A Personal Banker's Risk and Opportunity

A personal banker must juggle new business opportunity while minimizing risk challenges. With a new paradigm of regulation and growing schemes of fraud along with high demand to cross-sell the customer, the new accounts desk presents a blurry line of both risk and opportunity.   A personal banker spends their day completing an entire menu of tasks such as onboarding new customers, changing addresses for existing customers while weaving through the maze of procedures, best practices, policies, disclosures, and product knowledge.

Some banks shy away from calling the personal banker a sales representative.   However many community banks take the position of Texas Bank & Trust, Longview, a $1.9 billion dollar community bank with 19 locations in east Texas.  Connie Milligan, Senior Vice President, Director of Human Resources explains her bank’s approach, “Our lobby representatives are expected to act as trusted advisors and identify what our customers need.   They assist in matching the right bank products with the right customer.  They are all cross-trained to assist as a teller when needed.  They achieve incentives based on a variety of criteria, including cross-selling.”

Milligan stated her bank hires those with a strong customer service mindset. When they find the right candidate they guide them on a course towards success.  They start down a learning path the bank has in place.  The new hire or an employee that moves into this position is expected to be basically up and running after 4-6 weeks.  A mentor provides intensive, position-targeted training on the various legal and key issues.  Then the employee is given a desk and charged to work independently relying on the mentor for guidance.

“No question the proper documentation and procedures present the greatest challenges in this position because of all the variations that come with complex, volatile new account issues”, said Milligan.

The personal banker is typically the go-to person for answering questions, ordering checks or replacing debit cards and must excel at friendliness.  Always on the lookout for potential fraud, personal bankers spend time evaluating every aspect of a transaction for risk while respecting a laundry list of regulations.  The master-level personal banker knows that scrutiny is required in every situation. 

 

Still learning,

Honey

www.interaction-training.com

“I Wish I Worked There”

5 Ways to Build an Enviable Workplace 

“I

t doesn’t take a boatload of perks or high-priced consultants to make your branch a great place to work,” maintains Honey Shelton, President of InterAction Training (Humble, TX). “Demonstrating a genuine interest in others, giving employees the responsibility and power to get their jobs done, and giving them respect all go a long way to elevating employee satisfaction.”

 To boost employee satisfaction, Shelton recommends these five strategies:

 1.          Respect boundaries, stay real. 

 When you schedule meetings, give thought to the impact your request has on others. Employees have their own plan for the day in full swing and are often thrown into a frenzy to accommodate a meeting request at the last minute.

Likewise, stay real about the flexibility that will be needed for employees with home and family obligations.

 2.          Filter kindness throughout the culture. 

 Employees tend to treat clients the same way they’re treated at work. So kindness has numerous payoffs. Be kind. It sounds so simple and it is; kindness is often overlooked in our busy working world.  Kindness means showing interest in others.

3.          Provide training for your front-line supervisors. 

 When employees think about who they work for, they don’t think about the CEO or the Board of Directors. They think about their supervisor. And nothing sours a job faster than a bad boss.

 A well-trained, well-suited supervisor can create an environment that makes a difference. A good front-line supervisor can motivate employees to do a great job; a bad one can cause employees to just show up to work every day and go through the motions.

 4.          Tell employees where they stand. 

 Are they meeting expectations? Exceeding expectations or falling short? Are your employees exceptional? From the corner office to the custodian, employees want to know where they stand.

 If they’re not making the cut or are falling behind in accomplishing objectives or meeting sales quotas, let them know. Respect means delivering employees the bad news. And be sure and tell them early enough so they can try to turn the situation around.

 5.          End boredom, offer challenges. 

 Nothing beats boredom faster than a company culture that fosters innovation. Companies that offer a challenging work environment tend to attract better employees. That means asking employees what they think and empowering them to get their jobs done. 

Stay on top of your game by subscribing to educational and inspirational sources.  Keep learning by attending one of my upcoming workshops.

Still learning,

Honey

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InterAction Training

20826 Sweet Violet Court

Humble, TX 77346

281-812-0211

www.interaction-training.com

Why Training Can't Get Where it Needs to Go!

How did we ever get somewhere we hadn’t been before without Google Earth or a GPS?  Oh, I remember, we used a map -- those impossible to refold paper maps that had a scale so you could take a ruler and mark up your route and measure your distance.  Now that’s really dating me.  Even my plug in the cigarette lighter Garmin is old hat.  Today, my Smartphone acts as my guide, navigating me here and there.  I really like it when the navigator alerts me when there are tolls so I can be ready to fork over my quarters or dollars and pay the price to travel the best route.  

When it comes to training, set your sights on your destination, map out the route and pay the toll.  Clear a path for training to become a rock solid contributor to your culture, efficiencies and bottom line. 

 

Still learning,

Honey

Cross-Selling and Customer Service - Perfect Match!

Cross-selling is not about being pushing. It is about building on the existing relationship you have with the customer. When you perform your job in a friendly, knowledgeable, efficient way, customers will be inclined to think of your institution first when a need for additional products or services surfaces. 

 

Are you aware that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than it does to sell an additional product or service to an existing customer?  So it makes perfect sense to maximize and expand the relationship you with have with your existing customer. The road to that success is paved with cross-selling.  The branch is one of the best stops on that road!

The customer’s attitude toward their financial institution is highly influenced by two key factors—location and customer service.  That points directly to the branch and those that work there!

All branch personnel are encouraged to acquire the skills and “attitude” necessary to detect, and on occasion, create prime opportunities to cross-sell and refer customers to product specialists.

Who all benefits from cross-selling success at the branch? The answer is three-fold:

Customer:       Your customer wants all the convenience and satisfaction your company has to offer!  Never assume the customer magically knows what you have to offer that will enhance satisfaction and elevate convenience! As a dedicated quality service provider the teller must complete the job of taking good care of the customer by first seeking out what the customer may need and then matching that need with services available. 

Company:       Your employer expects a fair return on the dollars spent on state-of-the-art technology to offer competitive products and services.  No matter the size of your financial institution, investments have been made to create Internet visibility, stay as competitive as possible in product offerings, attract new customers and keep the ones they have. The ultimate intention of cross-selling is to bolster both customer satisfaction and profitability. Plus, the frontline is in a primary position to engage the customer and create a positive experience that reinforces the likelihood the financial institution will retain the customer.

Frontline:           Your reputation for excellence in your position rides on many things including product knowledge and customer focus.  Success at cross-selling and referrals will be dependent on your skills and attitude about taking exceptional care of the customer.

Cross-selling and referral-making are legitimate expectations of all frontline personnel. It takes the efforts of all financial institution personnel to grow the profitability of the institution, as well as working to maintain and grow the depositor relationship.  

Still learning,

Honey

Performance Booster Series - Hear How to Improve Your Listening

When you focus only on yourself it creates all kinds of problems for you, especially when you are attempting to communicate with another person or them with you.  Many of us are busy thinking about what we want to say or have other issues on our mind that distract us.  

You might even be guilty of asking a question and not paying any attention to the other person's answer.  My children have accused me of that. At times, I have had to plead the Fifth Amendment on those charges; a few times I courageously owned up to it and sometimes I got defensive.  When you get caught red-handed on not listening it's embarrassing!

Learning to be "present" and becoming an attentive listener will change the quality of your communication skills and the success of your interpersonal relationships.  A skill worth developing, listening will boost your performance on the job and increase harmony at home!

Think about the last time you noticed someone obviously not paying attention when you were trying to communicate with them. What specific behaviors did the person exhibit that led you to believe that he or she was tuning you out?  What did you read into that?  Did you feel discounted or ignored?

Often when we think the listener isn't paying attention we choose to frustrate or become offended.  Next time you get tuned out and turned off by being ignored, consider it a wake-up call and take note to pay attention and respect when it’s your turn to listen.  Keep the focus on your listening skills; learn from others’ behaviors that you want to mirror and those you want to avoid.

If you want to discover more about listening behavior email me, honey@interaction-training.com  and request a complimentary copy of The Listening Self-Assessment.  It’s yours for the asking.

Still learning,

Honey

Performance Booster Series - Communication Skills

Do people say you're talkative or do they say you're quiet?  Do you frequently feel misunderstood or ignored?  Are you routinely trying to get over your feelings being hurt? Do you get triggered when people give you feedback and end up acting defensive?

Take a long hard look at your style of communication and become acutely aware of what you could improve upon.  Is it your speaking ability, your reputation as a listener?  What about soliciting and providing feedback?  Do a double take on your tone of voice and your body language. 

Do you need to be more sensitive to others and reduce your bluntness or frankness?  Do you need to be less sensitive and not take everything so personal?  Self-evaluation is the place to start when it comes to elevating your ability to communicate. For all of us it’s very easy to take communicating for granted since we do it all the time.  

Remember whether you are sending a text, talking, emailing, nodding, frowning or rolling your eyes a message has been sent.  Be sure it’s the one you wanted to send. 

Are you aware that research makes these claims?

75% of all communication is non-verbal.

Writing only represents nine percent of the time we spend communicating.

The average worker spends 55% of his or her time communicating.

Check this out - a whopping 85% of business success is dependent on effective communication and interpersonal skills.

It is most common to focus entirely on what you want to relay to the point you are a slacker when it comes to listening.  Have you acquired that invaluable habit of confirming that others understood your message? Become a communication standout and hone in on confirmation you were understood by the listener or the reader.  Beef up your clear understanding of what others tell you by restating what they told you.  

There are times the tone you intended to convey whether in writing or even speaking was neutral while the receiver may interpret it entirely differently.   Solicit two-way confirmation and be on the lookout for how you can improve as a skillful communicator. Evaluate your gestures, eye contact, tone of voice and body language to be certain you are in sync with your message.  Learn to give others to whom you are listening your full attention, if you aren't sure what they meant or said ask for more information.  If you don’t have time to listen, ask if you could suggest a different time for the conversation.  Pay attention to how long you talk and give the other party floor time.

Powerful communication skills are a must for people that want to excel in relationships and climb the ladder of success. 

Still learning, 

Honey

Gadgets Really Get Me

Are you like me, do you have a Kindle on your Smart Phone, a Sony Reader, the iPod Shuffle, the iPod Nano?  Did I mention two laptops?  So when you get ready to leave town you can't decide how many devices are coming with you?  Do you have a drawer you call the graveyard where old cell phones and outdated software are buried?  Do you have a couple of old PCs and a few printers tucked away in the garage?  How about all those phone charger cords?  Maybe I can string them around the Christmas tree and hang CDs spray painted with glitter on them.  

Next up, where am I supposed to be?  I have a calendar on my computer, on my website, on my phone and I still won't give up my Franklin Planner.  I am not sure what is synced to what, but am pretty sure I am out of sync with all that needs to be synced. On my cell phone I have apps that are constantly begging to be updated and most of my applications on my PC send me pop-up messages regarding updates routinely.  I see a homeless person and I question if I can afford to spare a dollar and yet I frequently make donations to iTunes.

I don't tell everyone but I don't want to give up my original PDA; my all-time favorite, the Palm Pilot. It was my first, we are very bonded.  Gadgets here, gadgets there, gadgets, gadgets everywhere.

I have wireless headsets to keep up with and have learned they don't survive the washer and dryer.  I feel the call of the newest iPad and the Kindle Fire.  QuickBooks, Quicken and others like them threaten me "update now, we no longer support your version."  I feel rejected and foolish.  I clip coupons to save 50 cents on laundry detergent and consider paying over $500 for the latest gadget.  What's wrong with this picture?

Amazon knows more about me personally and what I am interested in than most of my friends.  Pulling on my need to fit in by telling me all the time that people that bought what you bought also bought this and that.  Keeping up is expensive.

While I set here worrying about aging all my equipment and the programs that run on them are consider old after a year!  Software and hardware wear me out.  I thought all this technology was going to make my life easier.  Hello?  I am stressed out over having too much, not enough and staying updated!  I am going to have to end this blog and go online and download a stress management app, I hope it's not outdated when I remember to use it.

Still learning,

Honey

Mastering the Art of Balancing for Tellers

Is there another job in a financial institution under more scrutiny daily than the teller?  Everyday everything counts and is counted in the teller drawer.  Among the counted include success factors like accuracy, organization, procedures, accountability, and security just to name the top five.  But at the end of the day it’s about balancing.  The teller’s balancing record is tracked and monitored.

Highly seasoned and popular with her audience, teller trainer Janice Branch says that the steps necessary to establish and maintain a consistent practice on how money is handled and how transactions are processed are the “secrets” to balancing.

“One of the most anxiety producing expectations a teller faces is balancing consistently. It’s not just luck when a teller balances; instead it’s all about best practices in action. Whether a teller balances or not depends on how well they follow specific procedures when handling cash, procedures and transactions. The ability to properly handle money and transactions is without question the key to mastering the balancing act,” says Branch.  She conducts workshops around the country, webinars for InterAction Training and provides CD ROM training on Mastering the Balancing Act for Tellers.

Janice’s Best Practices for Tellers

·         Always count coin first – the most common amount teller is out of balance is less than a dollar

·         Money that comes and goes from the drawer must be verified, using the calculator feature on your keyboard

·         Verify cash by counting it by denomination totals and entering it into the calculator, then hit total and compare the total to the check or the deposit slip

·         Watch out for common distractions – chatting on your phone or with a co-worker while counting money

·         Balancing is about certainty – knowing without any hesitation that your money drawer was always locked when your back was to it and that you verified all cash in and out

Branch says that at the end of the day her goal is to help both the teller and the financial institution get what they want…balancing! 

You can check out training manuals and free teller tools and articles by going to www.interaction-training.com/store.

Coaching - Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Conclusion...

Mary finally did what you asked and you engage her in the following conversation.

The Coach        “Mary, let’s go over this together.”

Here’s her list

Behaviors required of my job                         How well I do them (scale of 1 – 5)

Friendly                                                                       4                                                         

Team player                                                                 4

Dependable                                                                  5

Professional                                                                 5

Skills required of my job                                   How well I do them

Know the job                                                                5

Accuracy                                                                     5

Computer-related skills                                                 4

Problem-Solving                                                           4

The Coach        “Mary, I know you were resistant to working on this with me and I am glad you finished the assignment.  Where we started from was - I had asked you how well thought of you wanted to be working here.  You said 4.5 on the 1-5 scale.  This assignment was intended to help you get your 4.5.  Would it surprise you if I told you that every score you gave yourself needs to be lowered by one point and that I would say you are off by at least a point of getting what you want.  So if you want to obtain a 4.5 you will have to raise the bar on your effort and remove the cloud that interferes with both your behaviors and your skills.”

Mary     “What makes you say that?”

The Coach        “Each of the behaviors and skills are compromised by your persistent mood-related behaviors like angering, snubbing your co-workers and choosing to be blunt, resistant and unkind.  Do you think you are willing to stop choosing behavior that has a negative impact on your success?  If you are I can help.  The first step will be for you to build a plan that helps ensure you stop doing what isn’t working and start doing what is in your best interest,” 

Remember to stay focused on your goal.  Your goal is to have Mary take responsibility for behavior that is out of line and harming teamwork and her professional reputation.  Watch out for getting hooked or giving up or buying into myths that you tell someone something one time and that is all it takes.

Coaching isn’t magic.  Mary is a hard case.  Remember to focus on what YOU WANT and teach others to do the same. That is motivation, reaching for what you want.  Help others reach, help them see if what they are doing is working.  The teacher will become the student and Mary just might be less contrary.

Still learning,

Honey

Coaching - There's Something About Mary

Mary shows up for the meeting without any paperwork and is sporting her angry face.  You inquire about the assignment and…

Mary     “I didn’t do it, I think this is ridiculous.  I do my job and I don’t appreciate being singled out to do some assignment about all this.”

The Coach        “Well, since you didn’t come prepared, you can finish the assignment now.”

Mary     “What if I don’t?”

The Coach        “What do you think will happen if you don’t?”

Mary     “I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem important to me.”

The Coach        “It’s important to your job, is your job important to you?”

Mary     “Well, yes but I don’t see the big deal here.”

The Coach        “It’s going to be as a big a deal as you make it.  I expect and want your cooperation.  I gave you an assignment, I expected you to finish it.  So here’s the pen, here’s the sheet you were working on last session so finish the assignment and I will be right back.”

You leave the room.  Come back in 5 minutes.

Tomorrow we will conclude coaching Mary.  She is a tough cookie and some of you have been Mary and some of you work with Mary.  The goal is to help Mary see that what she is doing is not going to help her get what she wants.

Does this sound too hard or too easy?  The challenge is stay focused on what you want to have happen.  It’s important you avoid being hooked by her self-defeating, over-empowered attitude and behavior.  Mary needs to get the picture of what is expected of her and to compare what she is doing to what is expected.

Tomorrow we will lower the boom with Mary and work on the outcome. 

Still learning,

Honey

Moving Forward…Coaching the "Chip on My Shoulder Employee"

Where are we?  Oh, yes, wishing Mary wasn't a pain.  The process I am sharing is NOT a quick fix.  It's a solution.  So here we go.

You had asked Mary to write down the behaviors and skills she thinks that are required in order to be very well thought of on the job.

On her list for behaviors she wrote:  Friendly, team player, dependable and professional.  Under skills she has: Know the job, accuracy, computer-related skills, and problem-solving.

You look over the list and tell her you think this is a great start.  Ask her to share her thinking about both lists.  Your job is to listen, to encourage her to speak about both lists.  Don’t ask her to defend what she came up with.  Ask her to share how she came up with it.  Inquire if there is anything more she wants to share about either list.

You are thinking she’s missing some behaviors and skills you expected.  And, you have witnessed first-hand that she is definitely falling short on excelling at several on her list but you don’t share your thinking.

“Mary, you and I are going to routinely meet.  And, we are going to meet to explore what you want, looking into what you need to do to get what you want, together we are going to build a plan to ensure you get what you want and we'll decide some ways to measure how close you are to getting what you want.  How does this sound to you?”

She is skeptical but agreeable.

Have her sign and date the list, make a copy for yourself, she keeps the original.

Give her the next assignment.

“Mary, look over the list each day for a few days, as you do ask yourself if there is anything you want to add.    Then before we meet a week from today I want you to rate yourself using the 1-5 scale on each behavior and skill.  Remember 1 would mean the lowest score you could give yourself, 5 would mean the highest score you could give yourself.  Bring this to our meeting next week so we can talk more about this.”

Stay tuned for Monday’s blog where we explore what else could have happened in this coaching session. Like, what to do if Mary simply won’t make a list or crosses her arms and folds them tight and scows at you in a very uncooperative manner refusing to participate.

Still learning,

Honey

What to Do with the "Chip on my Shoulder" Employee

So here's the situation:

This employee consistently has a chip on her shoulder and her moodiness is a pain. The weather is more predictable. You go to work, the world looks pretty good to you, and the door opens and "trouble" has arrived.  As she whizzes by you without so much as a look you're thinking I need to address this.

Frequently her co-workers complain about her moodiness and her brisk and blunt comments to them. She demonstrates her angriness by slamming doors and huffing and puffing.

This isn't a new issue; this has been going on awhile. It’s not every day but it’s way too often. 

You've prayed it would change, you've approached the mine field around her work space with armor on and been told "I don't bother anyone and I don't want anyone to bother me. I am here to do my job and that's what I do."

You've brought the stressful, disruptive, unkind and sometimes rude behavior up in reviews with her but nothing changes.   She might never change but you must!  So let's get busy on this!

Here’s a question for you and suggestions:

As her manager what do you WANT to have happen? Get real, get honest. Here's what others with an employee such as I have described have told me. "I want the behavior to stop." Well, actually, they've also said things like "I would like to smack her." "I would like to fire her." "I wish she'd leave."

What you want to have happen needs to be in alignment with the company's policies and expectations.  It needs to align with your responsibilities as a manager and your personal value system.

You decide what you want. If you decide you want to address the behavior and create a mutual understanding of what needs to happen going forward I can help you.  Here is your assignment if you chose to take it:

1. Make a list of specific examples of recent behavior that you want to stop. Do not exaggerate. Be factual. Be descriptive. Do not be dramatic. Act like a reporter describing what you saw, heard and what others have reported.  Do not be prepared to go back over months or years or even throw the book at her but you must be able to describe in detail the behavior you saw, heard or was reported to you.

2. Schedule a coaching session; you can do this via email, phone or in-person. Here’s a suggestion on what to say.  “Please make plans to meet with me for 10-15 minutes Wednesday morning at 8:15.”   If she asks what's it about tell her you have some things to go over with her.  That’s all you tell her.

If you routinely (hope you do) coach then you are dedicating your next coaching session with Mary to addressing this issue.   Addressing is the beginning.  It is not the end.

Best practices for all coaching sessions: be calm, sit on the same side of the desk or sit around a table, have water for you and her, have a clock where you both can see it, have paper and pen for each of you. Do not answer your phone or email and put a do not disturb sign on the door.

3. "Mary, I wanted to meet with you to determine something. I would like to know how well thought of you want to be as an employee of the company and as a member of my team. On a scale of 1-5 what would be the number that fits best – using a gauge of one meaning it doesn't matter and five meaning you want to be held in high regard, what number – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 would be the number you want?"

Expect possible derailments of questions from Mary including what's this about, what do you mean, etc. Just stick to the script. You need her to answer the question.

You don’t defend, over explain or get into any behavior issues at this point.  Stay focused on this first question.

I will blog on this again tomorrow. Between now and then I want you to make a list of what you think you would say according to the number she gives you. Then you can compare you answers to mine.

Until tomorrow…

Still learning,

Honey

Where Did My Day Go?

If you’re like me that is not an uncommon question you ask of yourself.  I think knowing the answer is part of the solution to spending time wisely.  If stress and disappointment are knocking on your door telling you that either you have too much to do or that you just can't seem to get where you want to go then changing a few habits and building an action plan might be in order.

Do you think you’d be willing to keep a time log for a couple of weeks?    It will help you see if you’re making the best choices; choices that fit well with your values and your goals.

In my last blog I encouraged you to picture how your life would be better if you managed your time more effectively.  You want to write that out.   Keep your description handy so when you feel the tug of old habits you can quickly remember the value of making a few changes.  Changes that will help you get what you want.

Here is the second of five fast track tips on eliminating self-defeating habits.

2.  Carefully define the new habits you wish to develop. 

Consider what three time management habits you think would help you the most.   Write them down, describe each habit.  Be honest with yourself.  Gather the information you need to implement the change and visualize yourself putting the habit in place.  Develop a realistic action plan and get started.

Consider some of the staples of time mastery like planning, prioritizing and project planning.

Getting into the habit of planning might look like this:

First thing each day create your to-do-list so you get into the habit of planning. 

The habit of prioritizing works like this:

Review the list and determine what needs to happen by noon and give those items an A, everything that needs to be completed by 6 PM is marked a B and items that need to happen before you retire for the night are marked C.  Estimate the time you think is needed for each item on the list.  You will quickly know if your plan is realistic or not.  Adjust where needed.  Then determine what happens first for each section of the day.  Whenever you can, do what you LEAST want to do, first.

Learn how to master project planning.   

When you’re working on a project, estimate the total amount of time it will take to accomplish the project.  Work from your deadline date backwards to see how you can weave time into your schedule for the project.  Ideally you break the time into a stated period of time, i.e., 20-minute segments.  Set your alarm or timer to notify you when the 20 minutes is up.  Most of us can’t stop the workflow to work exclusively on a project but we can master segments of time devoted to the project.

A sense of accomplishment is a great motivator!  That is why list making and prioritizing will help you get done what is most urgent/most important. 

Pause your life for 10 minutes and come up with your list of new habits you are willing to build an action plan around so you can have the TIME OF YOUR LIFE!

Stay tuned, step three is coming next…

Still learning,

Honey