How Do You Serve Your Chicken?

There is a Chinese food restaurant in my neighborhood that is my husband’s and my “go to” place when we have a night where do don’t feel like cooking.  Out of the eight or so Chinese places that are within 10 minutes of our house, we like going to this particular one the most. 

The reason we like going there so much is because the place is clean, the people are friendly, and they are flexible with how they let you order traditional items on their menu.  For example, we love General Tso’s Chicken, but hate the heavy breading and greasy fried meat found at most places.  Here is our typical order:

General Tso’s Chicken

Unbreaded, steamed/boiled white meat

Extra broccoli

With as many times we have ordered this dish in our health-conscious way, we have probably received the finished product in that many ways as well:

• No broccoli
• Extra vegetables, but no broccoli
• Chicken was fried with breading
• Chicken was fried without breading
• Very little meat and lots of vegetables
• Big pieces of steamed chicken with the perfect amount of sauce and broccoli
• Chicken with runny sauce
• Do you see my point now?

I never know what I’m going to get when I order that particular dish, and, as long as my chicken isn’t fried, at the end of the day I don’t really care that much.  But if I decide to change, I would do so quietly.  I just wouldn’t go back again.

It's All About the Service Delivery

There IS a relation between me ordering my General Tso’s “my way” Chicken and banking with my financial institution.  What happened if I mailed a check to be deposited into my checking and it went into savings instead, thus causing an overdraft?  How many times do you think that would happen before I decided to change institutions? 

Your service delivery is everything.  And, while each person’s comfort level and anger threshold is different, you need to make sure your entire team is ready to treat every interaction and transaction like it is your last with that member.  Listen to them, make sure you do exactly what they ask for, exceed their expectations, and give them a reason to come back.  Otherwise, you may be quietly losing members or customers without them giving you a chance to find out why.

Amanda

Want to gauge the service delivery in your financial institution?  MarketMatch can help!  Our process creates and transforms the actual “voice of the customer” into clear knowledge-based strategy and ties service delivery strategy to the customer experience and brand promise.

Contact me to learn how we can help turn your challenges into opportunities with guaranteed ROI on your efforts. 

Follow me on Twitter!

USAA ... The Disney of Banking?

As a life rule, many people ask, "What would Jesus do?"  As a marketer, I typically ask myself, "What would Walt do?"  As bankers, we should all ask, "What would USAA do?"

In 2006 I left a Marketing role at a credit union and came to MarketMatch. Still, 7 years later, I'm a fiercely loyal CU member. They have my mortgage, home equity, 2 auto loans, checking, savings, credit card and some investments. But when I decide to leave, I'm going taking my accounts to USAA.

I have USAA home and auto insurance and, to me, they are the Disney of banking. Maybe that's why, in a 2011 Forrester report, USAA was found to lead our industry with 3.5 products per member, with Navy Federal Credit Union close behind with 3.1.

How can you see these kind of results?

Focus on Service, but Don't Forget Sales

USAA averages 3.5 products per member while Wells Fargo, a sales machine, "only" has 2.6 products per customer. What's up with that? In my opinion it's a slight deviation of focus.

I've shopped many a Wells Fargo for clients all over the country and they have an outstanding sales model.  USAA, on the other hand, has an outstanding SERVICE model.

I've been a USAA member for 19 years and in that time, I've NEVER met a single employee face-to-face. Yet, I still consider them the greatest service company that I do business with.

The USAA Way: Like Disney, the primary driver is the member experience. Focus every single member interaction on service first! Service leads to trust and trust leads to sales. Then ask simple questions at every interaction and suggest products related to individual responses. It's that simple. The unspoken steps here are: 1) Listen and 2) Care!

Bundle Products
Customers often walk in the door or come to your web site inquiring about a product.  The successful institutions don't focus on one product at a time, they focus on clusters.

Here are some examples:
Debit cards, online banking and e-statements are not "cross sells" to a checking account, they are access points and should be as assumed as ordering checks.

As soon as your customer closes on that mortgage and moves in, they're going to start filling their new house with ... new stuff!  Help them by bundling a credit card with every mortgage. If they're good for $100,000+, they're also good for a couple extra grand on a credit card. And it should go without saying that your mortgage customers should have an automatic referral to any insurance offerings.

Every single commercial account has a decision maker with a personal account. Do you have them both?  How can you package the two to give you an advantage?


Blowup the Silos

I have a client who, when talking about referrals from the mortgage department to retail, is concerned about getting the customer's "permission" to call. What I sometimes need to remind them is that customers don't bank with a department, they bank with an institution.

Rarely does someone bank with XYZ Mortgage, or ABC Insurance ... they are going to XYZ Credit Union or ABC Bank.

What USAA does REALLY well is communicate internally. My auto insurance contacts may not have all the answers about retail checking, but they're certainly not shy about asking me if I'm interested.

Many of you offer a lot of products. I'm not saying that every employee has to be an expert on every product, but they should know everything that you have to offer and know how to get someone to the right contact within one transfer.

When you want to focus on improving what you do, spend some time at USAA.com.  Look at their Life Stages or their Advice Center.  Notice, though they likely offer a lot more services than you do, how simple their website is to navigate.


Think about it.  USAA has 3.5 products per member among more than 9 million members ... and no branches! They are killing us and they only have the computer and phone to build a relationship. Imaging what we could do with our world-class, face-to-face interactions if we took a few pages from USAA's playbook. We could become the most magical banking place on earth.

Read More

• Lessons From 100 Branch Experiences
• Disney Service in your Branches
• $#*! Bankers Say

We bring these marketing philosophies to credit unions and community banks nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

With nearly 195,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

Is the Sleeping GIANT awake??

Greetings...

By now, I am certain that you have heard... Walmart and American Express are joining forces to reach the "unbanked."  That quake you felt and the flutter of your heart were natural reactions to the awakening of the sleeping giant.

Is the Sleeping Giant Awake???

Let that statement settle in a bit... and while you do...a few quick facts

• The world's largest retailer...with over 4,540 US locations
• 1.4 million US associates
• $316 billion in annual US sales
• Serve 200 million customers annually
• Donated $872 million dollars in the US

These are staggering figures for any industry.  They also happen to be important building blocks to become a successful financial services company.

Now apply them to banking industry.  Wal-Mart would be:

• The 4th largest branch network
• The largest employer
• The largest customer base

So...just what exactly is Walmart doing?  (Here is a link to the USA Today article.)

Changing the game of banking...that's what!

In partnering with American Express to create the Bluebird prepaid debit card, they are attacking-- directly-- a large population of customers and at the heart of our industry's non-interest income engine.  Think about it...and this is a quote from the American Express Group VP..."Every Walmart cash register is the equivalent of a (bank) teller."

WOW.

In ONE fell swoop, Walmart has become the largest banking entity in the country.  I have felt for nearly 12 years, since I first dealt with a Walmart banking lease for an in-store branch, that they were simply biding their time and learning community banking by allowing community banks, mainly, to set-up shop in their stores.  They built a "bank customer" base, provided a service and now that they have their own financial services...I would start looking for those bank branch leases to be non-renewed by Walmart and the space taken back for their own use.

This is truly a "circle the wagons" moment for our industry.  We have to determine the impact and focus our attention on providing what Walmart is NOT KNOWN FOR...and that is service.  Not just "say their name and smile" service...but life-altering, life-stage based service that keeps a customer coming back.

Service is our differentiators and Walmart's kryptonite!  FOCUS...FOCUS...FOCUS...and deliver premium service in a way that Walmart simply cannot-- personally and with 100 years (or more for your institution) of experience and expertise.

Now is the time...and the day is today!  For a great blog on the type of service that you need...  Disney Service in Your Branch.

This is not just an alarm...it is an all-hands-on-deck call.

Let's respond together!

Cheers!

Bruce

With nearly 150,000 visitors worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs.  

We bring these marketing philosophies to community banks and credit unions nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MarketMatch is a full-service marketing firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the right story that will generate the greatest  MOMENTUM and prove the best RESULTS with our written ROI Guarantee.

 

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-832-7894 x101

How to Be the Pink Zebra in a Black & White Crowd

Do you want to stand out from your competitors – to be the pink zebra in a black & white crowd? How about providing a customer experience your competition can’t match?  From products designed for what your customers need to the customer contact that builds the relationship.

First – you need to look at what really matters to your target customers? Step back and look at what you have to offer from the customer’s viewpoint.

Second - don’t try to mold your customers to your product, but mold the product to your customer’s needs.

Third - look at what your customer’s experience in the delivery and follow up. Use this perspective to make improvements and manage the experience.

Whether it’s your product offering, the customer touch points, or your brand, learn which part of the customer experience is important to each segment of your target market and differentiate your products and delivery accordingly.

Our upcoming Brown Bag webinar this Friday highlights a Midwestern bank that has done just that. They have framed their products, delivery and customer experience to the customer. Register to join our free session at 1:00 EST on Friday, March 16, 2012 and see what one financial institution has done to stand out from the crowd.

Until next time,
Melissa

• Learn More Here
• Chat with me LIVE!
• Or contact me directly

There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. ~ Mary Kay Ash

MarketMatch is a full-service marketing consulting firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the efforts that will generate MOMENTUM and yield the greatest RESULTS for your bottom line.

And so it begins...

Summer is here...

And so it begins!

The summer rush to enjoy the great outdoors, trips, family, baseball...its all about enjoying life and living each moment!  For you, your staff, AND your customers.

The need?  For you, your staff and your Bank/CU to put yourself in position to help your customers.  Debit cards, online banking, credit cards...even travelers checks.  I know, sounds very basic. However, it is also the moment of truth for you!  How?  Why?

Because you prove yourself OVER and OVER again to a customer...not just in the first 90 days, but each time they interact with you.  Do the LITTLE things well and the BIG things will come to you more often, faster and with less competition attached!

So, prepare your staff to be prepared to help your customers with the SMALL stuff...

Enjoy the start of summer...and enjoy watching your staff plant the service delivery seeds for a GREAT fall!

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

The Wave of Indifference

It seems that every company wants to focus their marketing message on providing, "outstanding service."

Yet most places we go, we're met with a tidal wave of indifference.

Seriously, it's when you're helped by someone with a personality that the service really stands out. That's a bit sad.

Shop

Take a day and shop your competitive branches. Trust me, it'll be eye opening. Besides, the weather is beautiful this time of year and it'll give you a reason to get out of your office.

Simply ask the first employee you see about checking accounts and see how they handle it. Do they ask you leading questions that will help them make a recommendation:

• Where do you bank now?
• What do you like about your account?
• Why do you want to change?
• What kind of balances do you carry?
• Etc, etc, etc

Or do they simply hand you a brochure and say, "If you have any questions come back and see us."

You'll quickly find out which banks or credit unions will be climbing the market share ladder and which will be sucked under the wave of indifference.

Training

When I speak on this topic, I love to use a Disney example and you can too.

Last summer I took our family to Disney. My 5 year old daughter wanted to see Sleeping Beauty. That's all she had talked about for months and we finally were there. We drove for two days to get there in a van who's A/C broke as soon as we hit the Florida border. We were at the park on the hottest day on Disney record ... 115 degrees - no exaggeration. We paid a king's ransom for the privilege of baking in the "Happiest (frickin') place on earth." By lunch, my 7 year old son was actually crying, "Don't make me go back out to Disney." But we hadn't seen Sleeping Beauty yet. When it was her scheduled time, we waited in line for about an hour and a half and finally came the moment of truth...

Now, imagine if Disney staffed their parks with the same employees that ride the wave of indifference. And how upset my daughter would have been and how I might have actually strangled someone.

The reality is that Sleeping Beauty and all of the other princesses, in heavy gowns and full make-up during the hottest day of the year, where exceptional! They all were on stage and they all brought their "A" game. It made the entire experience worth while and the rest of day quickly became MUCH better - especially when it cooled down.

The point? All of your employees are on stage. And there is no way of telling what trials our customers had to face to get to our branch on a given day. We need to jump off the wave of indifference and drown our customers in positive feelings. Smiles, sincerity, and an honest attempt to help. It's really not that hard, but it's also few and far between.

Do you want to differentiate your bank or CU? Spend less time worrying about checking rewards and focus on the faces and voices that customers deal with everyday.

Happy Friday,

Eric

NPR: "More Americans Considering Community Banks"

NPR, today aired a segment on the movement towards community banks.

Click here to listen to the 4 minute segment from WBEZ.

Have you prepared? This radio segment brings up the outstanding point that, although consumers may WANT to move their money ... the reality is that they still live busy lives and changing banks is perceived as a difficult process.

Set Up A Switch Process

At the minimum, have a Switch Kit online.

Better yet, take advantage of this opportunity to provide an EXPERIENCE. Have a process where your staff can manage the switch for the new customer.

• Help the customer identify ACH accounts and know where to send the forms
• Know the contact info for all of your competition to help the customer more quickly send the Close Account form
• Have a form ready for the customer to simply hand to their HR department for direct deposit transfer
• Train your staff on the importance of this new relationship. A happy checking customer is statistically significantly more likely to have loans and other accounts with you
• Help the new customer set up Online Banking at the branch

With the right process in place, you can overcome the primary purchase hurdle to opening a new checking account, provide a greater opportunity for your staff to cross sell, and provide a service to your new customers that they will tell their friends about!

If you don't have time to prepare the information for your staff, there are third party companies who can quickly pull together data on your specific marketplace.

Take care,

Eric

Be A Good Host

As I sit here writing the report for a recent competitive shopping report, I thought I'd share some of the "low-lights" and talk about fixing them.

I've done these shops for clients all over the country ... experiencing life as a potential customer who's motivated to switch checking accounts, and the results always amaze me. In every market that I've done this in, from California to Michigan, nearly all of the experiences have been lousy. If I was really in the market for a new checking account, I'd have a hard time finding an institution that I trust. Here are some examples:

• The "Point and Send": When a teller is handing off a prospect to a new accounts rep - or worse yet, simply sending them to a brochure rack, they simply point in the general direction and say "Go there."

The Fix: Whenever possible, the teller or reception person should walk the prospect to the new accounts person ... preferably after introducing themselves and getting the prospect's name and asking a few basic qualifying questions (where they bank now, what kind of checking account they have now, do they use debit/online banking/bill pay) ... and make a personal introduction to the new account rep and explain the situation to the new account staff.

• "Bored Guy in Ties": I walked into an empty branch where almost every office was staffed with a bored looking guy plankly staring at his computer ... I can only assume checking his Facebook account or playing solitaire.

The Fix: They could have been doing ANYTHING productive: writing personal, handwritten "Thank You" notes to new accounts, conducting random account reviews then making outbound calls with recommendations to top customers with suggestions for products that may help them ... anything!

• The "Product Puke": This is my favorite and most common. When the prospect says that they are interested in checking and the teller or new accounts person READS from a sales brochure literally every account with fees and features. I've had folks talk to me about 50+ accounts (and I'm only 38!!!)

The Fix: This ONLY happens when your staff doesn't ask qualifying questions. First find out how the prospect uses their checking (average balance, access needs, etc.) and make a recommendation based on their answers.

The bottom line here is simple:

Treat every customer as you would treat a guest in your home.

• Shake their hand and welcome them
• Introduce yourself and others
• Never "Point and Send" - escort them from place to place
• Offer a drink of water or coffee if they are sitting to talk to new accounts
• Find out what they need and make a recommendation - you are the expert!
• When they are leaving, walk them to the door and thank them for coming in

These basic - common sense - acts will certainly make you stad out from anyone else in your market.

Take care and Happy Veteran's Day,

Eric

Cardiac Cats...

Good morning...

What a weekend of sports!  My Buckeyes won (moved to 7th in the polls), my son won his football in convincing style and that brings me to the Bengals.  FINALLY, it is paying off being a Bengals fan!  1st place during the season...something we have not had in a long while!  Not only did we win and beat a division rival but the game helped with my blog post.

My thoughts today surround the team effort and never-say-the-end-is-here attitude.  The Bengals have overcome adversity (read heartbreaking loss to the Broncos and a death of a coaches wife) and tough opponents to maintain a 1st place lead.

YOU have overcome adversity; the economic climate, the state of the industry, probably budget cuts, and more.  Our CUSTOMERS have overcome adversity; potential job losses, stock market losses, economic woes, and more.

Hopefully our customers have hung in there with us...and we with them, too!  Now is the time to circle the wagons as a team and focus on our customers.  Just like the Bengals circles the team wagon after the devastating and unexpected loss of the defensive coordinator's wife.  They focused on the matter at hand, focused on their roles, and gained momentum at each potential turn.  The result? A win!

You need to be the emotional leader of your bank/CU and be the advocate for the customer voice.  How?  Difficult but easy...

• Focus the front-line staff on the "little things" of customer service (smile, quick service, thank you, and simply engaging the customer)
• Focus your marketing on a message of hope and opportunity
• Focus your internal message on teamwork, coordination and communication
• Focus your external delivery on being three-dimensional on your target

With these steps in place...and a little faith in the process, you can not only overcome adversity, you, too can enjoy 1st place!

Marketing is the voice of the customer and emotional leaders....assert you place and deliver your role.  Everyone is counting on you!

Cheers!

Bruce

Early nights...and Halloween

Greetings...

I was reminded yesterday that fall is falling!  If you happen to live in the midwest, you know what I mean.  Crsip nights, changing of the leaves...and of course, the time change looms.

When you live in Ohio, the time change means that very soon it will be dark in the morning when you wake up and dark again at 5:15 pm.  Early nights and short days.  The good news?  Halloween is around the corner and early nights and short days make for a GREAT Halloween!  The darker and spookier the better for getting candy and having fun.

This natural cycle just means that summer is close to coming around again!

So what is the point...

Its the cycle!  For a marketer the short days and early nights usually happen in the 3rd and 4th quarter as our budgets begin to be tapered down.  We need to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel and that is budget planning, which will start soon (if it has not already started for your bank/CU!)  So, what is your "Halloween?"  The mid-fall event that raises hope, generates fun and brings lots of candy/sugar!!

I encourage you to gather your troops at your Bank/CU and make something happen.  Did you know that THIS WEEK is National Customer Service Week (October 2-6)?  Use this as an opportunity to highlight your service, resurrect your service, or make service an integral part of your 2010 plans.

I know...I know....EVERYONE has great service.  However, we ALL know that we need to INSPECT what we EXPECT (thanks Marty Cohen!) to ensure we get what we want!

Implement a service measurement process...start today!  Make it...

• Measureable
• Consistent
• Customer focused
• Widely communicated

And use the results to coach and mentor staff until you reach a service culture that you can believe in and know that it is consistent across all branches and parts of the day!

And just think...summer is a short winter away!

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

Build in Volume...find a way

Greetings...

In doing one of the things that I really don't like (taking our van in for routine service) something dawned on me...and I had to share it!

At certain intervals, the manufacturer (Honda) has built in a service light on the dashboard that says "Service Engine Soon." The only way to turn it off? At the dealer! Problems? Not sure. Concerned. You bet. The final resolution? Just a normal service rotation...but it got me to act!

This is a brilliant built in provider of sales volume.

May be a little irritating, but it certainly works. I am here at the dealer (along with bunches of other people that I am presuming have a similar situation).

So the opportunity for YOU lies in your creative ability to drive volume in predetermined ways, similar to the "Service engine soon" light on the dashboard.

Find a way to drive predetermined and ACTIONABLE volume to your institution!

Be creative...listen to your front line staff and your customers...or just call us and we can help!

CHEERS!

Bruce

A WOW Experience.....

Good Monday morning...and a great day it is!

This past week, I was in Florida and had the occasion to visit a Publix grocery store. For those that have never visited...it is worth a trip south to visit a store. EVERY Publix I have ever been to has the same characteristics-- the same customer experience:

• Very bright and cheery
• Staff at every turn offering help
• Easy to navigate stores
• Helpful signage and information
• A broad selection

Now....most stores can lay claim to the same items...however, as with all banks and credit unions, the true difference lies with the execution and the staff!

My most recent experience is a capstone class in empowering staff and delivering the customer experience. My request was pretty simple...but I was still wowed! I went to the deli department and asked for three items (1 1/2 pounds each of two deli meats and one cheese). Instead of making me wait (with my children) the most helpful clerk asked me if it was OK, if I went ahead and shopped and she would have it ready for me, when I was ready--- remember, she asked ME if it was OK!

About 5 minutes passed and I was tapped on the shoulder 3 or 4 aisles over from the Deli. It was the deli clerk! She said,"I have your items ready for you and to make it easier, I went ahead and thought I would find you." She found ME in the store. Now, that is service....beyond expectation.

The lesson is simple. Empower your people. Tell them the basics...make the customer happy (and that does NOT mean lower prices, cut rates, etc....the meats I bought were MORE expensive than the sale items)...it means truly understanding HOW we can help a customer with three basic needs...save time, make time or make money!

Is your staff ready? Are they WILLING and ABLE?

Take a look around....

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

7 Ways to Stand Out From The Crowd

According to a recent J.D. Powers and Associates and Novantas study, customer service drives 15%-20% of growth performance at the branch level - accounting for a differential of $50,000 - $90,000 of additional annual earnings per branch.

As a firm who conducts market research and secret shops for banks and credit unions across the country, we empirically know that customer service will provide the differentiation that your institution is looking for.

How do you standout from the crowd?

• Know your competition – what are their strengths and weaknesses?  Who is providing outstanding service in your market?
• Know your markets – your market needs may be different from branch to branch.
• Focus your efforts – don’t expect your staff to be good at all things.  Find your niche and maximize it.
• Train and set expectation levels – communication with the staff is the key.  Tell them what you expect and how to be successful.
• Offer the right products – Do you provide “value meals” that bundle key products together?  Do you offer product packages based on life stage?
• Provide the right tools – relook at your sales process and sales materials.  Remove obstacles and provide targeted benefit-driven materials.
• Track, recognize and reinforce – your team should know, at all times, how they are doing against their goals and be rewarded for success.

With a focus on customer service, you will cost-effectively:

• Support your brand
  
• Increase share of wallet
• Reduce customer attrition
• Increase revenue
• Increase staff retention

But it takes a commitment.  

From the senior management down, every level of the organization must support this effort.  Often, it's best to look to a third party for an objective perspective and to focus on the plan while you manage the day-to-day institution operations.

Take care,

Eric

Nothing Kills a Bad Product Faster Than Good Advertising

"Nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising."

~ David Ogilvy

Even if you are the entire Marketing Department ... you're not an "Army of one."  

As a Marketing VP, I used to tell my sales staff, "I don't complete your annual evaluations, but you're in MY department."

As marketers, we need to step outside of the organizational chart and take responsibility for staff training ... after all, your sales staff must deliver on the promises that YOU make!

Provide The Right Tools

After completing hundreds of branch shops for clients all around the country, I've learned that the vast majority of financial institution "sales" is literally reading a brochure to the prospect.  Take a good look at the tools that you give your staff to use.

• Are they easy to understand?
• Are they focused on customer benefits?
• Do they speak to customer needs?
• Do they differentiate your institution and your product offerings?
• Do they package the products in ways that will help your staff cross-sell?

Set Service Standards

Customer service is objective.  What one person sees as great customer service, another person may see as average.

Unless we create a set of clear, measurable Service Standards we cannot expect our staff to automatically know how to act.  

The goal is to have the service be the same from branch to branch and from market to market.

• Put the standards in writing and come up with fun and creative ways to display them
• Keep the list short - no more than 10 standards.  Only include the most important aspects of your institution's service
• Do not focus on operational issues.  These are short service standards ... NOT an employee handbook or training manual. 

Make It Fun

Periodic internal sales promotions can work wonders.  Make a game of it.  Creating competition between your branches can help to build a team feeling within each branch.

• Create a traveling trophy that the winning branch can display until the next internal promotion
• Make sure that you focus on bundling products for extra points
• Offer meaningful prizes to standout branches and individuals

We'd love to hear tips on how you train your sales staff, provide the right tools and make it fun! Please reply to this blog and brag about your efforts.

Take care,

Eric