Credit Union Undergoes Sales and Service Culture Shift to Achieve Unprecedented Financial Growth
OVERVIEW
Wauna Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit credit union that offers affordable financial services to residents and businesses in Oregon and Washington. Today they have over $367M in assets and 115 employees serving almost 26,000 members. They have been recognized by Oregon Business as one of 100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon and among the top 100 green companies in Oregon three consecutive years. Wauna prides itself on their high level of community involvement and their vision is to be the financial institution that members choose first, use the most and grow with throughout their lives.
OBJECTIVES
- Transition from an “order-taking” culture to a sales and service culture
- Shift mindsets around sales
- Deepen relationships with members
- Increase loan and deposit growth
CHALLENGES
Like many credit union employees, Wauna’s staff was initially wary of being viewed as “product pushers.” So when a member came to them, they generally took the order rather than going deeper and offering other products that might better address their needs and ultimately provide better value. Wauna decided to make the transition to a sales and service culture in order to increase loan and deposit growth while also better meeting member needs.
SOLUTIONS
Because The Member Advantage™ (TMA) emphasizes member value creation, CEO Robert Blumberg believed that it, combined with the Integrity Coaching® program, would provide the behavioral foundation, tools and mindset shift Wauna’s staff needed to make the leap to a sales and service culture.
Recognizing that changing the culture would require behavior change and accountability across the organization, all employees participate in the TMA program as well as the Behavior Styles® workshop. To reinforce the principles and further embed them into the culture, all managers complete the Integrity Coaching® program. In addition to incorporating The Member Advantage™ training into Wauna’s on-boarding process, Wauna has shifted their hiring process to focus on attitudes and beliefs aligned with member value creation.
To sustain the culture, Wauna holds weekly meetings with management and monthly all-employee meetings that feature internal success stories that have come from applying the Integrity Solutions model. “We say, ‘This is the kind of success you can have if you really embrace the process.’ We talk about it quite a lot,” says Blumberg. All employees meet with their managers at least once a month to discuss progress and goals using the Integrity Coaching® tools. Incentive programs are based both on results and on the application of TMA principles and models.
IMPACT
“The deposit growth has been astronomical, completely exceeding my expectations,” says Blumberg. “And our Return on Assets has gone through the ceiling. Last year we had a .76% ROA. This year, just in the first quarter, we’ve hit a 1% ROA.”
Before partnering with Integrity Solutions, Wauna was underperforming in relationship to its peers. Today, Wauna outperforms its competition not only in deposits but also in loan growth. Wauna’s products and services per member has outstripped others in their peer group.
Wauna attributes these successes to the Integrity Solutions programs and principles. While the improvement in the economy helped all credit unions, Wauna maintains that their ability to surpass peers is a direct result of working with Integrity Solutions.
Results
Outperforming peers in deposits and loan growth
Improved ability to serve member needs
Value-driven sales and service an integral part of the culture
Products and services per member highest in peer group
There was a lot of negativity in the beginning when we talked about selling. No one wanted to become a “used car salesman.” With Integrity Solutions’ approach, I was able to show our staff that a sales and service culture means understanding the needs of the members and fulfilling those needs. By doing that we’re actually providing great service—and that’s our ultimate goal.”
– Robert Blumberg,
CEO, Wauna Credit Union
We don’t want the member to leave the credit union not feeling good about the product or service they purchased. And likewise, we don’t want our employees to feel badly about what they’re doing. You have to believe in what you are doing and really embrace it. Integrity Solutions is all about that belief system. It’s a great program.
– Robert Blumberg,
CEO, Wauna Credit Union
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