Bank sales leaders have to design routines to drive change. Without routines, team members often lose focus and honest attempts to change behavior fizzle.
In the time we have at work, we need to make intelligent decisions about where to spend our energy. The urgent— phone calls, email messages, interruptions of all types—is always going to force bankers into reacting. But particularly when the will is there but the discipline isn’t, new routines provide a framework in which breakthroughs often take place. They enable us to structure our lives in the face of competing demands.
The best sales routines have certain common elements:
- They are very specific: “You must turn in your weekly call planner with all the calls you have scheduled for next week by the close of business on Friday.”
- They occur at a scheduled time: “Our weekly sales meetings are on Monday at 8:30 AM.”
- They are widely accepted by all as critical to sales success and become in essence, non-negotiable: “We review our relationship plans on all of our Key Customers and Key Prospects with our Sales Managers twice a year.”
To change a behavior—eating too many cookies after dinner, something which I can relate to—requires that we substitute another behavior—perhaps drinking a glass of water or eating a piece of fruit when the craving for chocolate chips strikes.
What are some routines that all Sales Managers should institute? Here are 6 to start with:
- Holding Monday morning sales meetings
- Reviewing your team’s pipeline and weekly call planner every Friday to prepare your key message for your weekly sales meeting
- Establishing quarterly reviews of Key Lists with each banker
- Scheduling 1 on 1 time every two weeks to coach each salesperson
- Riding with each salesperson at least once each quarter to observe their calls
- Holding some form of educational session at least once a quarter for the entire team
Changing habits is hard. Our capacity for self-control is limited. Over time coaching routines become a source of comfort to individuals, midwifing new behaviors that can become automatic and relatively painless.
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Video Alert: Tips for Sales Leaders on Time Management
In this video Ned Miller shares 3 ideas to help Bank Sales Leaders manage their time more effectively.
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Looking for a Speaker for a Sales Conference? Buck Bierly and Ned Miller are frequent speakers at banking conferences and bank sales meetings. They have a reputation for delivering sales and sales leadership “how-tos” in a dynamic, engaging manner.
Offering a range of keynote, half-day and full-day programs, their approach helps salespeople and sales leaders gain a competitive advantage in every step of the sales process.
For more information about how we may be able to assist you at an upcoming sales meeting or conference, call Ned Miller at 484-433-2378 or email him at nmiller@mzbierlyconsulting.com.
