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removed from the field and without a practical understanding of the dynamics that drive successful selling. Sales management is simple, but it's never "easy" because it requires the time, focus and proactive leadership of senior managers and development of an integrated sales management infrastructure that will provide sustainable gains in sales.

As a result, there is no ownership within the bank for increased sales production or for management of a preferred way of selling, the cornerstone of successful nonbank sales organizations.

3. Poor Integration of Sales Functions
Virtually all large banks have established processes for each functional area of sales management ranging from recruiting, training and coaching to goals, measures, appraisal, and

In the absence of focused sales leadership at the top, sales unit managers are often let off the hook for poor sales production, for failure to adhere to the bank's sales process, or for failure to develop their salespeople as long as they meet their "financials." This just doesn't happen in other industries in which managing sales process, developing key personnel, and generating revenue are viewed as the principal accountabilities of line managers.

The Thirteen Most Common Mistakes in Big Bank Selling

After twenty years plus of sales consulting

rewards, yet most are dissatisfied with the way in which these functions are reinforcing to each other. The larger the organization, the more likely it is that these functions are politicized andwork at odds with each other.

4. Substituting the "Trendy" for the Basics
In recent years, most of the largest banks have become enamored with sophisticated segmentation schemes, computer based training, new channels of delivery, culture and service quality initiatives, and local market management. In the face of lean

to banking organizations of all sizes, we see a pattern in the mistakes in sales management made by the largest banking organizations. These mistakes, mistakes typically avoided by nonbank and small bank competitors, explain why the largest banks are being outsold.

1. Overreliance on Technology
The larger and more "high tech" the bank, the more likely we find the belief that sales occur by "immaculate conception" through preprogrammed sales automation or sales management software. This belief seems to foster the notion that with access to technology there is no need for a banker to get his or her hands dirty with selling or with coaching. As a result, MCIF's, sales reporting, and contact management programs are barely being used in bank selling or coaching, and the sales features in platform automation are often viewed by salespeople as a hindrance to personal selling. Many bankers are using these new technological tools as time-sapping toys for overanalyzing their sales opportunities or as excuses for avoiding one to one selling and coaching. The real objective in utilizing technology in sales management should be more focused live interaction between salespeople and their customers and supervisors.

2. Avoidance of Accountability
In the largest banks, there is seldom one strong sales leader responsible for each line of business. This void in leadership leads to committee decision-making and to outsourcing of both sales initiatives and of the accountability for their success.

staffing, the combined impact of these initiatives has been to divert the focus of line managers away from more basic revenue generating activity. Improvement in selling requires a substantial commitment to a sustainable management process and to live skill building practice and field coaching.

5. Reliance on Numbers over Process
The best sales organizations in the world all have one thing in common. They place adherence to their preferred sales process on the same level of importance as numbers, knowing that if they work the process well the numbers will be there. In contrast, most large banks reward short term profitability at the expense of sales process thus sending a message to all managers that process doesn't count. Banking is one of the few industries in which managers aren't appraised and rewarded for coaching and development of their personnel. How can salespeople get better without being observed and given constructive feedback on their behavior?

6. Passive Recruiting
In conducting sales management training at large banks, I'm always struck by the reluctance of line sales managers to make clear demands for performance. The usual rationale is that stating clear expectations will cause some employees to leave, and that they'll be difficult to replace. This rationale is totally unheard of in other industries where sales managers actively recruit top performers themselves and weed out nonperformers fast so they can meet their revenue goals.