Cross-Selling Know How! What to Say!

Spot Opportunities; Start Conversations

Cross-selling opportunities are abundant at the branch. Be on the lookout and the “listen” for cues the customer shares and respond with prompting questions and/or benefit statements. Always express congratulations to good news, compassion or regret to tough news.  Remember to assure your customer that you are willing and able to help.  Cross-selling is about helping the customer get what they need.  Branch personnel devoted to customer service will find cross-selling expertise is just another way to take great care of the customer. Stay alert to the opportunities that come your way every day.

 

Create your own scripts so you are prepared to start conversations and respond to the needs of the customer. It is easy to help customers get their needs met when you know what to say!

·         “I just started a new job.” 

Congratulations on your new job!  If you are going to have the opportunity to roll-over a 401K from your former employer many of my customers have found our investment area very helpful.  May I introduce you to one of our specialist?

·         “My husband got a promotion and we are going to celebrate this evening.”

What good news, that is wonderful!  Promotions usually prompt a pay increase and if that is the case for your husband that is even better news. Something to think about would be to start an automatic debit from your checking account and move any addition dollars into a savings or investment product so that your family benefits long term from a pay increase.  May I show you how that works?

         “We spent last weekend looking at colleges for our son who will graduate this year.”

What excitement that must be for you and your family!  I am hearing that from several of my customers that they have children graduating this spring.  Now is an ideal time to set him up with a student account. That will give him time to practice managing a checking account and, since we don’t charge for using ATMs anywhere, that account will work for him wherever he ends up going to college.  Of course, when he is off to college you can easily add to his account if you needed to; can I introduce you to Julie so she can get that set up?

        “Our A/C went out yesterday and I am worried sick over what the expense to fix it will be.”

We specialize in putting an end to worries.  If you have the time, let me introduce you to George Williams, he could talk with you about a line of credit. If you need money, a credit line is just the ticket for circumstances just like this.  I see he is free and I would like to at least introduce you, would that work?

Get busy spotting opportunities and starting conversations, you'll find you enjoy your job more and your customers are more receptive!

Still learning,

Honey

What Stage is Your Team In? Teamwork Series

The Team Handbook*, says that teams go through four predictable stages of growth as they learn to work together effectively.  Key word here is "effectively."

Stage 1:  Forming

When a team is first organized or when there is a change up in who is on the team or who leads the team, forming will be the best way to describe the team.

At this stage, team members are exploring the boundaries of acceptable group behavior and trying to establish their position and status with the team.  While being somewhat excited about the opportunity to be on a team or reorganizing a team, they may be suspicious and anxious about how everything will work.  It is perfectly normal at this stage to see little progress, as the team may complain about the purpose of the team and are inclined to get stuck in discussions that end up nowhere.  Impatience and frustration are common symptoms of members on the team in this stage.

Stage 2:  Storming

At this stage the team members are beginning to realize that the task and responsibilities of the team are different and more difficult than first imagined.  Some may become impatient with the lack of progress and begin to vocalize their ideas and resist the need to collaborate. Others might simply withdraw as discussions may start to heat up.  They are beginning to understand one another and realize how the differences in personalities, agendas and communication style are going to impact them.  Storming takes on many different faces, but it is part of the predictable process of a team trying to work together.  Sometimes a team stays in stuck in storming and has a low success rate.

Stage 3:  Norming

This is the stage when team members are accepting the individuality of each person, beginning to trust the ground rules to keep equality in the process, and realizing that competitiveness must give way to cooperation.  They begin to look forward to the contribution of the others on the team as a sense of team spirit and dedication to a common goal unfolds.  With this shift in team energy, they begin to make significant progress.

Stage 4:  Performing

Team members now have insights into personal and group processes.  They recognize, and even anticipate, how they can each contribute to the mission.  They quickly identify and resolve interpersonal communication problems.  They develop a synergy that enables rapid progress.

What stage is your team in?  Encourage and lead the team to the performing stage!  For your free copy of a Team Effectiveness Survey, email honey@interaction-training.com.

Still learning, 

Honey

*Scholtes, Peter R. and other contributors, The Team Handbook.  Madison, WI: Joiner Associates, Inc. 1988

The New Supervisor

It can be both exciting and nerve racking when you are named the new supervisor.  Along with learning the ropes there can be prevailing issues you face from the start.  Perhaps the former supervisor is on your team.  That will present a challenge with boundaries and everyone will go through an adjustment period.  Maybe you and several others on what is now your team were considered for the promotion and now that you’ve been named there are hurt feelings and resentments.

The key to your long term success will be tied to your ability to establish boundaries and to create a plan targeted to helping you and your team focus on what needs to be accomplished. 

Learn all you can about setting healthy boundaries.  Be caring, firm and consistent.  Recognize that it does take time for people to adjust to change and encourage people to talk to you directly about what they are thinking and feeling.  You will need to set up private meetings with each person on the team in the beginning to solicit feedback and convey your interest in the success of each person and the team as a whole.  That is a best practice you should consider continuing monthly and incorporating coaching as a part of the meeting.

Determine what success with your team looks like – inquire about this with your manager and with the team.  If we are very successful over the next year what would we have accomplished?  You will want to construct a plan with input from others and zero in on what the strategies must be to accomplish the objectives.  Monthly analysis where you are with the plan and make adjustments and increase effort where it is needed to stay on track.

Still learning,

Honey