Independent Banker - May 2018 - 60

situations that might involve a new
or existing customer. " Everybody
has diff erent needs at diff erent
times. So, we constantly practice
diff erent customer conversations. I
always encourage everybody to be
able to look at the full spectrum
of what a customer might need, "
Peters says.
" Everybody
has different
needs at
different
times.
2.
Ask questions
Eff ective cross-selling
requires you to
understand both the customer and
which bank products are a good fi t
for him or her, based on age and
fi nancial position. Asking the right
questions helps the employee get to
know the customer and understand
his or her fi nancial goals and needs.
Some examples of questions to
ask include:
Q Do you conduct online
banking through a computer
or mobile device?
Q What kind of balance do you
typically maintain in your
checking account?
Q Do you write checks, or do you
primarily use a debit card?
Q Have you tried mobile deposits?
Q Is it important for you to earn interest
on an account?
3.
Hire good salespeople
Gone are the days when being a frontline bank
employee meant conducting transactions
from behind a teller window, and that was all. Today,
community banks should look for sales experience,
rather than just banking experience, when they hire.
Seek out people with prior sales roles, or at least the right
demeanor and skill set to become a good salesperson.
Asking job candidates to complete a personality
profi le test is one way to identify potential sales
superstars. This also is true of when promoting an
existing employee into a sales position as a universal
banker. People who are most eff ective at selling tend
to be friendly, outgoing and comfortable with engaging
people in conversation. " On the frontline, you want
extroverts, " David says.
60 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q May 2018
So, we constantly
practice diff erent
customer
conversations.
I always encourage
everybody to
be able to
look at the full
spectrum of
what a customer
might need. "
-Sally A. Peters,
SA Peters Marketing
and Consulting Inc.
4.
Provide regular training
Create a structured
training program to give
frontline employees the tools they
need to sell. Bankers need to be well
educated on the bank's products
and services so they can sell those
products eff ectively to customers
based on those customers' needs and
fi nancial goals.
Some community banks piggyback
cross-selling training on other
routine training. First Community
Bank and Trust in Beecher, Ill., has
expanded its required training and
education sessions to include the
cross-selling of various bank products
and services, such as mobile banking
and investment products.
" Quite frankly, it makes those
training sessions a whole lot more
interesting when you're talking about
something beyond the required bank
regulation training that some folks
have heard 10 to 15 times, " says
Greg Ohlendorf, who is president
and CEO of the $150 million-asset
community bank.
5.
6.
Set realistic sales goals
Having a cross-selling goal
is important as long as that
goal is achievable. " We have learned from the
issues surrounding Wells Fargo that we have to be
careful in what we do around sales and goal-setting, "
says McDougald. " We have to be careful in setting goals
and making sure those goals are being achieved in
accordance with policy and procedure. "
Communicate across multiple channels
One of the challenges of cross-selling today is
that people are not just walking into a bank
branch, picking up the phone or reading the statement
they get in the mail.
" Finding a way to get messaging to customers is
very, very important, " says Ohlendorf. Because people
are banking in many diff erent ways, it is important to
reach out to customers across many diff erent channels,
including traditional and digital channels such as
email, website and social media.
Independent Banker - May 2018

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