I'm very excited about getting up in front of a group of people and helping them realize the potential of what they do and how important each member of a team really is.
It's very hard for many companies with customer facing team members, because inasmuch as they would love to pay them a lot, oftentimes frontline positions aren't the money makers. For any company the people who are in front of customers ARE the company and if they don't 'represent' then that could mean the beginning of the end of a company.
Because frontline positions tend to pay less, the turnover is greater. By the time a person is fully trained and comfortable doing what they are doing, they've either landed a better paying position elsewhere or been promoted.
In today's world where so much more of our shopping or banking is done online, the opportunities to get in front of customers lessen every day. Where some businesses may claim that people are just not loyal anymore, I say they are just not 'invested' anymore.
I believe that if employees are connected and invested, they’ll stay longer and ensure customers are invested. If employees aren’t connected to what they are doing, or do not feel significant, valued or important, they won’t care if a customer comes or goes. More so if they like the customers because they feel the customer deserves better!
In a world where online services have drastically reduced the opportunities for product promotion or cross selling, employees need to be sharp and engaged when they are dealing with customers.
In the case of financial institutions, 20 years ago people used ATMs but did not rely on them. Most banks or credit unions had line ups out the door on payday Fridays and Welfare Wednesdays. Now most people use the ATM or have electronic deposits to manage their every day debits and credits.
In 1992 the web was something a spider weaved so we did not have online banking to search rates, create a GIC, deposit to our retirement funds, open an account or pay our bills. For the majority of those services we visited a branch. There were so many more opportunities for a bank or credit union to advise, cross sell or just connect with their customers or members.
Coincidentally 20 years ago, people were much more educated on how to manage their financial well-being than they are today. Not having your customers come and see you could be impacting them in ways they don't even realize! Most people won't think to phone their branch to make an appointment to see someone unless they are in trouble or need a loan or mortgage (even then they can generally apply online).
The financial services industry pretty much kicked their customers out the door with the all the convenience of ATMs, debit cards and online banking and now are faced with a real concern about customer loyalty because they don’t know them anymore.
More and more financial services organizations are moving toward the personal banker or financial advisor because it’s the only way to connect with their clients. I think this is a fantastic way for bank branches to evolve. To be successful with this, financial institutions need to be 90% proactive and sales focused. Picking up the phone not answering it. Asking people to come in, not serving them if they stop by.
I believe people are just as loyal, if not more than they were 50 years ago - when they feel taken care of. The millennium generation is a prime example of that - they generally won't deal with companies that have miserable employees or who don't seem to care about them. People think they are not loyal and that they don’t care however the majority of people from this generation live with their parents longer than any other generation - why? Because they like to be taken care of. If they are being taken care of they aren’t going anywhere! This is a huge misconception because they absolutely are loyal and most certainly do care! The difference is they aren’t blindly loyal – you have to earn it and that takes work. Just because you give them a paycheque doesn’t mean you automatically get their loyalty. Just because your title says CEO doesn’t mean you automatically get their respect either.
They are a fickle bunch. They will not complain however will quietly take their business elsewhere and slam you on Twitter or anywhere else they can…. “Ouch”.
In 2012 in order to have loyalty from our customers we have to earn it and maintain it. It's just far more challenging because we don't see our customers as much. This means our salary expenses need to be for people reaching out to clients/customers/members and making them profitable, rather than waiting for the clients to come in the door and provide them with the service they requested.
In 2012 sales and service skills need to be sharp. Your people need to fully understand your products and services. They absolutely need to be engaged and care about the financial well being of the company they work for. They need to feel that the company they work for is in fact, the best company for its clients to deal with. If they don't feel that way they'll let business walk out the door with no attempt to save it.
This is why I started Inspire Sales. Everyday I see people yearning to be connected yet finding themselves more and more disconnected. I observe, on a regular basis, people attempting to educate me on products and services or sell me something and give up too easily -either because they are afraid of selling or because they don’t really care if I buy.
I know there are ways to sell to people without making them feel uncomfortable or backed into a corner and I also know there are ways to make people feel more comfortable reaching out and selling and I am very excited to share them!
At Inspire Sales we work with companies and their people to help everyone sell naturally with a process that works for them!
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