Success story · Banking · 2009–2010
Turning two sales cultures into one
Santander Consumer Bank Austria · 2009–2010
35
branches in the sales organisation
- ≈ 190employees in the integration
- avg. 84%in the knowledge test after qualification
From the integration and qualification programme
Starting point
A change of ownership changes the logo. Not the behaviour.
In January 2009, Banco Santander acquired GE Money Bank’s Austrian consumer finance business. From 25 September 2009, the institution traded as Santander Consumer Bank.
What did not change with the name: a sales organisation of 35 branches and around 190 employees that had worked for years according to the logic of the previous owner. New standards, a new product range, new expectations – and no structure to take them into the branch network.
My mandate from October 2009: to build a training and enablement organisation that would turn two sales cultures into one. Not as a project with an end date, but as a permanent function. This role in my career history → · Post-merger integration in banks today →
Approach
Three levers.
Built in eight weeks
From zero to a working training organisation: nine product and process trainers, three sales trainers, parallel programmes for new joiners, existing staff and the management level. A check-in week for all new joiners, two additional weeks for sales – sales methodology, compliance, systems, products. Every module with a knowledge test and certificate.
Leadership first
The eight regional managers went through the programme before their teams – three days, with live phone calls, video recording and case work instead of slides. At the end, they wrote their own commitment and signed it. Not handed to them, but worked out by them. Average knowledge test score: 84 per cent.
A control loop, not an event
For every sales employee, an individual evaluation went to the responsible regional manager – with a specific brief for follow-up coaching in the field. Implementation was reported back and tracked by me. Training therefore did not end on the last day of the seminar.
Result
What was created.
A dedicated function within the company – visible as the “Communication, SFE & Training” department, with defined programmes, certification and a management team that did not administer sales standards but lived them.
Training that ends on the last day of the seminar changes nothing. Impact only comes when the manager is accountable afterwards – and knows that someone will follow up.
Markus SlottaPeriod 2009–2010. Information on structure, scope and test results from my own project documents; evidence available on request.
Your next step
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