Examples of our work include:
- Identifying sales management obstacles
A major regional bank’s first and second level sales managers were not coaching business bankers as planned in a new sales initiative. They pointed to internal distractions. Senior managers were skeptical. We analyzed sales manager time and activities to develop a fact base for decision.
The outcome: Our analysis indicated that first level sales managers were spending more than 70% of their time on “internal” activities including emails, credit approval and overrides, non-sales meetings and conference calls.
On the basis of our analysis, the bank accelerated development of a new Regional Credit Officer position and reduced the flow of internal emails and meeting invitations to first level sales managers. Ultimately this led to increased loan application approval rates, more coaching time, and higher sales productivity.
- Identifying critical sales productivity leverage points
A major regional bank sought to identify business banking “best practices” and develop performance standards for sales managers to use in coaching conversations.
Clarity assessed high, medium, and low performers in the sales force, distinguishing differentiators between high and medium performers, developing a composite demographic profile of high performers, identifying patterns of high performer best practices, and identifying critical infrastructure that supported their high performance levels.
The outcome: In addition to identifying the coaching bench marks, Clarity determined that one of the most important performance differentiators for high performers was a 1:1 or 1:2 relationship with a highly experienced administrative assistant who had been in the market for more than ten years.
This particular finding led management to slow down efforts to uniformly reduce support services for sales team members and to encourage the most experienced sales assistants to retire.
- Disciplined Sales Management System
We assisted a major regional bank to design and implement a structured sales management operating system that included planning, review, and activity management components.
The outcome: Within three months of implementation, sales managers reported a significant increase in sales call activity, call preparation and planning, and confidence in sellers’ pipeline accuracy.
- Differentiated Sales Process
A regional bank created a Small Business Banking division as a separate line of business with representatives in five states. The new division required sales tools, sales process, and sales management process in addition to sales reporting.
The outcome: Clarity designed a common sales process, sales tools, and sales management procedures for the business line. Over a five year period, the process and tools contributed to a more than three-fold increase in business banker sales production.
The sales process and tools were so effective that the bank re-organized its small business web site to align with the process and tools, excerpted language from our training materials in the web site, and included one of the sales tools in its client brochures.
- Confirming Sales Activity Standards
A regional bank’s senior sales leadership team established sales activity standards for small business bankers based on their previous experience. Hearing significant grumbling from small business bankers about the call frequency standards, the bank engaged Clarity to assess the relationship between sales activity levels and results.
The outcome: Using data from the bank’s sales tracking systems and data developed independently through surveys and observation, Clarity determined that the sales leadership team’s call frequency standards were correct, demonstrating that the top 25% of the sales force met or exceeded that standard while lower performers fell short. Clarity was also able to establish the positive relationship between use of specific sales tools and methods and resulting small business household penetration.
