Building Member Connections

Business Issue - Your credit union’s sales and service associates and their managers are key figures in providing high-caliber service that satisfies members’ needs and sustains their loyalty to your organization. These employees need top-notch sales and service skills to create exceptional member experiences, pinpoint member needs, match them to appropriate products and services, explore additional needs, and lay the foundation for profitable connections over time.

Omega Performance’s Solution - Building Member Connections is a two-day, facilitator-led sales and service skills workshop that enables participants to create a member experience that satisfies needs and strengthens the relationship. The focus is on exploring the member’s initial request and “tagging” and transitioning to additional needs that arise during the conversation. Participants also learn how to respectfully handle member objections.

What Is Included

The two-day Building Member Connections workshop features authentic activity-based learning in which participants engage in videotaped skill development that includes all of the steps in Omega’s CON²ECT Member Experience Model. An advanced one-day session that focuses on the "follow-up meeting" to expand the relationship can be added within 90-180 days of the initial workshop to deepen skills and create speed to performance.

Upon completing Building Member Connections, participants are able to:

Utilize best practices for making personal connections with members.
Apply a questioning strategy for gathering information about member needs.
Use the techniques of noting and tagging to identify additional member needs that arise during conversations.
Apply the link between needs and benefits and how this relationship contributes to making effective recommendations.
Use the process for transitioning to explore additional needs that were noted and tagged.
Apply Omega’s Handling Objections Model to practice handling typical member objections.
Prepare for and practice two member conversations in small groups led by certified skill practice coaches. One practice session is a conversation using a real-life scenario from participants’ branch files. The other practice session is videotaped with the skill practice coaches playing typical members. In both cases, participants receive balanced and robust feedback about what they do well and could improve in their member conversations. To assist them in building their member experience skills, they will use Omega’s CON²ECT Member Experience Model, and the CON²ECT Conversation Guide.
Develop an action plan for on-the-job skill application and growth.

Results You Can Expect

Building Member Connections helps your staff:

Enhance member experiences that differentiate your organization in the marketplace
Increase member satisfaction, retention, and loyalty
Improve sales results, on the individual level and the team level
Increase products per household, cross-sell ratios, and sales growth

Who Should Be Trained

Building Member Connections is for your credit union’s sales and service associates and their managers.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for Building Member Connections.

Delivery Options

Building Member Connections is a two-day workshop conducted by Omega Performance consultants. An optional advanced one-day session on following up to expand member relationships can also be added. Maximum attendance is 12 participants. Leader training is also available.

Sustainment Skill Building

Building Member Connections is followed in 30 to 45 days by a "plug-'n-play" team meeting on Exploring Needs. This narrated, automated interactive DVD is aptly called a Skill Builder and includes brief exercise materials and instructions for managers to facilitate learning, with minimal preparation, for their sales and service associates in the field. This Skill Builder assists associates with one of their greatest challenges, learning to ask effective questions to explore member needs so they can deepen the connection and make the right recommendation. At the same time, it guarantees consistency of delivery among managers.

Participants will review and practice sequencing their questions using the "funnel" approach, taking notes during interactions, and using listening skills to help members self-discover needs and opportunities. Participants will apply these skills in a recorded skill practice activity in which they will share balanced feedback with each other.