Vital Stats
- Name: Marcel Klaassen, 29
- Designation: Head of Sales: Business Banking, FNB Commercial
- Sales Team: 250 – 300 business managers across a national branch network.
- Offering: Transactional banking services and business support
- Career: A passion for entrepreneurship, coupled with a financial degree and Masters in business, provided the necessary springboard for Klaassen’s career in business banking. After a short stint running a market intelligence unit Standard Bank, in 2004 he took on an executive role an entrepreneurial venture at FNB which led to a career in the banks’ sales leadership. It was here that he learnt the value of impactful sales management and gained invaluable insight into B2B sales and banking.
Describe your sales leadership style
I’m a participative leader. I enjoy getting involved with my team and clients on the frontline, and in turn I expect my management team to contribute towards strategy formulation and problem solving. I can provide the necessary direction, support and decision making, whilst leveraging off the wealth of knowledge of experienced people around me.
What has been your greatest learning in sales to date?
Like all things in business, sales is all about mobilising and motivating people. You can have the most expensive marketing campaigns and products, with the slickest sales techniques and processes, but if you don’t get the people to believe in your brand and sales philosophy – you’re not going to go anywhere.
What were some of your worst ‘rookie’ mistakes in your early days in sales and what did you learn from them?
Flying solo. Unfortunately the solo-salesman can never sustain performance and delivery. I learnt that it’s the teams of sales people, support people, product people and marketing people that make a business successful.
Who is your greatest sales mentor and what were the lessons you learnt from them?
I’ve been incredibly lucky to sit on executive committees with several seasoned sales executives and banking leaders. Two messages that constantly stood out for me are, “Never let the sun set on a sales opportunity” and “A sales team should always be the engine of the business, so be sure to walk and talk the energy and drive as the leader.”
What is the most effective strategy you’ve used to motivate your sales team?
I believe that motivated leadership is highly infectious – if you’re pumped up, your teams will quickly follow suit. More so, I think motivation comes from a healthy balance of pride and an emotional attachment to the cause, reinforced with effective reward and recognition.
We have recently launched a packaged sales programme to our teams that encompasses all of these.
What keeps you motivated?
My people. They have to get up every day, put on a smile and represent the entire business in their local markets (with a sales target looming over their heads). That takes courage and serious self motivation.
What’s the secret to beating the competition?
FNB Business Banking is driven by constant innovation and phenomenal people – a recipe that’s hard to beat.
