WHY FUSION PERFORMANCE GROUP

The reason for our longevity and success in assisting financial institutions in becoming more successful in selling their products and services can be attributed to a number of things:

Our Philosophy

Everyone hates a pushy, aggressive sales person. We are successful because we teach service people to be effective at spotting new opportunities and completing the sale, without being pushy and aggressive. One preconception many people entering our training have is that in order to be successful in selling they have to talk members into a product or service. We refer to this as the “shotgun” method of selling whereby you remind members that there are options available give them your best “spiel”, “plant seeds” and hope for the best.

They feel they are “needs based selling” because they would never sell a product a member doesn’t need. We have learned that what this really means is that while they would never actually try to talk them into buying something they don’t need they would be willing to suggest a product that they may or may not need just to find out if they need it!

Unfortunately, in the mind of the member, as soon as the product is mentioned they already think the Credit Union representative is trying to sell them. This, in our philosophy is not needs based selling. Our approach is to train sales people in a common sense process that focuses on spotting opportunities, qualifying with the Member that they agree there is a potential need (opportunity), getting permission to explore how we could possibly solve that need, and then going on to work with the member on alternatives to achieving that goal. We believe that good selling = good service. We also believe the converse of that is true: that bad sales skill = bad service.

Our Focus on Coaching

We know from experience that training by itself will not change a team’s behavior. A true sales culture cannot take hold without a change in how supervisors and managers manage their people. We have courses and follow up strategies that focus on assisting managers in this transition from manager to sales coach.

Our Training Approach

Our training sessions can be best described as practical, fun and relevant. In a seminar-type workshop we facilitate training of 10 – 25 people per session. In these workshops we educate the participants in the sales process stopping frequently for break out groups to maximize participation. We provide real-life scenarios so that participants can become comfortable with a better approach in a non-threatening practice environment.

We welcome the tough questions and are more than willing to deal with real sales issues, questions or concerns head on. We feel that learning has not taken place until some one has been able to deal with any roadblocks to selling that may be holding them back from participating. Our philosophy for training is not so much to change someone’s behavior in a course but over time. We break down the sales process to discrete goals and action items that are achievable in the short term. It is a common sense approach with the battle cry of “Progress, not perfection” at the core.

Our People

One of the hallmarks of Fusion Performance Group is our consulting and facilitation team. We do not hire trainers, we hire individuals who have lived the philosophies we are preaching and have a track record to prove its effectiveness. Consistently we get feedback from clients telling us that this is one thing that strongly differentiates us in the market – our ability to share real life sales experience to illustrate principles that will make them more effective in selling. Having worked with Credit Unions since 1990 gives us the credibility and ability to speak knowledgeable about the industry.

Our people, many of whom have not worked for a Credit Union, have the external perspective necessary to focus on what it will take to improve sales performance without the tendency to buy into excuses for lack of change that may come from someone who has worked in the financial services business for too long.

Our Commitment to Results

We do what we do because we believe in the profession of selling and that there is a proper way to sell and manage sales people. The number of staff trained is not a success benchmark. We measure success by our clients achieving their sales objectives. How this plays out is in a commitment to staff and coaches to “keep the momentum alive”. We are passionate about getting results and will work with you until you succeed.

Our Ability to Adapt and Customize to the Needs of the Client

We recognize that while there are many, many similarities between financial institutions they all have a unique culture that has been derived from years of growth and change. While the core principals of what we believe and teach are never altered, how it is presented to a team and what focus is given to each area of the sales process is easily adaptable. In short, we do not have “one size fits all” training packages but will work with you in advance of the training to customize the language and focuses to your team.

Performance Data

While you can establish an effective sales and service culture without measuring performance activity data it is difficult to maximize sales potential and reward performers properly without it. For that reason we strongly encourage our clients to track activity numbers like traffic, opportunities, presentations, sold and referrals. The reason for this is simple: to coach the sales process a coach needs to know where the salesperson is breaking down. Having objective information that point the coach to the proper skill set to be improved not only saves time but makes rewarding progress much more spontaneous and meaningful.

Conference Coaching Calls

We keep the coaching team focused and advancing their skills through monthly teleconference calls. The date and topics are confirmed in advance to allow coaches to prepare in advance for the session.

*45 minutes to 1 hour call with all coaches to discuss coaching that is taking place in the branches.
*Discuss where their service people are struggling and how to coach them towards success.
*Follow-up reporting and coaching action plans are provided after each call.

In-Branch Coaching

We help the sales team bring the lessons learned in training and execute in the real world. On-site follow-up days reinforce the coaching and sales strategy. We work side by side with coaches on their specific branch issues. Frequency is determined by the evolving needs of the client.

*Hands on follow up in-branch working with sales management and staff on improving skills and processes.
*Coaching the sales team
*Modeling appropriate sales behavior
*Role-playing different sales scenarios
*Coaching the sales team while the coach observes
*Co-coaching a sales person with the coach
*Observing the manager coach a sales person and then coaching the coach
*Conducting sales meetings
*We use actual data from your coaching sessions to customize the session

Advanced Programs

Within 6 to 12 months following the initial training, retail staff are ready to tackle more advanced skill sets like resolving objections and negotiation. We work with management to identify when staff is ready and customize the content to the individual credit union’s needs and goals. Coaches receive advanced coaching training and refresher programs as their needs evolve.

Support Tools - Sales Meeting Express

Managers and Coaches need to keep their team’s skills advancing through regularly scheduled skill developing sales meetings. The biggest excuse why it didn’t get done is that they don’t have enough time to prepare an effective sales meeting. Take away the excuse with Sales Meeting Express. Sales Meeting Express is a yearly subscription to a series of sales meeting agendas that are sent via e-mail directly to all of your managers / coaches. No more excuses for why skill developing sales meetings didn't happen!

The agendas are all-inclusive! Preparation time is cut to virtually nothing. Everything you need, handouts, manual references, introductory comments, are done for you. You simply facilitate the meeting. Time efficient: designed to be completed in 20 – 30 minutes.

On-Line Training Programs

Most clients are adding new staff throughout the year. This used to mean that after their orientation they would have to wait to receive sales skill training until there were enough people to make up a class. Meanwhile they struggle daily to offer proactive member service or worse, develop passive transactional habits. Our on-line programs fill this gap for the new hire. These interactive programs are available on-demand any time anywhere.

DVD Support Tools

These follow-up tools are ideal for in-branch training meetings or one-on-one coaching. Our DVD training products are highly specialized to specific “high return” skill sets like:

*Starting Sales Conversations for Tellers
*Capitalizing on Investment Opportunities for Lenders

Webinar Training Programs

Many organizations are forced to limit classroom style training due to geographic challenges, numbers of participants, or travel costs. Depending on the skills to be trained, webinars offer a viable alternative. Specific groups who may not require the complete content of a sales and service program are better served by webinars. Groups like receptionists and administrative support staff