Putting sales into the service culture

In a recent article the author decried the expense incurred by credit unions in maintaining high touch service cultures. I read the article with great interest. Differentiation based on superior service versus banks costs credit unions significantly without a significant increase in r.o.a. Credit unions need to concentrate more on selling, the author argues.

Almost everyone has agreed with the notion that credit unions must do a better job of selling for years, if not decades. So, why do people continously feel compelled to make the argument? Why hasn’t the message been heard? Why , with all the technology available to help with transitioning to sales cultures do we still have the argument for the need to do so being made over and over?

The answers to these questions may lay in the popular belief that a sales culture is different from a true service culture. Selling is a part of service. Selling is a major part of a service culture. Instead of changing our cultures we might be better served by redefining what the pieces of a service culture are. After all, is a teller or m.s.r. really helping someone when he or she does not help a member or prospective member decide to take advantage of a product or service our credit union offers that serves their needs or enhances their financial well-being better than an equivalent product or service they get from a bank?

Perhaps, if we get our team members to understand that true service and helping people means helping them evaluate products and services to assure the ones they use meet their needs and provide peace of mind, they will embrace the sales portion of the service culture. When they are asked what they like most about their jobs most m.s.r.s and tellers will include helping people in their top five. When asked what they like least these same people will include in the top five selling. This means credit union leaders have failed to convince their front line team members that helping people means they must master the skills, knowledge, and techniques that will allow them to help people to identify what is in their own best financial interest and to make the change now. Now is important, because if not now it likely will not happen. That means, though, it need not be called such. Rather, it means that selling skills, techniques, and product knowledge are part of the job requirements as well as the training and coaching regimen.

In working with teller and m.s.r. personnel in banks and credit unions over many years, I have seen remarkable transformations occur. People who said they would never sell became leaders in production. They also became leaders of sales teams. We just never called it sales. We called it providing greater service through assisting people to identify needs and helping them to deide on how to meet those needs. Service culture is the strength of credit unions. Sales needs to be a significant part of that culture. Our people want to help people. They do not want to sell. Our task, therefore, is to help our team members do what they want to do, like to do, and do so well, help our members.

Brad Roteman

Brad Roteman

Brad Roteman has served HSFCU since February 2005. He is a former district sales manager with Bankers Systems, Inc., now Walters Klewer Financial Services. Brad has won numerous awards for ... Web: www.hsfcu1.org Details