Tellers and the Fear of Selling
Getting bank and credit union tellers to sell has always been a challenge, even if they’ve had all the sales training money can buy. Yesterday during a coaching session at one of my client’s branches, a new teller admitted that the reason he didn’t make referrals for products is because he 1) doesn’t like rejection, and 2) is afraid of looking foolish since he doesn’t know enough to answer questions. I couldn’t argue! No one likes rejection, or willingly opens themselves up to looking like a fool.
We spent the rest of the session talking about his “script”, and why he was being rejected so often. He had fallen into the selling-the-product-and-not-the-benefits trap that so many of us fall into. And, he assumed that everyone he spoke to knew what the products were, a big mistake, because most don’t.
The solution was to change his approach and adjust his script so he talked about the benefits of the product, and how they would make the life of his customer a little easier, a little less costly, and the basics about how the product worked, just enough to create some interest. The script is a tool designed to educate and create a need. And he learned that he does not have to put himself in harm’s way to answer all the questions – there was a staff of Customer Service Representatives in the lobby who were product experts. All he needed to do was introduce his customer to one of them to answer all the questions and complete the sale.
I also explained to him it’s OK if they say “no”, because now that the customer is educated on some of the benefits, the “no’s” act as seeds for future cultivation. People don’t always buy the first time they hear about something, it can take repetition and more repetition before an actual sale is made.
At the end of the session, the teller was relieved, and seemed anxious to try his new “magic” script! Now, we’ll see what happens.
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KarenM's SalesBlog 
Fantastic post. I know this one is geared more towards the banking and financial industries, but it has lessons that can extend to every business. Everyone hates rejection and looking foolish! Do you find the tellers ARE a key component of a sales team? I guess I had never thought of it that way.
Zach Katkin
June 6, 2008
Tellers are THE key component to the banking sales team. They are the face of the organization, and often are the source of first and lasting impressions. They see and interract with more customers than any other employee in the bank.
sterlingmiller
June 6, 2008