Finally the telltale sign of a car driving through our cul-de-sac looking lost. I watched from the stoop as the driver pulled up to every house and just stopped in the middle of the cul-de-sac and called someone on his cell phone. The driver was clearly lost and clearly frustrated. Seeing me he yelled out, “Did you order pizza?” I replied that I had and soon he was handing me 4 fresh pies.
As I was signing the slip the driver stated that he was the new manager of the store and that he had made the pizzas himself and wanted to make sure they had arrived on time. Now the cynic in me just smiled but then the driver said, “My name is Shane, this is my card and I really want to earn your business. Please let me know if there is anything else you need on your next order.”
I have to tell you it impressed me. The man was courteous, professional (once he was on stage) and asked for my business and extending himself by offering further assistance. I have worked in service and sales management positions for more years than I want to count and each time I experience someone who understands the nuance of service and sales I just get chills. Why? Because it is so rare. More importantly because it works.
I believe we all work on commission- everyone of us. No matter what your official pay structure is. Consider your own salary and where you are on your salary ladder. Like all of us you probably have someone above you and someone below you. How was your piece of the pie determined? It has been my experience that it is based on the value of your service or the value or size of the contribution you bring to the organization. This same principle holds true for credit unions as a whole. How much your credit union makes is proportionate to the value it provides to your owners-the members. Fail to provide great service and services then your membership will simply move on.
The opposite is also true. Focus and become obsessed with service to your members, in providing “value for value” then momentum picks up and you start to attract people who are hard wired to provide great service, who want to be part of something that makes a difference. People like the pizza driver who get it. Soon your membership becomes advocates of the credit union and bring in more people. Growth.
Who wouldn’t want to be part of that, to feel that kind of excitement every day? This is the opportunity credit unions have in front of them. A chance to be the other road for members who have only been a number at a Big Bank. Unfortunately, too many credit unions fail to make the investments needed into core competencies such as service AND sales. For many credit union employees “sales” is a five letter word that is equal to “banks”. I do not understand this approach or line of logic. If you really have better rates, lower fees, and member’s best interest at heart why would you keep that to yourself ?
Over the course of my career when I have challenged employees or leaders on this topic I have found that it comes down to personal preference. The person does not like someone “selling” to them. So they do the golden rule, “Do onto others as you would have done onto you”. The flaw is that we are not focused on the right question. If I asked that same person, “would you like me to show you how to make more money on your deposits and pay less interest on your loans so you can save more money for your family?” Often the answer is different. Suddenly that is not sales but great service.
It has been my experience that often the lack of enthusiasm for service and sales has to do with having the wrong person in the wrong position. You can’t excite your membership with order takers. That is why you have online banking or an IVR (interactive voice response) service- to be order takers. For staff the job is to provide energy to your service culture.
Practical Application:
How can you help staff move past personal bias on what they would define as service?
How do you raise the bar to help them see what is possible instead of what is in front of them?
How can you get people to engage the membership, to become excited about the new product or service that is going to add value to your membership?
Ask your front line what types of issues are the members they deal with facing? Get your product managers and delivery managers engaged in solving that problem.
Don’t be content to simply mirror the latest and greatest thing from a Big Bank and say we will simply offer the same thing with credit union charm. Your membership deserves people who are excited and engaged in being their financial advocates. The Big Banks will incent their front line staff to pitch fee based products – you can’t let that be the only advice your members hear.
I couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, I'm sharing your comments with my senior management staff.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant articulation of an area of weakness for most Credit Unions. Bravo, Rik, very well written.
ReplyDeleteWell written! "Sales" is not a dirty word and credit unions need to embrace the concept of selling and service if we are to survive and thrive. I've heard so many CU folks say that their MSR's don't want to "sell." If that's the case, they shouldn't be MSR's. Period. Either reassign them or replace them. Let's face it - what we do every day is "sell" our services. There's no getting around it!
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is more than an accurate representation of credit union operations throughout the country. I've grown up in credit unions (working and banking), but appreciate the couple years I worked for a bank. I learned the value behind asking for the business and getting out there and representing my place of business. I bring those qualities back to the credit union realm, where my current institution is beginning to realize sales is really EDUCATING the mbr!
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