Shocking, Isn't It
1989; American Bankers Association; Volume: 81; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0194-5947
Autores Tópico(s)Leadership and Management in Organizations
ResumoShocking, isn't it? I recently returned from visiting three of my children who live in northern California. There were no earth tremors during the trip--just small culture shocks. I wasn't quite sure why my daughters, Summer and Harper, assured me it was okay to wear a bathing suit at the hot springs until we encountered the Clothing is Optional sign. Our sparse cabin was only for sleeping, so we cooked our meals in the communal kitchen. But there were no paper napkins, no paper plates, and no paper towels. In the northern California culture, people use real napkins, plates, and towels. Save a tree! is their chant. Steak is not popular in my children's circle--nor is the beloved salami sandwich. Fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and plenty of pasta is the standard fare: less costly and less cruel. Shortly after this, my son Peter, a folk singer, drove me down the coast to Santa Cruz to spend a few hours with his meditation group. The freaky outfits and hair styles that assaulted my senses in certain parts of the city seemed incongruous with the almost-polite, somewhat syrupy manners. When I began yearning for a brusque Yeah, whaddayawant? from a grouchy waitress, I realized I was getting a little homesick for New Jersey. Banking's culture shock. The point of this story is that I realized the California culture, as with any culture, did not spring up overnight. It evolved over a period of time, outlined and enhanced by individual creativity. The same can apply with the introduction of a sales culture in a bank. Small shocks almost always attend the introduction of a new culture. But they become softer and softer until the new culture becomes the culture. Back at Morris Savings Bank in Morris, N.J., the sales culture, helped along with incentives and bonuses, is slowly creeping into our way of doing business. And with this comes small culture shocks. The benefits of the sales culture include filling service needs of customers, filling sales force pockets with lots of money, and filling up the bottom line so all employees and stockholders benefit. This culture will help transform our industry until we're no longer merely order-takers. Soon it will become second nature to ask a customer, What kind of overdraft protection and line of credit would you like with your checking account? Of course, not everyone will accept the sales culture. In the beginning, the shocks will thin our ranks of those who cannot or will not try a new way, no matter how large the rewards. FasTrack on the run. At Morris, we're trying to give the sales culture a sense of excitement and team spirit in our branches with our new FasTrack Sales Program. FasTrack is all about teamwork. It's having a teller play just as important a role in the total sales picture of a branch as the sales manager. …
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