resume................................................................................................................................. 5U 5V Scripts and Asking for Referrals...............................................................................................................5W 5Z Referral Builder Plan .......................................................................................................................................5AA Sample Referral Builder Plan.............................................................................................................. 5BB 5DD My Personal Referral Builder Plan.......................................................................................................5EE 5FF Proven Referral Builder Strategies .................................................................................................... 5GG 5HH Referral Building Q&A ........................................................................................................................................5II Get Results in 90 Days.....................................................................................................................................5JJ

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Prospecting and Appointment Setting ............................................................................................. Section 6 Prospecting ................................................................................................................................................6A 6B Categorizing Activities .......................................................................................................................................6C Prospecting ........................................................................................................................................................6D Filling the Top of the Funnel.............................................................................................................................. 6E The Prospect Manager Program.............................................................................................................. 6F 6G Prospect Lists ....................................................................................................................................................6H Top 20 Prospect Lists..........................................................................................................................................6I The Rainmakers Prospect Funnel.....................................................................................................................6J Sample Script Ideas for Telephone Cold Calls........................................................................................ 6K 6O Developing New Bank Clients........................................................................................................................... 6P Circle the Wagons .............................................................................................................................................6Q Sample: Circle the Wagons Template ..............................................................................................................6R Finding Prospects/List Development ................................................................................................................ 6S Prospecting Case Study: BDOs........................................................................................................................ 6T Sample Conversion Rates ................................................................................................................................6U Daily Telemarketing Tally Sheet ....................................................................................................................... 6V Weekly Telemarketing Productivity Log........................................................................................................... 6W Improving Sales Meeting Effectiveness........................................................................................... Section 7 Improving Sales Effectiveness ................................................................................................................. 7A 7G Asking Questions That Differentiate .................................................................................................................7H Active, Engaged Listening ................................................................................................................................7I When is Size a Virtue? .......................................................................................................................................7J The Power of Pre-Call Planning........................................................................................................................ 7K Develop Next Action Steps.................................................................................................................................7L Proven Ways to Stay In Touch.................................................................................................................7M 7P Ad Specialty Items.............................................................................................................................................7Q Proposing, Negotiating & Closing .................................................................................................... Section 8 One-Liners and Slick Tricks Wont Work! ......................................................................................................... 8A The New Realities of Negotiating and Closing ................................................................................................. 8B Improving Closing Success Rates ....................................................................................................................8C Improving Closing Percentages ................................................................................................................8D 8F Client References and Testimonials .................................................................................................................8G SAMPLE: Testimonial Letter Template ............................................................................................................8H Negotiating Success............................................................................................................................................8I Improve Negotiating Success ............................................................................................................................8J Beware of these Negotiating Ploys ..........................................................................................................8K 8M Sales Process, Pipeline & Funnel Management ............................................................................. Section 9 The Components in any Sales Process ........................................................................................................... 9A The Sales Process ....................................................................................................................................9B 9F Prospect Pipeline: Maintaining Sales Momentum............................................................................................9G Pipeline Accuracy and Integrity..................................................................................................................9H 9I Following-up and Staying in Touch....................................................................................................................9J Follow-up............................................................................................................................................................ 9K Add More Value with News Articles & Updates....................................................................................... 9L 9M Sales Slumps............................................................................................................................................9N 9O The Sales Champions Process Script .....................................................................................................9P 9V

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Overview of Bank Sales Management ............................................................................................ Section 10 Sales Tools and Process................................................................................................................................. 10A Next Steps Following the Kickoff Workshop................................................................................................... 10B The Sales Management Process....................................................................................................................10C Shifting Towards a Sales Culture....................................................................................................................10D Leadership Roadblocks................................................................................................................................... 10E The Compass .................................................................................................................................................. 10F Conducting Effective Sales Meetings and Creating a Winning Environment .......................... Section 11 Internal Sales Meetings........................................................................................................................ 11A 11B Internal Sales Meetings Topics .......................................................................................................................11C Internal Sales Meetings Guidelines ................................................................................................................11D Internal Sales Meetings Agenda ..................................................................................................................... 11E Recognition and Accountability ....................................................................................................................... 11F Tracking and Ranking...........................................................................................................................11G 11H A Winning Environment.....................................................................................................................................11I Elements of a Winning Culture.........................................................................................................................11J How to Build a Winning Business ........................................................................................................11K 11M When Employees Struggle with Selling ......................................................................................... Section 12 Employee Concerns About Selling ...................................................................................................... 12A 12B RM Sales Results ............................................................................................................................................12C Candor and Accountability ................................................................................................................... 12D 12E Addressing Performance Issues ..................................................................................................................... 12F Sales Slumps........................................................................................................................................12G 12H Working With RMs who are Struggling with Sales ................................................................................ 12I 12J Sequential Steps Toward Performance Improvements ................................................................................. 12K 90-Day Performance Roadmap ...................................................................................................................... 12L Follow-up Process and Action Plan ............................................................................................................... 12M Action Plan SAMPLE....................................................................................................................................12N Action Plan.......................................................................................................................................................12O Next Steps ....................................................................................................................................................... 12P Top of the Funnel Activities .............................................................................................................................12Q Filling the Top of the Funnel............................................................................................................................12R Prospect Lists .................................................................................................................................................. 12S Service and Sales Activity Template............................................................................................................... 12T Sales Blueprint Activities Template.................................................................................................................12U

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Effective Coaching and Communication Skills.............................................................................. Section13 How to be a Great Coach................................................................................................................................ 13A Coaching and Follow-up.................................................................................................................................. 13B Characteristics of a Great Coach....................................................................................................................13C Gauging your Commitment to Coaching ........................................................................................................13D When to Coach ................................................................................................................................................ 13E When to Coach ................................................................................................................................................ 13F The Coaching Agenda.....................................................................................................................................13G Weekly Plan and Review ..............................................................................................................................13H Weekly Plan and Review Agenda ..................................................................................................................13I Additional Plan and Review Questions............................................................................................................13J Weekly Plan and Review Template and Notes..................................................................................13K 13L Make Sure Youre Understood....................................................................................................................... 13M Achieving Alignment......................................................................................................................................13N Communication.....................................................................................................................................13O 13P Open-Ended Questions...................................................................................................................................13Q Managing the Recruiting Process................................................................................................... Section 14 Problems Resulting from a Weak Bench ..................................................................................................... 14A Difficult Conversations..................................................................................................................................... 14B Recruiting .........................................................................................................................................................14C Building Your Bench ........................................................................................................................................14D Hiring Winners .......................................................................................................................................14E 14F Recruiting and Hiring the Best ........................................................................................................................14G What Motivates your People? .........................................................................................................................14H Personal Motivation ................................................................................................................................ 14I 14J Assessing Your Team ...........................................................................................................................14K 14L Conducting Interviews for a Sales - Related RM................................................................................ 14M 14Q

I NTRODUCTION
These are unusually competitive times in the banking industry and we are all forced to address three new realities. New Reality #1: The Rules have changed.
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Bank and non-Bank competitors continue to offer customers incredibly aggressive deals (lower rates, better terms, less restrictive covenants, etc.) to lure them away. Every customer is vulnerable. Many of these non-Bank competitors are not restrained by the same regulatory costs and burdens as the Banks. It may not be fair but its the new reality. Just to stay even we need to fight to retain our clients. And in order to grow, you and your team must adopt some new behaviors and establish some new disciplines.
New Reality #2:
Its never been harder to attract and land new clients.
We need to find new, better and more effective ways to develop business, and we must do better at converting Prospects into customers. We must improve at asking questions in order to uncover the needs of Prospects and customers. We also need to suggest additional services to our customers and Prospects.
New Reality #3:
Customer retention alone is not enough.
Every year, despite our best efforts, we lose loan and deposit customers through unavoidable attrition. We must replace this lost business just to stay even. Unavoidable attrition can happen when customers sell their companies. It also can happen when they are lured away with better terms, pricing or services that we are unwilling to match. Sometimes they fall on hard times and we can no longer support their credit needs. And sometimes, they may be looking for more than what the Bank can comfortably provide. Avoidable attrition is different. Thats when customers leave because they have a bad experience at the Bank. They feel that they can get better service elsewhere. We want them to stay and we are disappointed that they are leaving, but we cannot convince them to stay. They are leaving us because they are upset with something that we probably could have done better. We want to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, avoidable attrition.
Developing a structured Sales Process is a first step toward introducing the behaviors and disciplines that will move the Bank toward better results and position us more favorably to address these new realities you face in each of your markets.

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Advanced
5
Next Steps
Pipeline Development and Closing: 1. RM Pipeline: $5MM / 90-Day / 75% 2. Annual Strategic Account Review 3. Personal Sales Process/System 4. Advanced Negotiation Skills
Weekly Plan & Review Meetings
4
First Steps
Prospecting and Referrals: 1. Pre-Call Plans 2. Top-20 Prospect List 3. 2/10, New-New (Inspect in Weekly Plan & Review) 4. Book of Testimonial Letters
3
Foundation
Low Hanging Fruit and Introduction: 1. Client Advisor List (Professional advisors of largest clients: CPA, etc.) 2. Circle the Wagons (Top 50 100 Suspect List) 3. Referral Building Plan (Who, Frequency, Reciprocation, Adding Value) 4. Referral Resume
2
Backbone
Assessment and Planning: 1. RM Self Assessment 2. RM Sales Blueprint 3. Client Retention Checklist (Annually to uncover potential at-risk accounts)
Oversight, Accountability, Coaching & Support: 1. Bi-Weekly: Sales Meetings (Using the Agenda and keep focused on sales. Avoid admin.) 2. Monthly: Compass (Be sure to review for early warning signs) 3. Sales Playbook One stop resource for all Sales Plans, Top 20 Lists, Pre-Call Plans, etc. 4. Use the Workbooks, plus Document Library

C ONCERNS A BOUT S ELLING
Introduction Its quite common for people to feel anxious and uncertain about the Banks increased focus on business development, cross-selling and client retention. Many of you may be concerned that you lack formal sales training. Its also quite common to have some participants that are extremely uncomfortable with selling and with exposing themselves to the possible risk of rejection. So before we move into the program content, lets first review some of the common fears and concerns expressed by many program participants. Which of these comments sound familiar to you? (Please check all that apply)
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Do you want me to service my customers or do prospecting? I cant do both! I cant sell. I wasnt hired to sell and Im not paid enough to sell. Im not a born salesperson. Im not going to be a used car salesman. This is not a used car lot, this is a Bank! I think service is more important than sales. Submitting call reports is a waste of my time. We don't care about the customers anymore. I will not be micro-managed by all these sales goals. Were becoming just like the big banks. Its just a numbers game. I dont have time to sell, I have too much paperwork. We dont have the proper training to sell. I dont know what to say. If I just take care of my customers, I will get all the business I need! Selling is not in my job description. Filling out call reports is keeping me from selling.
What are some other concerns about selling that you have, or youve heard others express?

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P RIMARY A CTIVITIES P ROVEN
Primary Activities Proven to Deliver Results IdeaBridge conducted surveys with a cross-section of Bank Rainmakers in order to develop a profile of activities proven to deliver new business results as reported specifically by these groups. While the results are not surprising in terms of the specific activities, what was most interesting was the consistency in which specific activities were credited with driving new business success. What follows is a proven road map for new business success. There is no need to radically vary from these activities. Yes, they are basic, block-and-tackle activities, but they consistently deliver. It seems the key for success, as in most things, is in the consistency and execution of a set of basic activities.
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D ELIVER R ESULTS
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1. Industry Specialization: We strongly advocate that every RM should have advanced knowledge and experience in one or two specific industries. You dont need to be an industry expert, but clearly you will experience more business development success if you are widely viewed as a knowledgeable industry resource with an understanding of key industry terms, ratios, cycles, etc. Industry specialization will position an RM as a valuable resource and clearly differentiates them in the minds of Prospects and referral sources. All things being equal, Prospects and referral sources universally prefer an industry specialist to a generalist. (Note: we said specialist not expert.)
2. Primary Activities Proven to Deliver Results: a. Client Referrals: Referrals from Bank clients b. Service Provider Referrals: Referrals from professional advisors (CPAs, Attorneys, HR benefit consultants, business insurance professionals) c. Long Term Follow-up: Consistently contacting those Prospects and former clients that are on your Top Prospect List. Adding value with each exchange, but never letting anything slip.
3. Other Important Activities and Advice: a. Industry Specialization: Find an industry you really like, learn about it, conduct research. Get to know those professionals who serve the industry. This has a snowball effect. Remember: if you have three clients in the same industry, you already have a credible position as an industry specialist. b. Share your Lists: Take your Top Prospect and Top Suspect Lists to review with your clients and referral sources. This was mentioned many times as a high-leverage, high ROT activity that helps jog the memory and often results in additional information or outright referrals.

P RIMARY A CTIVITIES , C ONTINUED
c. Dont Stray Too Far From the Credit Box: Many of the most successful RMs suggested that they dont waste time on opportunities that clearly dont fit in their credit box. If its clear that theres a lot of internal resistance and no true opportunity, then these RMs will move onto more promising opportunities. They will not allow themselves to get into a deal bunker where they dig themselves into a fox hole so they can fight an internal battle. Rather, they look for better opportunities with a higher ROT.
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d. Embrace Product Knowledge: Many have cited that their in-depth knowledge of certain products has allowed them to spot opportunities for additional client cross-sales. They believe that without the product knowledge, they would not have been capable of spotting the opportunity. e. Do Business with Friends: What many RMs have reported is that they have a much higher conversion rate if they have a personal relationship with their referral sources. When there is strong personal chemistry and a friendship, their referral sources are much more likely to strongly advocate and endorse the RM and the Bank. f. Dont Stop! RMs also consistently cite long-term follow-up efforts, often over many years, as a critical component of a successful business development strategy.
g. Plan Your Week: Survey respondents reported that they plan their week around business development and client servicing activities. Curiously, the number of hours per activity fell within a very narrow range. The averages are as follows:
Summary of Time and Activities Reported by Those Rainmakers Surveyed:
Activities of Rainmakers Meeting F2F with current clients specifically to talk about referrals and cross-selling. Follow-up activities on all long-term Prospects. Meeting F2F with external referral sources (CPAs, Attorneys, etc.) Personal business development Prospecting activities (cold calling, PM/TM meetings, etc.)
# Hours Per week 6 5 5

S ELF A SSESSMENT : S ALES B ACKGROUND
Instructions You are about to complete a self-assessment that will be used as a tool to evaluate your experience, comfort-level and success in various business development activities and disciplines. This is not a psychological assessment or a personality profile, but rather a flat list of some of the more general behavioral attributes of Bank relationship mangers who are charged with retaining clients, selling deeper to their existing clients and consistently adding new clients to their current portfolio. Your selfperceptions on this survey will not to be used in any formal performance review nor will this assessment ever become part of your employment file. It's merely a tool to identify the most effective sales and prospecting behaviors that will assist you in meeting your annual performance objectives. Note: By selecting yes you agree with the statement. Organization and Time Management: 1. I maintain excellent records of all my Prospects calls. 2. Im widely viewed as well organized and on top of any customer issues, Prospect opportunities and all internal paperwork or reports. 3. I am an excellent manager of my time. 4. I prioritize my time in order to schedule availability to make Prospect calls every single week. 5. Im both efficient and effective in my current role. 6. I make time each month to market internally with other officers and Credit Administration. 7. I maintain excellent records of all my client calls. 8. I manage my time to make consistent progress on both long- and short-term tasks and projects (Prospect development, account maintenance, etc.) 9. I constantly seek to improve my efficiency through adopting time-saving systems and practices. 10. I maintain a daily to-do list, and update it often. 11. I provide my manager with progress reports in advance of being asked to do so; I never need reminders or prodding from my manager. 12. I have mastered my time in order to be thoughtful and strategic with respect to business development; I have the time I need to do an effective job with business development activities. 13. When things around me are moving and changing quickly, I have the ability to shift my priorities in order to help maximize the overall performance of our team or unit.
No Somewhat Yes
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S ELF A SSESSMENT : S ALES B ACKGROUND , C ONTINUED
35
Motivation and Attitude: 1. Im motivated primarily by the opportunity to earn a bigger bonus based on my sales and cross-selling results. 2. I seek and appreciate recognition from my peers for superior performance. 3. Im motivated by how I stack up against my peer group and where I rank in the team and division. 4. Im motivated by a drive to be recognized for hard work and results. I like to be recognized for great work and success. 5. I maintain a positive, upbeat outlook even if a deal doesnt quite fly with credit or if Im in a prolonged prospecting slump. 6. I am committed to improving my prospecting and selling skills and I understand that selling is required in my position. 7. I go out of my way to do things for my customers, things that they find valuable, in order to demonstrate to them that we truly appreciate their business and their loyalty to the Bank. 8. I take personal responsibility for any lack of sales results. I dont blame the economy, credit, the competition or my current workload issues for lack of results. 9. I take personal responsibility for any failure to meet my assigned goals; I dont blame others or pass-the-buck. 10. Im motivated primarily by the opportunity to earn a bigger bonus based on my account maintenance and risk identification results. 11. Im motivated by the opportunity to be part of a successful team effort. 12. Im motivated by the opportunity to lead a successful team effort. 13. The business development goals assigned to me are fair, reasonable and achievable by me. 14. My manager takes the time to listen to me and is fully engaged when I explain my concerns or any obstacles relating to meeting my business development goals or outlining my client servicing challenges. 15. I feel that my manager appreciates my efforts and provides me with adequate recognition and praise based on achieving my goals and results.
No Somewhat Yes

36
Cross-Selling and Generating Referrals: 1. Im conversationally competent about the majority of products/services for potential internal referral and cross-selling opportunities to my customers and Prospects. 2. On every call, I carry a list of the best questions to ask that have been proven to generate cross-selling or referral opportunities. 3. I have productive referral sources that send warm, bona fide referrals along with a personal endorsement and introduction to the Prospects wed like to bank. 4. I consistently generate high quality referrals and provide warm, personal introductions to the Prospect or customer. 5. I take the initiative to suggest product and service add-ons and then make warm introductions to my internal product specialists or other colleagues. 6. I consistently and proactively refer business opportunities to other areas of the Bank, and within the unit, without being prompted to do so. 7. I consistently follow-up on referrals that Ive made to others around the Bank; I keep notes and make certain that sales momentum is maintained in order to ensure a smooth and seamless process. 8. I take the initiative to gather information internally that will enhance my ability to cross-sell. Comfort with Selling: 1. I enjoy selling and am both skilled and comfortable asking people to leave their current provider in order to come and do business with me and the Bank. 2. Others who have seen me in action have commented that I am confident, aggressive or even fearless when it comes to asking Prospects to make a commitment to change Banks. 3. I feel that I am relentless in my pursuit of new business with Prospects and crossselling to my existing customers. 4. Rejection on the phone or during a meeting rolls right off my back; I do not take rejection personally.
No Somewhat Yes
No Somewhat Yes

37
Prospecting and Appointment Setting: 1. Im quite successful at consistently setting appointments with the Decision Makers of new Prospects. 2. I do enough prospecting to insure an adequate Pipeline all year long, regardless of the season, renewals or other constraints. 3. I consistently generate new business opportunities without being prompted to do so by my manager. 4. Im an excellent cold caller and have good success making appointments by phone. 5. I have a natural talent and flair for developing new business. 6. I consistently generate at least four appointments with New/New Prospects (new Prospects that I have never met before) every single month. 7. I maintain a Top Prospect list with at least 20 names that I am constantly tracking and working. 8. I avoid fits and spurts of prospecting and Pipeline building activity because I consistently Prospect every week, all year long. 9. I show my Top Prospect list and my Suspect list to my referral sources and ask them for introductions or any additional information they might have. 10. Im good at consistently getting past secretaries and gatekeepers in order to have a conversation with the final Decision Maker. 11. I have listed all of the Service Providers that serve each of my top customers and am well on my way to meeting each of these professionals. 12. Rather than simply winging it, I have talking points or some other kind of script to help me deliver a smooth presentation when making telephone appointments. 13. I actively seek out new accounts to manage. 14. I understand the Banks appetite for risk and have a very good sense of what will fit in our current credit box at any given time. 15. I always seek ways to expand our product suite and industry penetration. 16. It may not seem fair but I understand that the Banks appetite for risk, hold limits/positions, industries, pricing, terms and other risk vs. return issues will ebb and flow; I understand that risk appetite will often be a moving target.
No Somewhat Yes

38
Pre-Call Planning: 1. I use account planning tools to conduct an annual review of each account in order to determine the Prospects or customers expected product and service needs over the next 6-36 months. 2. Prior to making a call on my Prospect, I do a Pre-Call plan that outlines my objectives and provides some background on the company so that I come prepared to immediately add value and insure that the meeting was a valuable use of the Prospects time. 3. I clearly understand that value is always defined by our Prospects, referral sources or customers. I would agree with the statement: What I may think is valuable is not as important as what our meeting participant finds to be of value. 4. When calling on a company or individual that I have met with in the past, I always review my prior notes and then review with the Prospect what we discussed on the last visit. 5. Before an initial presentation to Credit Administration, I draft written talking points that anticipate possible objections. Sales Skills: 1. Im good at quickly building rapport on Prospect calls. 2. I adjust my selling approach to match the preferred style of various types of buyers (i.e. value buyer, price shoppers, relationship buyers, etc.) 3. I am well trained and highly skilled in the most current sales techniques. I read sales books, listen to tapes, practice role playing, attend seminars and am highly educated about the nuances of selling Bank loans and products. 4. I have excellent listening skills and Im a good conversationalist. 5. On Prospect calls, I mostly ask questions about their business and issues of importance to the Prospect. I listen about 80% of the time and talk only about 20% of the time. When I do talk, its usually to ask questions or clarify a point made by the Prospect. 6. I do a great job of presenting proposals and explaining possible solutions to Prospects. 7. Im skilled at getting Prospects to make the decision to change Banks. 8. I clearly understand that Prospects dont always give me the full story and knowing that, I maintain a healthy skepticism about promises by Prospects to switch Banks.
No Somewhat Yes
No Somewhat Yes

39
Sales Skills, Continued: 9. I have excellent control of my emotions during a sales call. Even if baited by an aggressive Prospect or an angry customer, I maintain a professional composure. 10. I minimize Prospect shopping of my proposals with up-front agreements and dont issue proposals unless I am relatively certain that the proposal will be accepted. 11. I take the time to carefully understand each Prospects unique decision making process and uncover exactly where the decision making power is held. 12. I take time to understand how the decision will be made, what the chief decision making criteria are and the relative weight of each decision criterion. (For example, is service more important than rate, or is greater credit availability more important than all else, etc.) 13. I have an excellent follow-up system to insure that nothing ever falls through the cracks. 14. I send Prospects and referral sources a thank you letter or card after each visit. 15. I am an excellent representative of the Bank on a Prospect or referral call. 16. I am always honest in my presentations. 17. I apply sales skills in every aspect of my professional life. 18. I write excellent new business proposals and credit recommendations. 19. I adjust my presentation to the audience, and change style/approach as necessary. 20. I believe that I have all the necessary prospecting, selling and negotiating skills necessary to meet my annual business development, cross-selling and portfolio profit objectives.
No Somewhat Yes
Using a Sales System: 1. I have a Sales Process or system that I use on every call and which I can clearly articulate. The system is flexible enough to handle price shoppers, relationship buyers and those in between or who are currently happy with their existing Bank. 2. I never wing it because everything I do on a call is by design. 3. Im good at avoiding being shopped by Prospects that are only looking to leverage my proposal for a better deal at their current Bank and have no sincere interest in changing.
No Somewhat Yes

40
Using a Sales System, Continued: 4. I always end each call at least 10-15 minutes early in order to establish definitive Next Steps that are planned and conveyed to the Prospect or customer, including a suggested date for a follow-up meeting. 5. I am excellent at controlling the buying process and keeping things moving ahead on my schedule. 6. I take control of the sales meeting with my proven Sales Process, rather than winging it and defaulting to the Prospects system. 7. I am excellent at maintaining sales momentum. 8. I have a good sense or intuition about when a Prospect may be stalling me, shopping us or when they are sincerely interested. 9. Over the last 12 months, I have closed in excess of 60% of every written proposal that I have issued to new Prospects on behalf of the Bank. Adding Value on a Sales Call: 1. Both clients and Prospects view me as adding real value and see me as a professional advisor to them. 2. I am someone who thinks strategically about my Prospects and customers entire business; typically, I am thinking 6 36 months ahead for potential needs or issues. 3. If surveyed, Prospects Ive worked with would say that our meetings were a highly valuable use of their time and that they walked away with a better overall impression of the Bank due to my visit with them. 4. Compared to the relationship managers at other Banks who also call on the same Prospects, I believe that the Prospects see a more strategic approach and a higher-level of added value after visiting with me. 5. For every new Prospect and each customer in my portfolio, I perform a systematic analysis of their current and long term needs, including a strategic assessment of possible ownership issues, industry changes and the potential impact of market/competitive influences.
No Somewhat Yes
No Somewhat Yes

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Bank Sales Training & Sales Management Programs

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John D. Callos President & CEO (800) 986-1230 x225 [email protected]

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IDEABRIDGE, LLC | (800) 986-1230 | WWW.IDEABRIDGE.COM

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Bank Sales Training Programs

New Reality #2:

Its never been harder to attract and land new clients.

New Reality #3:

Customer retention alone is not enough.