13 ways to improve employee engagement...13 ways to improve employee engagement | 5 1 n the ar...

13 Ways To Improve Employee Engagement

by Mark ArnoldAuthor of multiple books, including “Marked For Success: Daily Ideas to Help Your Financial Institution Succeed,” “Think Huge: Elevating Your Life and Your Business” and “My Best Service Ever.”

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13 Ways To Improve Employee Engagement | 2

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Ask The Right Questions in a Team Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

A Positive Attitude Drives Superior Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Coach Your Employees to Be Pitchers and Not Catchers? . . . . . . . 6

Ensure Your Employees Are Brochures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Implement Brand Training (Case Study) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Coach Your Branch Managers to Perform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Avoid Being the Nightmare Boss (Five Easy Steps) . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Help Your Employees Live Your Brand (Five Tips) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Help Employees Overcome Roll-Play Hatred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Coach Your Employees with Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Get Employees to Understand Your Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Push Your Employees to Have The Selling Mindset . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Remind Employees that Service Is more than Being Nice . . . . . . . 16

Conclusion and Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

13 Ways To Improve Employee Engagement (interactive table of contents)



Your employees are your brand ambassadors — the critical link between your brand and consumers. If your employees don’t connect and engage with consumers, you are limiting your credit union or bank’s ability to grow.

According to McClean and Company, an employee disengaged with your organization’s brand making $30,000 a year costs you $10,000. That’s just one employee in one year.

The better you improve employee engagement, the better growth results you will attain. But how do you improve employee engagement?

This Tip Sheet provides the following 13 solutions:

• Ask The Right Questions in a Team Meeting

• Remind Employees That a Positive Attitude Drives Superior Service

• Coach Your Employees To Be Pitchers and Not Catchers

• Ensure Your Employees Are Brochures

• Implement Brand Training (Case Study)

• Coach Your Branch Managers To Perform

• Avoid Being The Nightmare Boss (Five Easy Steps)

• Help Your Employees Live Your Brand (Five Tips)

• Help Employees Overcome Role Play Hatred

• Coach Your Employees With Questions

• Get Your Employees To Understand Your Strategy

• Push Your Employees To Have The Selling Mindset

• Remind Employees That Service Is More Than Being Nice

“We had some amazing results from our member experience program and training. We have members of the community who would see us outside of the credit union and say, ‘Thank you for being part of the heart.’ They loved our ending to the member experience so much that we had multiple people saying that to us out in the community. That was incredible and so much more than we ever expected.”

Cindy Beauregard, President/CEO, Heart of Louisiana Credit Union

Introduction



©2018 On the Mark Strategies. All rights reserved.

Team meetings can be boring. Managers share updates from the company. Blah, blah, blah. Too much reporting and not enough dialoguing. Lots of talking and very little (real) listening.

So at your next team meeting, throw out your traditional agenda. Instead, ask the following questions (making sure everyone answers) and enjoy a healthy idea exchange.

1. What is one example of how you are living our brand? Every credit union and bank talks about its brand, values and value proposition (or at least it should). But while your management team leads your brand, it’s your employees who live your brand. Challenge each person to bring a story about how one of their consumer inter-actions did something that demonstrates your brand values.

2. What business are we in? One Starbucks front-line employee (not an executive team member) once famously said, “we’re not in the coffee business serving people; we’re in the people business serving

coffee.” So what business are you in? Too many times employees think we’re in the financial services industry, credit card business, loan area, etc. The reality is we need to change our thinking. That starts with a broader discussion about what business we are really in.

3. What is one task we are doing that is stupid? We do the same things over and over again. Why? We are creatures of habit. That’s a very dangerous thing to be in business. We need to be creatures of change. Get your team reviewing your department (and the entire organization). Ask one simple question: why are we doing it this way? And then ask a follow-up question: can we do it better?

Those are just a few ideas to help kick-start your next team discussion. They are designed as open-ended questions to facilitate dialogue. You want your employees to think. They are all leaders of your organization — so get them thinking about the questions above.

Ask The Right Questions in a Team Meeting





“Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.”—Walt Whitman

Let’s face it: consistently keeping a positive attitude is tough. We can blame it on the times, those around us, difficult circumstances and a host of other things. We can even blame it on the family dog. The bottom line is, difficult times befall everyone, everywhere, at some point or another.

Reconciling the importance of a consistent positive attitude with the need and expectation of daily superior service is the tricky part. Keeping that winning attitude when dealing with consumers is crucial, especially in challenged economic times.

Members or customers can easily walk out your credit union’s or bank’s door, their money in tow, and take their business to dozens of competitors all too happy to have the new account. Even worse, in our digital age they don’t just take their business: they can also slam your poor service via social media outlets, reaching untold numbers of review-readers.

Keeping a sharp focus on the importance of a winning attitude when dealing with members is critical. This lesson applies just as much to CEOs and back-office staff as it does your front-line employees in lending and member service. How can your employees consistently project a positive attitude? Consider the following ideas.

1. In service, you’re not allowed to have a bad day. Flat tire? Kids acting up? Trouble with the in-laws? While we can all empathize with that, the place to vent is not when dealing with consumers. As hard as it is, smiling and showing genuine concern for member welfare comes first. If an employee

faces more difficult issues, consider moving them temporarily to a role with less consumer interaction or even suggest some time off. It’s better for both the employee and the consumers with which they could have a negative interaction.

2. Work on appreciation. When faced with tough times, a great way to combat those negative feelings is to appreciate what you do have. This is a great lesson for anybody in any situation. Take a few moments to be thankful for the many things you have. This could be family, friends, your home, whatever comes to your heart when you think of the good things in life. Let the thanks spill over into your credit union workplace. Show a genuine concern for their well-being and thank them for jobs well done. An appreciative attitude is a great gear-shifter when confronted with a negative attitude.

3. Recharge your personal batteries. Everyone gets worn down. The key is taking good care of yourself and keeping in top form. This can (and should) be considered holistically with a balanced focus on your health, work life, personal life and spiritual life. Eat right and get enough exercise. Cultivate positive relationships at home and work.

These are just a few things you can do to help keep focused on positive attitude as it relates to consumer service at your financial institution. No one is saying every day will be easy, but surrounding yourself with the right people and tools can help get the job done. Providing your members/customers with outstanding service, every day, is vital to the success of your organization — and that success starts with you.

A Positive Attitude Drives Superior Service





Opening day in baseball is a seasonal mile-marker. It’s one of the best days of the year. It often marks the transition between winter and spring. No matter where your team finished last year, hope springs eternal with that first pitch and crack of the bat.

Two of the most important positions in baseball are the catcher and the pitcher. Your team won’t get very far this season unless those players are performing at their best.

And your credit union or bank won’t get very far unless your employees are pitchers and not catchers. In too many financial institutions, the front line staff are catchers and not pitchers. What’s the difference?

• Pitchers. These are employees who analyze consumers’ needs, look at their current situation and then pitch a product to them.

• Catchers. These are employees who wait to take the order from the consumer and catch a new product only by happenstance.

If you want additional products per household to increase at your credit union or bank, then you must train your staff to pitch and not just catch. As noted above, this pitching metaphor does not mean throwing random products and services at consumers just to get them

something they don’t need. You are not throwing “high and inside.” Rather, your employees are simply using a needs based approach (matching your products to the consumers’ needs).

If your financial institution has a product or service that a current member or customer would benefit from, then it’s not selling: it is serving the consumer.

You are giving them better deals (offering free checking). You are helping them (giving them a loan when no one else would). You are saving them money (lowering their interest rate on credit cards they have elsewhere). You are making their lives easier (showing them how to use your bank or credit union mobile app). You are saving them time (offering bill payment). You are helping their dreams come true (financing their dream vacation).

Yes, you are pitching to them.

When it comes to your sales and service staff, do you have more catchers than pitchers? Just like any good baseball team, you’ll need more pitchers on your team as well.

So buy some peanuts, grab a hot dog, and catch a game sometime this baseball season. And make sure your people are making pitches to your members/customers.

Coach Your Employees to Be Pitchers and Not Catchers





Ensure Your Employees Are Brochures

During a recent branding and name change project we conducted competitive mystery shops for one of our clients. We always collect marketing materials from the other area financial institutions in order to see their pieces and how we differentiate our client.

During one of the shops, we asked to see one of competitor financial institutions’ product brochures. The representative left her desk to see what she could find. She came back and said, “I was told to tell you ‘I’m the brochure.’” Needless to say, we were a bit stunned.

Maybe this institution is actually on to something. If the gist of the comment is that the employee should know all

about their products and services in order to sell, then that is indeed a great thing. Plus, the reality is that most people don’t want your brochures (and they end up in the trash). Your products’ benefits (not features) should be so strong you can sell them without a brochure.

If your employees are using your brochures as a crutch and just throwing them at potential consumers, then your materials are indeed being wasted.

A far better practice is to ensure your employees are actually your brochures.





Implement Brand Training (Case Study)

When it comes to branding, it is not enough just to have a vision, a tagline and a logo. A “must-have” in any successful brand initiative are employees who buy into your brand. People who are living your brand promises every day.

But that is easier said than done. So how do you successfully gain brand engagement with your entire staff? According to one credit union it all starts with brand training.

“One of our key strategic measures is employee engage-ment,” says Urjit Patel, senior vice president for Smart Financial Credit Union. “At Smart Financial we feel that our employees are the brand.”

During a recent rebrand, the credit union held a one-day brand camp. At this event — conducted on a traditional “banking” holiday — all employees gathered together to learn about their new brand. On that special day various employees (executives and “brand ambassadors” from multiple departments) shared many aspects of the new brand.

But the brand camp was just the beginning. It’s what happened after that day that helped reinforce the brand launch.

Smart Financial recently had all their employees — not just the front-line—go through a customized brand training session, where they learned how to live the brand every day in their individual jobs.

“Whenever you execute large enterprise wide change, it’s critically important to make sure all staff are properly indoctrinated to help you achieve your short and long-term strategic goals,” Patel said. “We truly want all employees at Smart Financial to have a personal connection to our brand thereby creating brand ambassadors in the process.”

One creative technique Smart Financial did as part of their brand training was to have all the employees sign

their name to a brand board. This step got the employees up during the session and had them physically show their commitment by signing a branded board.

“Gaining commitment to sign the boards helps show how we are all on the team to make sure our brand and vision is executed seamlessly all the time,” added Patel. “Accountability to have the right people in the right positions living our vision and brand is vital for our future growth.”

According to Patel, there was real power in having employees actually sign their commitment to live the brand. “Every employee has submitted their personal goals to live the brand. We have captured this infor-mation and talk about it at the branch, department and executive team meetings.”

But the boards are not just a one-time training exercise. They are actually a tool to use moving forward. “At quarterly all staff meetings we display our signed brand commitment boards and share successes in how our people are living it daily,” Patel says. All new hires will go through the brand training and “we will display the brand boards to show all parties how we have gained commitment towards our brand from all staff.”

Smart Financial is already seeing success with employee engagement from the brand training. “We are seeing different business lines within the organization already talking daily about our new vision and communicating across company departments to help each other succeed,” Patel said. “We are capturing member interaction success stories from frontline and back office department employees to help show how everyone can make a difference. We are taking new initiatives in how we reach out to the public to grow our market presence through our brand.”

Patel is absolutely correct: great brands are built with engaged employees. And getting your employees engaged starts with brand training.





Coach Your Branch Managers to Perform

John Maxwell once said, “everything rises and falls on leadership.” If Maxwell were a CEO of a financial institution he probably would have said “everything rises and falls on the branch manager.” One of the best ways to improve your credit union or bank’s performance is to improve your branch managers’ coaching skills.

In Coaching for Performance, author John Whitmore says, “coaching focuses on future possibilities, not past mistakes.”

According to Rory Rowland, president and founder of Rowland Consulting, one area to help grow your financial institution is to tap into the power of the coaching relationship between the branch managers and the frontline employee.

“When I conduct coaching training for organizations it is common to see the ‘shoulda, woulda or coulda coaching style,” Rowland says. “If your managers are focusing on your employees’ mistakes and not focusing on their future possibilities, then your bank or credit union is performing below optimal level.”

So how do you do that on a practical level? Rowland suggest having the employees tell the manager what they did right or wrong after a transaction.

For example, rather than hammering the employee by saying “you should have asked them to open a checking account,” or “why didn’t you ask to put GAP insurance on that loan,” the branch manager asks “what additional product or service could you ask the customer about?”

In the first approach, the boss feels like an ogre and the employee feels beaten down. In the second approach both feel compelled to develop a solution.

Referencing Whitmore, he notes “coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”

In other words, true coaching is much more about creating self-awareness for the employee than telling them what to do.

“With this model, coaching in no longer a one-way street but rather a productive dialogue of important questions,” Rowland says. “Asking questions creates self awareness. And when you elevate the self-awareness of your employees you improve the performance of your entire financial institution.”





Those that have seen the cult hit movie Office Space will readily recall the character of Bill Lumbergh, a mid-level manager at the fictional company Initech. Famous for patrolling the cubicle farm with his matching tie and suspenders and ever-present coffee mug, Lumbergh struck fear into the hearts of his hapless office minions.

The best humor, it is often said, is funny because it contains elements of truth at its core. So is the case with Lumbergh, management and all office landscapes. When managing employees, credit union and banking executives would do well to review the following five steps to help them avoid becoming the dreaded nightmare boss.

1. Make sure you have the right people in the right position. Not everyone can be successful at everything. Put people where they can produce, thrive and be happy and watch the productivity roll in.

2. Be yourself. Sure, you may be the boss and with that comes a certain level of decorum. But there’s nothing that says you can’t be yourself with your employees. Most savvy staffers, especially younger ones, can spot a poser from a mile off and it immediately puts them on guard about your sincerity and motives.

3. Reward positive behavior. All too often managers focus more on correcting poor performance or behavior than recognizing the good stuff. Yes, you’ll still have to work with employees facing certain

challenges, but don’t forget to really point out and reward (in a way other employees can see) when a staff member does well.

4. Be a good motivator. Especially in tough economic times, employees need a great motivator. Learn to be that person. When working as a manager, you can’t afford to have an “off” motivational day. Your staff looks to you as captain of the ship. If you look or act nervous, they’ll feed off that. Be the opposite, their rallying point for positivity. This also means you’ll have to motivate yourself when times are tough, but this simply comes with the management territory.

5. Make sure your team has at least one “no man (or woman).” By this, don’t rely on a steady stream of head-nodding yes people. They’ll say just what you want to hear, never challenging you or the office status quo. You need a good-hearted Doubting Thomas, someone that you can rely on to give you an honest opinion on an office issue, even if it’s not one you want to hear. Your team and your career are both better served when at least one brave dissenter steps up and says “I disagree and here’s why.”

There you have it, five easy steps to help avoid becoming the Bill Lumbergh of your office. Put them into play with your team and see them grow closer and do more.

And be sure you have those loan reports ready by Friday afternoon!

Avoid Being the Nightmare Boss (Five Easy Steps)





Help Your Employees Live Your Brand (Five Tips)

Branding. It’s a hot buzz word and topic in financial institution circles these days. Credit unions and banks spend a ton of time and resources on their brand’s look, design, graphics and marketing. But branding is more than your strategy and look.

Branding is also about your people.

Branding is only as strong as the employees that live it. Once you develop your brand plan and look, how do you get your employees to live it? Here are five tips to get your employees engaged in your brand.

1. Communicate your values. Ensure they are clearly spelled out to employees at every opportunity. Make the most of the time you have, including employee meetings, orientations, training and marketing event kick-offs. Your employees cannot truly live the brand unless they know the financial institution’s core values.

2. Drop “sales training” and implement brand training. Everyone talks about “sales culture” these days. While that’s not a bad thing, it’s time we evolved beyond sales training and dived into brand training. Brand training goes deeper than a cursory glance toward “sales culture” and demands more of your staff. By more fully immersing them in what it means to work and thrive at your credit union or bank, you set them up for success as brand ambassadors.

3. Talk about branding at every opportunity with your staff. This could include all staff

meetings, new employee orientation (where HR brand buy-in is critical) and other events. Connect your brand with all promotions and how staff’s dedication to the brand directly impacts the bottom line.

4. Develop brand standards and require all staff to adhere to them. Your employees can’t live the brand unless you have standards in place. How should they dress? How should they interact with consumers? How should they be involved in the community? These and other basic questions clearly articulate what you expect from your employees. If you expect nothing from your employees when it comes to your brand, then that is exactly what you’ll get: nothing.

5. Develop an acronym that helps employees recall the brand message. We tend to develop grandiose vision and mission statements (which are a good thing). However, what do they really mean to a front-line employee? An acronym helps employees live the brand and deliver it to consumers on a daily basis.

Getting your employees to live the brand isn’t a one-step or one-day process. It takes time, determination and total buy-in at all levels, from the board to the CEO to the management team to the front line.

However, the fruits of this labor are well worth the effort. Employees that live the brand internally will live it externally and serve as the best marketing and communications vehicles your financial institution has.





Help Employees Overcome Role-Play Hatred

“I hate role playing.” How many times have you heard that? If you’ve ever tried to help you staff improve their front-line sales and service skills, it’s probably too many to count. In a recent training session I conducted with one of my clients, we had employees practice delivering certain service and brand messages in the form of role play. It was the worst part of their day!

Of course, many credit unions and banks are now in a sales and service culture. Which means we often use role playing in our training efforts.

So how can you help employees overcome their role play hatred? Here are a few tips:

1. Set up the role play correctly. Tim Wackel, a popular speaker and sales training expert, says, “Spend more time up front setting expectations.” He suggests using a well defined role play and getting buy-in to do the role play.

In some ways, you start with the end in mind (yes, that overused phrase). You set the table by saying something like, “How many of you are scratch golfers today?” Then say we could spend the next four hours of me telling you how to play golf or we could spend time practicing how to be a better golfer. Which do you think is best? That simple illustration shows why role playing is so important when it comes to training.

2. Use The Beatles and Michael Jordan as examples. In his book “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes what he calls the “10,000 hour rule.” He notes “researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours….ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness….practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”

One example he cites is the Beatles. Gladwell notes the amount of time the Beatles spent in Hamburg, Germany

prior to becoming famous crafting their art. It wasn’t just talent—it was also hard work. Of course, during Michael Jordan’s career he was famously known for being the first in the gym and the last to leave.

If practicing was important enough for the Beatles and Michael Jordan, then I think it should be important to front-line credit union sales representatives as well.

3. Change the words “role play” to practice Sometimes it’s just the wording. Say “role play” to a front-line employee and immediately many of them will break out in hives. So never say “role play.” Just call it practicing. As noted in point number two above no one improves unless they practice. Growing up we practiced sports or playing a musical instrument. Suddenly we’re adults and when it comes to our jobs we stop practicing? What’s up with that?

As a personal example, I can’t expect to be a better speaker unless I work at it. And not just once in awhile —every day and every week. I have to carve out time on a regular basis to practice. When I’m standing in front of the mirror in a hotel room reviewing my notes the night before a presentation I don’t call it “role playing”— it’s practicing.

4. Make them feel safe. Sometimes employees are scared. Especially about being embarrassed in front of their peers. Role playing (okay, practicing) will never work if fear is present. When possible, keep the groups small. Maybe even go first yourself to set an example. Make the environment as fun as possible.

Practicing sales and service skills improves sales and service skills. In fact, if your employees are not practicing the fundamental and advanced techniques don’t expect your cross sales numbers to improve. Hopefully taking these four simple steps gives you a few good ideas about how to overcome employees’ role play hatred.





Coach Your Employees with Questions

As an executive, manager or supervisor you are supposed to have all the answers. After all, that is why you get paid the big bucks: to solve problems. And most of the problems you deal with are typically people problems. If there are people challenges in your organization, then as the leader you are the answer.

But what if it’s the questions that you actually need?

In his new book “The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead,” best-selling author Michael Bungay Stanier notes that the key to successful leadership is successful coaching. But he also says, “You’re probably not getting very effective coaching; and you’re probably not delivering very effective coaching.” The difference between ineffective and effective coaching is asking questions. But not just any questions: the right questions.

In his book, Bungay Stanier offers the seven best questions any manager can ask an employee to improve their performance. Below are three of those questions and how to best implement them. For the remaining four, be sure to pick up a copy of “The Coaching Habit” (it has tons of solid information to grow your leaders).

1. The Kickstart Question: What’s on your mind? Bungay Stanier says staring with this question you can turn a chat into a “real conversation….It’s a question that says, ‘Let’s talk about the thing that matters most.’” Rather than wasting unnecessary time (and what leader has an excess of time these days), this questions is about getting quickly to the thing that matters most.

2. The Focus Question: What’s the real challenge for you here? This question gets to the heart of the challenge at hand. With the coaching habit there is no more beating around the bush. Too many times when employees start a conversation about a situation, they start off topic and not what is really on their mind. They chase rabbits. This question forces your direct reports to peel back the layers and identify the core issue.

3. The Lazy Question: How can I help? The lazy question works in two ways. First, it forces the other person to make a clear request, by forcing her to get clear on what it is she wants or needs. Second, it is a self-management tool to keep you as the manager curious and keep you lazy: it prevents you from spending time doing things you think people want you to do.

Now that you know some of the questions to ask, what do you do what the information? Here are a few application suggestions:

• Ask these questions when you are coaching your employees

• Use this Tip Sheet as a management training tool with your leaders

• Implement these questions in management team meetings

Those are just a few key insights and application points from three of the questions in The Coaching Habit. The book offers many more ideas, tips and resources to improve the way you lead. As John Maxwell says, “everything rises and falls on leadership.” If you want your organization to rise with your leadership, then it starts by asking the right questions.





Get Employees to Understand Your Strategy

According to a recent report from author and consultant William Schiemann, only 14% of employees have a good understanding of their company’s strategy and direction. Another poll from Gallup indicated that only 26% of employees are “engaged.”

No matter how you slice the numbers, many of your employees don’t care or don’t understand your strategic plan. You know, that document you spend hours talking about and producing. The one that defines your differentiation and drives your success.

Let’s be honest: if your employees don’t “get” your strategic plan, it is doomed to failure. So how do you get your employees to understand your strategy? Here’s a hint: it’s not by going branch to branch and telling them your strategy after the planning session — it takes much more effort. Here are four tips to increase employee interaction when it comes to the strategic planning process.

1. Involve employees. From the very beginning, get employees talking about your strategic plan and what your credit union or bank should do. You can survey the staff, hold town hall type meetings or just chat informally with individual employees. We often involve managers (and that’s a good thing) in the planning process. But to truly gain staff buy-in we need to take that involvement to everyone in the organization. Questions to ask the staff include, “what should we accomplish next year,” “how can we improve,”“what new products should we offer,” and “if you were the organization’s king/queen what would you do?”

2. Engage employees. It’s not enough just to ask employees questions; we need to actually engage them in the process. You might want to include a front-line staff or two in the planning session

(someone young with a lot of ambition). Doing so means they have a voice. You could also conduct mini-planning sessions for each department. Another idea is to give each strategic initiative to a group of employees and have them brainstorm the tactics for achieving the goal. You can even have them perform a skit or make a video to illustrate how to live it.

3. Challenge employees. A good coach will sometimes get in a star player’s face and challenge them to live up to their talents. Don’t assume the worst of your employees; assume the best. Let them know you’ve set stretch goals for the year. Let them know you have high expectations. And while challenging them, go deep with the strategic plan. Don’t just lay it out and say this is it: tell them this is the mountain we are going to climb and we want you to go with us. People are smart and the more you communicate the plan the more likely it is they will understand it.

4. Train employees. Most financial institutions use an outside facilitator to help them with their strategic plans. And a lot of these facilitators are also speakers who could motivate your staff. You might be able to get a discount from a speaker if you use them for your planning session and for a training event. I’ve even had some clients dovetail a strategic planning session with a training session (where I do one day of on-site staff training and then facilitate the strategic planning session the next day). This maximizes the credit union’s resources.

As the report said, “No organization can perform at its best with only 14% of its people rowing in the same direction.” Do you want your employees rowing in the same direction with your strategic plan? Then involve them, engage them, challenge them and train them.





Push Your Employees to Have the Selling Mindset

Sales. The mere mention of the word sends some people—including many of your staff—into convulsions. Some of our employees fear sales. Some of them view sales reluctantly. And some of our staff even hate sales.

Why? Because many of our employees don’t have the selling mindset. Sales has a bad rap. We need to remove that negative attitude associated with sales and replace it with the selling mindset.

According to Dan Sullivan, president of Strategic Coach, Inc., “selling is getting someone engaged in a future that is good for them.” Notice that selling is NOT:

• The employee versus the customer/member

• Feature dumping

• Making a product pitch

• Offering someone something they don’t want or need

Ultimately, selling should provide three things:

• Education. Your employees are not salespersons; they are educators/teachers

• Benefit. Everything your employees offer should have a tangible benefit for the consumer

• Value. Your employees need to clearly articulate why someone should do business with them

If your employees view sales from the lenses of edu-cation, benefit and sales, that changes their mindset. We might need to replace sales training with engagement training.

As Success Magazine says, “What would the world look like if someone didn’t sell or market? Where would the jobs be with no selling? Where would the entrepreneurs be? Where would the small businesses be?”

The reality is your credit union, bank or company cannot survive without sales. And everyone in your organization is in sales!

However, the question is not “are your employees in sales?” The question is “do your employees have the selling mindset?”





Remind Employees that Service Is More than Being Nice

Talk to any credit union or bank executive for more than five minutes and more than likely the topic of a sales and service culture will arise. Phrases like “what makes us different is our service,” “we focus on serving our consumers and not selling to them,” or “we have a service culture in place but not really sales.”

One of the problems with most banking sales and service cultures is that your employees are confused with those terms. They think service is one thing and sales is another. That service is good and that sales is evil. Or that service is just being nice. But let’s be clear:

Service is more than being nice

People expect service today — they expect you to be nice. True service is:

• Digging deeper to find what someone truly needs

• Understanding that service = sales

• Offering a consumer a product that is going to help them save money or earn more money

• Discovering the consumer’s dreams rather than just taking their order

For example, if a consumer is in your financial institution and is asking for a credit card increase true service is NOT just completing that transaction with a friendly smile.

True service is realizing that what they need is a better way to save money while managing their debt and helping them do that with a home equity loan (rather than the credit card).

In many cases, people don’t know what they want, especially when it comes to financial services. People wake up and say “I need a car” not “I need a car loan.” They come to your financial institution not looking for products but looking for solutions to their problems.

And the solution is not just being nice to them.

Our employees must understand that not offering a consumer a solution that is good for them is actually disservice.




Conclusion

Creating a fantastic consumer experience at your credit union or bank won’t just happen naturally or by osmosis. It takes intentionality. Hopefully, the 13 suggestions above will help you improve your employee engagement.

Member or customer experience also takes training and is critical to your journey mapping process. It not only trains employees to your service and experience expectations. It also transforms their role in your organization from employees to brand champions.

Member or customer experience training:

• Provides customized learning for your employees based on the journey map you create

• Trains employees to your new service and experience expectations

• Addresses why these expectations are important to your financial institution’s success

• Teaches employees to connect with customers or members

• Focuses on experiences, not just sales

If you would like help implementing a member engage-ment training program, please contact us to start seeing immediate improvement.

Contact Information Phone: 214.538.4147

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.markarnold.com

Twitter: @jmarkarnold twitter.com/jmarkarnold

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jmarkarnold

About the Author. Mark Arnold, CCUE, is an acclaimed speaker, brand expert and strategic planner. Mark speaks regularly to audiences around the country on branding, marketing, strategy, leadership, personal growth and generational issues. With over 20 years experience in the financial services industry, Mark’s breadth of knowledge covers areas such as marketing, business development, human resources, training, and sales.

He is also Founder and President of On the Mark Strategies a company specializing in branding, strategic planning and marketing audits. Not a mere consulting firm, On the Mark Strategies leads, guides and blazes trails for credit union and bank success. Some of the services On the Mark Strategies provides include branding, strategic planning and marketing audits.

Mark is the author of multiple books, including “Marked For Success: Daily Ideas to Help Your Financial Institution Succeed,” “Think Huge: Elevating Your Life and Your Business” and “My Best Service Ever.”

His blog (markarnold.com/blog) has been recognized as one of the top 20 blogs in the country for financial marketing.


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