Who is driving the bus?

The issue of sales culture is nothing new to financial services. We buy books about sales culture; we attend presentations about sales culture; and we read articles about sales culture –yet, many executives are left trying to figure out how exactly to build their own effective sales culture.

The November issue of ABA Bank Marketing Magazine features an article about sales culture, titled: “Is Everybody on the Same Bus?” The article highlights the efforts of two banks: Bank of Smithtown and The National Banks of Central Texas, as they developed two distinct and successful cultures of sales. The title of the article poses the question: “Is everybody on the same bus? – but, before we answer that question, shouldn’t we be asking ourselves: “who is driving the bus?”

This article, like many discussions about sales culture, fails to mention the most important foundational aspect of building a successful sales culture – leadership. Without first developing a culture of leadership within your institution, a cohesive culture of sales is difficult, if not impossible, to establish. The “driver” of a sales culture must be a leadership team that has the foresight to recognize the need to unite the team in an effort to sell.

So, before investing valuable time and resources in developing a sales culture to “get everyone on the same bus” – make sure you know who is driving.