Pick Up the Pace for Cross-Selling

Thanksgiving is the perfect time of the year to pick up the pace for cross-selling. Everyone is busy, has gift giving on their mind and appreciates someone that shows interest in them.

Sometimes we avoid cross selling because we just don't know what to say. Try some of these scripting ideas:

Mrs. Reed, any special plans for thanksgiving?

Their answer could lead you to exploring the gift of a savings account for grandchildren or a line of credit to manage holiday expenses.

Good to see you, John, I've been meaning to ask you about activating the rewards benefit on your account. It’s a great way to build up points you can use on purchasing tools or gifts, are you ready to start earning those points?

Anytime you have an offer that saves the customer money or provides additional benefits engage them by asking or offering benefits related to the offer.

Mrs. Wilson, I noticed on your commercial checking account you don’t have our online, easy, and affordable payroll service. I want you to have this information; customers like you tell me this service has saved them time, stress and bookkeeping services. May I have a payroll specialist call you about automating your payroll?

Mr. Leland, are you aware I can waive your small business checking account fee each month when you open a commercial savings account with an automatic transfer of at least $100 each month? It’s a great deal, saves you money every month meanwhile you’re stashing away extra cash for the unexpected! Can I sign you up?

Convenience is everything to the customer. Like you they like fast, easy, convenience products and services. Turn the customer on to the products you have to offer that are of maximum convenience.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Still learning

Honey

How's Your Relationship with E-Mail?

When you open your inbox, do you hold your breath in fear of an avalanche of new e-mails? There’s no denying that e-mail makes us feel overwhelmed and anxious, even stressed. Each new message is screaming for attention and we usually feel obligated to respond to them straight away. In the meantime, our other work lags behind and our whole day becomes disorganized.

Here’s a scenario you will recognize

Your coworker, or worse, your supervisor asks you to print a copy of that e-mail from last week. You know, the one with the important meeting notes. This is the moment your heart-rate increases. It’s not that you haven’t seen the mail. You clearly remember reading it 3 days ago. You just can’t seem to find it as you scroll down a couple of pages. You start sweating as you type ‘meeting’ in the search function and all that pops up is an e-mail entitled “50% OFF meeting planners. Act before December 1st 2004”.

Even if you vigorously try to tackle the never-ending stream of messages, ultimately you will reach a point where you don’t feel in control anymore.
We say it’s time to retake control of your inbox. Register now for our December 10 Webinar: Conquer Your Inbox. You’ll learn techniques that will help you organize your inbox and keep it that way!

Still learning

Honey

5 Payoffs for Training Tellers

We all can agree that no matter what is or isn’t or what will or won’t happen with the future of branch it still matters what happens when a client walks into one of yours. When a client or a prospect comes to the branch it is an important opportunity to reinforce the brand and showcase the customer experience. Plus, every teller decision and transaction must meet the risk management standards, policies, regulations, and procedures that are in place to protect the company from fraud, errors, and not being compliant.

Our upcoming webinar, It’s More Than a Balancing Act, on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 1:30 PM CST will just what your teller team needs. This two-hour webinar will be an idea training session that promises to reinforce essential skills for your tellers.

Here are five payoffs you can count on your tellers benefiting from our It’s More Than a Balancing Act webinar (live or the recorded version).

The teller will be reminded to:

1. Stay mindful of following checklists pertaining to cash, audit, procedures and policies.
2. Adhere to security procedures sensitive to the teller area.
3. Pay full attention to all verification concerns when cashing checks – valid identification, signatures, account history, etc.
4. Offer suggestions and solutions routinely as a part of each transaction to ensure the customer can take advantage of all the products and services that the company has to offer.
5. Use the high five approach with every customer interaction: look up with a smile, make eye contact, greet them visually/verbally, use their name and say thank you.

Click here for more information or to register.

Still learning,

Honey

10 Ways To Become an Active Listener

Are you trained to listen passively? It’s what we are taught in school and even at work so odds are the answer is yes. Do you focus on not fidgeting during a conversation? Do you try to act interested and take notes? I am sure they sound as familiar to you as they do to me. They are signs of passive listening. If the goal you set is to not interrupt the speaker and to not fall asleep, you are definitely listening passively! The question is: are we really doing the speaker a favor by taking on a passive role? Not really. We don’t share ideas. We don’t ask questions. We just give courteous applause when the presentation is over. We are having one-way conversation.

Live interaction during meetings, teachings, presentations and brainstorming sessions can lead to real chance. The listener has just as big of a responsibility as the speaker, yet Google has four times as many matches for “how to speak” than “how to listen.” If we are doing it right, listening is not a passive act.

Let’s make the dialog more valuable for both speaker and listener with active listening. Active listening encourages two-way communication to improve mutual understanding. It prevents you from wandering off to your dinner plans or hair appointment you have later that day. Active listening encourages you to engage with the speaker. The intention is not to start an argument but simply to check understanding. Your feedback allows the speaker to check if the message is clear and encourages him or her to think critically about what he or she is saying. The hardest step in better listening is the first rule: do it on purpose. Make the effort to be great at listening. After all, better listening leads to better speaking.

10 ways to become an active listener

1. Do it on purpose

Be fully engaged with the speaker and do not let your mind wonder. Think about the points the speaker is making. How do you agree with the speaker? What would you say or do differently?

2. Don’t worry so much about taking notes

Notes can be summarized in a memo later, or better yet, ask the speaker for a copy of their presentation if it is available. Ask another great listener in the room to share notes.  Write down only the absolute must have take-away from the presentation.

3. Pay the person who is speaking back with enthusiasm

The expression on your face, your posture and your questions. Do you look like you are listening?

4. Role-play in your mind what you hear in your own situation

Build on what you are hearing and make it your own. How will you apply this information in your day-to-day and how will it make a difference. Take what you have heard and make it the foundation for your next great idea.

5. If you disagree, wait a few seconds

Make sure the thought is finished before interrupting and then explain why you disagree. Do not challenge the speaker, instead challenge the idea.

6. Ask the question

If it’s worth listening to, it’s worth questioning until you understand it. Ask the speaker a truly difficult question on the subject that the whole room will benefit from. Many times the best questions are asked in private after the presentation is over. Make sure everyone benefits from your curiosity.

7. Everyone in the room has a wealth of experience to share

Regardless if they have only been on the job two weeks, valuable advice and insight often comes from unexpected sources. The speaker should actively try to engage the room. Share your incredibly valuable experience when you have the opportunity!

8. Honor the speaker

They have spent a great amount of valuable time in order to stand in front of the room and deliver the talk. The best way to honor someone who has said something smart and useful is to say something back that is smart and useful. A better way to honor them is to do something with what you learned in the presentation.

9. Give honest feedback

Was it a 10 out of 10? Then let them know! Same rule applies if there was any room for improvement. Speakers want to know how then can continually improve their presentations.

10. Active listeners get what they deserve – Better speakers!

Active listening requires more from both the speaker and the attendee, but the returns are huge. By listening actively we get better speakers! How is that for a win-win?

What can you do to create an environment where active listening thrives in your workplace?

If you're interested in the topic, you will enjoy one of our free articles too: Developing Others Through Feedback.

Still learning

Honey

Enjoy this blog that Zack Merrill, CBTP,  wrote for your reading pleasure!

This would probably be the most effective billboard ever created. Especially if it’s typeset correctly and placed in a highly visible area along a major interstate. But most billboards aren’t nearly this effective because most marketing isn’t this simple or obvious. Either the wrong service is promoted to the audience or the offer simply isn’t that great.

The same can be said about most websites. They look great and the creators have worked very hard to convey their message and mission in as few words as possible. That can be utterly frightening when you know the ins and outs of the product you offer. In marketing, the goal isn’t to immediately close a sale as much as the goal of the first date is to get married. It’s to showcase a product you offer to earn attention, trust, curiosity and hopefully start a conversation.

So I would like to start the conversation.

Before joining the InterAction Training team, I was a Branch Manager and Organizational Trainer for a mid-sized community bank. I can un-biasedly say that some of the best third-party tools I was given came to me for free. Those tools are on the Free Stuff page of the InterAction Training website at https://www.interaction-training.com/product-category/free/

I used many of these tools to perform staff evaluations, have difficult conversations, train employees and create countless action plans. It’s not very often that you encounter a 'free gas' situation, but this was certainly one for me. Check out the free articles, worksheets and forms InterAction Training has to offer and let us know what other tools we can provide that will help improve your day-to-day. That’s what we are here to do!

Thank you for another blog post Zack!

Still learning,

Honey

The Secret to Training Tellers

Our guest blogger, Zack Merrill, CBTP, is a Senior Training Consultant with InterAction Training. You will enjoy learning the secret to training tellers.

We seldom remember the expected exchange of everyday conversation because our brain is chock-full of stuff already. If the exchange is meaningful or helpful to you then there is a better than average chance you can recall it. When you are called upon to train or be trained remember this secret: Engagement, getting involved in the training, creates a very distinct file in the brain. When you want learners to learn, teach utilizing engagement and involvement.
When we only read, look, or listen that information is instantly processed and we file it away in our brain under the junk file marked MISC. Very hard to recover information in this file of the brain because it is overloaded and stuff is tossed in there in no particular order. Like taking your trash and junk to the landfill. If you cleaned out that file you could sort it into four piles: Don’t care, Don’t Understand, Won’t Ever Use, I Need This. The last pile will be the smallest.

When training tellers how to perform, the expectations are high. Both the teller and the company want recall to be quick and spot-on so we wow the client and protect the company. Many bank and credit union trainers feel lousy when the trainees that attend their training don’t remember what was covered. Most trainers are offended when leadership complains that so and so wasn’t trained very well.

In teller training, the amount of information that needs to be transferred to learning is staggering if you look at the whole picture. The trainer must breakdown the required knowledge, skills, and attitudes into training modules that call for engagement, relatable stories, discussion, real world examples, role play, FAQs, and note taking.

A module that I always enjoyed training tellers about had to do with the persistent threat of counterfeit items. A highly impactful technique for training tellers is the use of storytelling. Here is a favorite one of mine.

Our customer, a decorated veteran was a favorite with the branch staff. Kind and friendly, everyone enjoyed seeing him walk into the lobby. His daughter convinced him to cash some postal money orders she had received as part of a Craig’s List employment opportunity. I don’t need to tell you what happened next. He became my favorite former customer. He thought we should have been able to tell the items were worthless and counterfeit.

It’s still a punch in the gut to think about today. When we charged back the fraudulent activity it cost him over a third of his irreplaceable nest egg that he had earmarked for retirement. It pained all of us to see Mr. Smith fall victim to a scammer.

Immediately after this unfortunate event came to light, I went to the Post Office and purchased a low dollar amount authentic money order to use in the counterfeit module as a “show and tell” discussion. All new tellers as well as veterans should have at their fingertips the means to compare an incoming postal money order to a genuine one.

What stories or techniques have you used to create highly impactful training for tellers?

Great info for our audience, Zack, thank you for sharing your story.

Still learning,

Honey

Two Alternatives to On the Job Classroom Training

Time and travel create the need for the business world to get creative about how to deliver meaningful and effective training to their workers.  Video conferencing and using an online learning management system (LMS) are excellent choices for many topics.  Not all of our clients find video conferencing affordable and not all topics on an LMS are the right fit for internal policies, etc.

Check out these two alternatives to on the job classroom training that relieve the burden of interrupting the work day and lessen the cost that can be associated with training in the physical classroom.

Internal Webinars

Not every topic is a good fit for a webinar.  It can certainly be utilized very successfully for updates to existing policies and procedures.  A webinar may be ideal for and review and refresher training.  Webinars are a perfect choice to teach product knowledge.  Plus, it is an ideal way to record and archive a training program that others can view when the schedule works best for them.

Training Packets

On occasion, the solution for addressing change orientation training or introducing an easy-to-understand process or procedure can be the development of a standalone training packet.

This alternative calls for the training department to establish a clear line of communication with all supervisors and managers on how they, and those that report to them, are expected to engage with the training packet.  Also, point out to the managers the value of this approach; no one is taken off the job or sent offsite to training.

Still learning,

Honey

What Do Employees Learn in the Training Session?

Pros and Cons of Testing Employees on Training Topics

Pre-testing

You can use pre-testing in the early stage of content design and prior to finalizing learning objectives. When administered correctly, this approach allows a trainer to better form content to fulfill the learning objectives. This option takes the guesswork out of content generation and lets a trainer know what topics need the most attention. The other would be as part of the introduction to a training subject or topic. With this option, attendees get a read immediately on why they are here and what they are expected to learn.

 

When creating a pre-test, design questions that will check the knowledge level of the course content. This should not be a simplified version of the learning objectives, but instead a test of the knowledge needed for a learner to be successful in the training session. Focus more on “what they know” versus “what they do not know.”

 

Example: When training tellers on REG CC develop questions that indicate their understanding of the hold process for a pre-test. Or when training new accounts staff on proper procedures regarding a corporate account develop questions pertaining to definitions involved in the procedures and required documentation from the customer.

 

When administering a pre-test, lessen learner anxiety by explaining the process is simply to gauge the wide range of knowledge represented in the training session and that no grades will be recorded. The learner should always have ample time to complete any test and it should be given early enough that the trainer has time to analyze the results.

Post-testing

A well designed post-test should measure comprehension of the learning objectives and, where possible, changes in behavior and attitudes. Ask learners to provide examples of how they will put this new knowledge to use. Using a rating system, have learners rate feelings and attitudes towards training after completion and compare them to the same questions before training.

 

Use the results from post-testing to modify or correct future training. If a question is answered incorrectly by the majority of test takers, investigate the cause and make adjustments. Also, use results from testing to fine tune the questions for future use. With feedback from learners, try to gauge the understanding of what was asked and what was confusing or needed more clarity.

 

Post-testing also gives the opportunity for an open conversation with the learner and their supervisor. Share the results openly with the appropriate supervisors and ask that they follow up with the learner. Test results will give the supervisor information on which learning objectives were mastered by the learner and which concepts need reinforcement.

Still learning,

Honey

Ten Rules of Engagement When You Attend Training

When you attend training in your work world what are your expectations? I am sure yours are like mine. Interesting, relevant and useful are right at the top of most people’s list. Have you ever considered what the trainer’s expectations are? That might put a different spin on your perspective.

 

I have been a trainer for financial institutions for several decades and here are a few of the Rules of Engagement for the attendee:

1. Come prepared to engage in the learning.
2. Be on time.
3. Bring an open mind.
4. Don’t forget a sweater or a jacket if you tend to be cold-natured.
5. If you bring a laptop or tablet, don’t cause a distraction to others by keyboarding or checking your email or Facebook.
6. Leave your cell phone on vibrate or off and in your pocket or handbag.
7. Participate; ask questions, speak so everyone in the room can hear you.
8. Take notes.
9. Return to your workplace prepared to discuss what was covered.
10. Provide feedback on your evaluation about how the training experience was for you.

Still learning,

Honey

Pump Up the Bottom Line with Engaged Employees

What is the motivation to investigate and implement strategies that promote employee engagement? Gallup says that disengaged employees may be costing the US economy $450-$550 billion per year! Their research goes on to say that on the average ONLY 30% of the workforce is engaged. The remaining 70% are most likely committed to undermine what engaged workers accomplish.

Imagine the results at your shop if you could bump up the number of engaged employees. Engaged employees are more dependable, they operate from a “can do” way of thinking versus “can’t do”. Engaged employees are 21% more productivity and leave customers feeling appreciated and cared about. Happy, capable employees help recruit happy, capable new hires. Happy employees leave a positive impression on the customer and the end result is happier customers. Happy customers refer new customers.

Empowering and engaging your employees is about leadership. Provide innovative and effective leadership training. Set the bar high for management; leaders are to be on the lookout for ways to encourage and challenge employees to stretch and discover their potential. Inspiring and coaching employees to increase their capability.

The most engaged workers say they work for a leader that has confidence in them. The road to engagement for employees is paved with a sense of responsibility towards their leaders and a belief that what they do and how they do it is valued.

There isn’t a vaccination or miracle vitamin that ensures employee engagement. What brings engaged employees forward in the workplace is leadership. Leadership is a skill. Provide leadership training. Expect managers to learn how to lead. Then your leaders can pump up the bottom line with engaged employees.

“Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” – Tom Peters

Still learning,

Honey

 

 

 

 

 

Go For Win-Win!

 

Foster a win-win mindset by focusing on the development of three character traits:

Integrity

Integrity means treating everyone by the same set of honorable principles. Do what you say you’ll do and own it when you don’t. Respect the time, space and boundaries of others as well as yourself. Work hard to respect what you say and what you write. Honor your agreements.

 

Maturity

Maturity is walking the balance beam of courage and consideration. Expressing feelings and convictions with courage offset with consideration for the feelings and convictions of others requires maturity, particularly issues that matter greatly to all parties.

 

Abundance Mentality

An abundance mentality supports the belief that this is a world of plenty and that there is enough for everybody. It results in the sharing of accomplishments, recognition, profits and decision making. It encourages possibilities and creativity.

Polish your commitment to go for a win-win mindset and you will find the quality of your relationships, partnerships and engagement with others will take on a new shine.

Still learning,

Honey

Creating Training Advocates

The core solution for training effectiveness in your organization is buy-in from all key influencers. Work at tapping into successful lobbying skills as you seek to encourage role models to value learning and training!

A lobbyist is defined as someone who tries to influence others on behalf of a special interest.

Here is your checklist for success:

• Solicit feedback without becoming defensive – take a look what people are saying they need, want, wish was different
• Find your champion – go for as high up the food chain as possible
• Promote and embrace continuous improvement - how to streamline, elevate quality
• Seek endorsement for tying learning outcomes and training attendance to performance appraisals
• Form a training council – not to be confused with a committee – small advisory team
• Survey your talent pool – find the artists, writers, cartoonists, teachers to help make training sizzle

Still learning,

Honey

Embrace your failures

 
 

Our modern society conditions us to avoid fiascos. The thought of failing stresses us out when we are expected to impress our manager with exceptional results just as it did when we were kinds wanting to impress our parents in a school play.

While a failure might knock you down temporarily, it’s important to get back on your feet with the valuable lessons shrouded by the letdown. These lessons are often overlooked as we are preoccupied with feelings of shame.

Be mindful and don’t let discouragement hold you back. Embrace your failures and look for what they teach you instead of what you dread in them. Find that hard? Here is some advice to look at letdowns from a different angle:

• Let it be an inspiration. A bad experience will allow you to approach a future challenge with newly gained insights.


• Let it build your courage. When you are more comfortable with failing you’ll not only be able to take more risks, your mind won’t be clouded by anxiety and fear of failing again.


• Let it motivate you. When you know what disappointment feels like, you’ll be more focused and work harder to elevate yourself.

Still Learning,

Honey