Make sales by providing value-focused information.

• Author: Triplett, Ted
• Position: CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS/RETENTION

ACCORDING TO GALLUP, a majority of bank sales come from approximately 60 percent of customers who already planned to open an account or buy a new service. Your bank doesn't have to waste any marketing or sales efforts on these customers--they're already going to open an account without any prompting.

But what about the balance of customers who are thinking about opening an account, but need prodding from the bank to take action?

The Gallup research also notes that more than 50 percent of the customers considering buying a new product seek out information prior to the time of purchase. That makes sense, since customers can only make decisions with a sufficient amount of information. And, in today's economy, customers want to make sure they're making the right buying decision.

That's why it's imperative...