Blog

Cross-selling to existing customers remains crucial for credit unions. Having an engaged member who utilizes all of the financial resources pertinent to them is good for everyone: the member and the credit union alike.

Credit Unions across the country, regardless of asset size, all want the same things. They want to grow their existing membership base while increasing their share of wallet. The digital landscape is saturated with unique credit union marketing strategies aimed at attracting new members and spreading their message across multiple channels. The question remains: what are the most effective ways to increase loyalty among existing members?

If you are a salesperson, especially if you are working a specific vertical, conference networking is a skill that has the potential to provide a ton of value. For credit unions for example, conferences are in full swing with MAC last month and CUNA this month, and building relationships within these groups are crucial for future success.

We were just in Austin for the Marketing Association of Credit Unions (MAC) conference, and we're still buzzing with excitement and bursting with ideas. Our first credit union conference was so much fun, we are already looking forward to #CUatMAC next year in San Diego.

Active listening is the #1 skill for a salesperson. According to experts, we spend 49% of our day listening. If we spend so much time listening, we should strive for proficiency. And for salespeople, it pays to be a good listener even though the skill is often underutilized.

The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season and this year the tournament has been extraordinary. Four all time greats made it to the finals: Serena vs Venus, and Federer vs Nadal. The greatest tennis player of all time, Serena Williams, is history in the making. Her older sister, Venus, 36 years old, in her first final since 2009. Federer and Nadal, one of tennis’ greatest rivalries of all time, played in their 12th final. Serena and Roger were the ultimate champions however, all four of them won.

The New Year is an important time for any salesperson. New goals are set, new demands are made, and new challenges arise.

One of the biggest challenges for the B2B sales force is that today’s buyer is more educated than ever. According to Forrester, 74% of the buyer's journey is made anonymously online. This staggering statistic suggests that by the time you meet a potential customer face-to-face, the information presented in that first meeting must be compelling and engage the buyer in the sales process. To make that first meeting count, according to Anthony Innarino, you need to answer three questions for the potential buyer:

The success of a salesperson is dependent on a structured, repeatable process that yields appointments and closed deals. We all know that weekly sales meetings are vital for reviewing performance, creating action items, and planning the week's activities. However, the successful sales process is more than weekly sales meetings. So here are some reminders for improving your process to keep you on track and position you for successfully implementing your proven strategies.

The salesperson's role is to acquire new clients and/or generate more revenue from existing clients. After a deal closes, it's often passed off to an account manager of a fulfillment team. The on boarding process and the ongoing customer experience are vital to customer retention. Moreover, in a traditional sales model, the original salesperson may be unaware of any problems or issues until it is too late.