Do You Know How To Stand Out From The Crowd?

 

Having worked in the finance industry for over 28 years and in three different countries, I have come to the conclusion that many Bankers are unaware of the great opportunity they have to create an extraordinary life.

 

All too often I meet Bankers who simply say what every other Banker says and sell what every other Banker sells.

 

I have no doubt their technical skills are sound (they know how to complete a loan application or open a deposit account), and I have no doubt that they are highly proficient at responding to customer requests.

But as I work with numerous Banks across the globe, this “Generic Banker Phenomena” has sadly become all too common.

 

It seems many many Bankers are resigned to living an ordinary life and earning an ordinary income – and that’s ok – but this is a profession where you can easily become extraordinary and achieve an extraordinary life.

 

I started my career as a Bank teller in the small town of Fairfield, Australia. Today I coach Bankers across the world, own beautiful homes in two countries and live an exciting globe-trotting life with my family.

 

And I did not achieve this through some super-human, prodigious effort. I simply recognized that it was easy to differentiate myself from other Bankers – which consequently produced great results and created even greater opportunities.

 

And YOU can achieve your greatest aspirations and goals too, by simply learning how to stand out from the crowd.

 

Here are 4 tips on how you can outshine your “ordinary” competition and lead an extraordinary life:

 

1. Become a Story Teller

I have no doubt that you have helped many customers and made a huge impact on someone’s life.

You have many stories that clearly demonstrate your great service and solutions, so learn to confidently tell these stories.

Everyone loves a story and your customers love to hear examples of how your service/solutions helped others.

Share your compelling and relatable stories with customers, prospects and your community to highlight what makes YOU (and your Bank) so valuable and different.

 

2. Specifically Understand Your Target Market 

Every Banker says that they can assist all consumers and small businesses in your local community. Every Banker says they offer financial solutions for all your needs.

But very few Bankers can actually specify a common issue or need that a specific segment in their local community needs.

Because Bankers are afraid to “exclude” any potential customers, they resort to generic descriptions about their solutions.

Differentiate yourself by becoming an advocate for a major problem that is impacting a specific industry or target market in your community and offer highly beneficial solutions that resolve these issues.

 

 

3. Enthusiastically Exceed Expectations

Too many Bankers are reluctant to engage customers in conversations about their broader needs because they fear rejection or do not want to appear “salesy”.

They believe that most bank customers have basic needs when it comes to managing their daily finances and are content to simply satisfy these “low expectations” rather than introduce them to anything new.

But EVERYONE appreciates a solution that can make their life better and can help them create wealth.

Extraordinary Bankers firmly believe that they can genuinely make their customer’s life better, and enthusiastically commit to exceeding their customer’s expectations rather than accepting a customer’s resistance to change.

 

4. Learn & Practice New Skills

To become extraordinary does not mean you need to miraculously change overnight. But it is difficult to become extraordinary without developing new skills or trying new approaches.

I was a shy, introverted teller but after attending my first bank-sponsored training course I decided to start applying some of the new “conversation-starter” skills that I learned.

The results weren’t always great … but I persisted and soon developed customer engagement skills that distinguished me from my colleagues … and ultimately, my competitors.

This pursuit of self-development has continued throughout my career and today I still invest at least 2 – 3 hours a week in developing my skills.

In a crowded market place filled with “Generic Bankers”, learn how to stand out by developing a new skill, behavior and belief each month.

 

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I encourage you to start believing that there are plenty of opportunities in the Banking industry to become extraordinary …. and easily achieve an extraordinary life. 

Article written by Joe Micallef – Sales Strategist & Coach – Grow UP Sales. For advice on how to stand out from the crowd please email joe@growupsales.com

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