Starting With The Right People

As a training firm we are successful when our client’s Licensed Bankers are successful, so identifying the best candidates is an integral part of a Platform InFusion‘, the platform program implementation system employed by Clarke Financial Group, Inc.

If the primary indicator of success in a platform program is in choosing the right people…Then what does the right Licensed Banker look like? Historically many banks have used a “set of the pants” method of identifying candidates for the LB position. We have taken demonstrated success traits and used them to create a model to analyze prospective LB candidates. The success traits are:

A = Assertiveness is likely the most dominant behavior in those top producers who are expected to go it alone more often than not. Some level of assertion is required to step out of one’s comfort zone and persuade an individual to buy.

S = Sociability is likely the most dominant behavior in those top producers who are team contributors (i.e. strong referrers, motivated by the team goals). This behavior must be above average in either case, as the building of relationships is of utmost importance…relationships with peers is just as important as relationships built with customers.

P = Patience, without fail, is the weakest trait in top producers. It is important to look for people that have no problem with change, dealing with many irons in the fire, multi-tasking, nor asking for the order.

D = Detail Orientation is the fine line that one has to walk. After all, there are laws which must be adhered to, not to mention paperwork to be completed. With that said, high detail individuals tend to be more negative and require much more information to be comfortable selling.

If the candidate is expected to participate as a cooperative member of a team, then he or she might look like this:

If the individual is more personally responsible for success, then he or she might look like this:

Not only will identifying these traits help to identify individuals predisposed to success as Licensed Bankers, but methods for coaching and motivating them become crystal clear.

Clarke Financial Group, Inc. is a training, marketing and consulting firm that partners with Banks, Credit Unions and Insurers. To learn more about Platform InFusionä, the platform program integration and implementation system that increases productivity and efficiency, contact Donna Gervig, EVP, Platform Programs at (800)661-0636 or dgervig@cfgroup.com.