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• Position: How one bank created a new culture of sales, service and support

A case study on how one bank created a new culture of sales, service and support

Two years ago, Farmers & Mechanics National Bank, a Maryland-based organization that is part of the $1.7 billion F&M Bancorp, realized some of its successful bank competitors had strong sales cultures. F&M felt there was but one direction to go if it was to survive in today's marketplace.

"We knew we needed to create a sales culture in which the customer was at the center of every action and decision," explained Dawn Heaton, retail senior vice president "Speed was also important, because of the numbers we wanted to achieve."

They chose Omega Performance, a financial services consulting firm headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., to assist them in building an effective sales culture. F&M had a few basic objectives. First, the bank wanted the new culture to embody its existing F.O.R.C.E. guiding principles:

* Focus on being our customers' bank for life.

* Offer fun and pride in the workplace.

* Reward and celebrate success.

* Champion the customer.

* Exceed financial expectations.

They also realized that the culture needed to build on customer demographic information and branch practices already in place in their 43 branches. But to be successful, the new culture had to do even more: It had to involve everyone in the bank.

Strategy sessions

After conducting a situation analysis, senior management team held a session to define the bank's sales culture, create customized management routines, and plan how to communicate the initiative bankwide. The session also included skill development in coaching, leading sales team meetings, and developing reward and recognition strategies.

Farmers & Mechanics took steps from the outset to ensure that everyone in the bank understood, felt involved in and wanted to get behind a new sales, service and support culture initiative.

To help unify efforts, the bank created a unique culture-change kickoff that blended past success with a future call to action. They chose a "Star Wars" theme that incorporated the bank's inspirational F.O.R.C.E. value principles. Costumed executives shared examples of how employees were already supporting each principle and linked the principles to the new sales culture.

During the kickoff, President & CEO Faye Cannon called for a commitment from all employees. She asked everyone to grab the glow stick taped to the bottom of his or her seat, the lights went out, and a theater full of employees snapped their...