NEEDS

ASSESSMENT
LEADER GUIDE

PREPARED FOR
Sales Team
INTRODUCTION
You will learn how applying proven relationship building techniques during the onboarding
(account opening) process will help your market grow deposits and develop consistent, lasting
client relationships. This process is centered on your clients’ needs, goals, and overall banking
journey.

Overarching Goal:
• Introduce a client relationship building and servicing strategy built upon a needs
assessment conducted during all client interactions.
• Introduce ongoing coaching methods, including observational and trend-based, that
enable you to reinforce and actively teach business development skills and behaviors.

Session Objectives:
• Introduce business development activities and processes that support client relationship
building and servicing.
• Introduce a needs assessment/profiling tool for bankers to use during all client interactions.
• Introduce coaching activities and resources that support the needs assessment/profiling
tool.

Evidence of Learning
• Participants will demonstrate the ability to complete an onboarding session in the tool.
• Participants will demonstrate effective rapport building and questioning.
• Participants will demonstrate closing the sale.

Timing:
8 Hours

Target Audience:
Retail Banking Employees

Session Materials:
1. Leader Guide
2. Activity Packets
3. Presentation
4. Computers for all participants
5. Access to Internet & Needs Assessment Tool
6. Projector
7. Sign-in Sheet
AGENDA:
Morning Session (4 hours)
1. Overview of Needs Assessment Tool
2. Needs Assessment Tool Walkthrough & Questions
3. Explore the Needs Assessment on Your Own
4. Relationship Building & Trust
5. Rapport Building
6. Asking Open Ended Questions
7. Needs Assessment Video
8. Discussion

Break for Lunch (45 minutes)

Afternoon Session (4 hours)

1. Skills Practice
2. Train the Trainer
3. Close

Learning is a process not an event or product. It involves a change in

knowledge, beliefs, behaviors or attitudes. We believe learning is not something
done to our employees, but rather something our employees do for themselves.
It occurs as a direct result of their experience.

-Adapted from Ambrose 2010-

LEADER CHECKLIST

One week prior to Obtain all necessary materials for the session.
session
Review all activities and notes. Practice running through the materials,
presentation, and tool so you feel confident when presenting!

Print copies of the Leader Guide, Activity Sheet and Observation Sheet.

Make arrangements for a catered lunch, snacks, and drinks.

• We recommend chocolate in the afternoon!

Day of Session Have the leader guide, PowerPoint, and copies of the activity sheet with
you.

Make sure you have all other required materials. (Refer to materials list)

Make sure your computer is on, your presentation is open, and the
projector is working.

After the Session Check in with leaders to see how the huddles are going.
SESSION AT A GLANCE

TIMING ACTIVITY MATERIALS DESCRIPTION

8:00 – 8:20 Brain Teaser • PowerPoint Present brain teaser provided.

• Projector

8:20 – 8:25 Welcome • PowerPoint Introductions.

• Projector

8:25 – 8:30 Outline the Day • PowerPoint Go over agenda. Rules of the
• Projector road.

8:30 – 8:50 Overview of Needs • PowerPoint High level explanation and

Assessment Tool • Projector reasoning behind the tool.

8:50 – 9:15 Needs Assessment • Projector Show the tool and its features.
Tool Walkthrough & • Needs Assessment
Questions tool

9:15 – 9:35 Explore on Your Own • Personal Computers Walk around answering questions
• Needs Assessment while participants explore the
Tool tool.

9:35 – 9:55 Relationship Building • PowerPoint Talk about the importance of

& Trust • Projector relationship building and trust.
Ways to make and break trust.

9:55 – 10:30 Rapport Building • PowerPoint Discuss rapport building. Practice

• Projector positioning statements.
• Activity Sheet

10:30 – 10:45 BREAK

10:45 – 11:05 Asking Open Ended • PowerPoint Talk about open ended questions
Questions • Projector and complete the open ended
• Activity Sheet questions activity.

11:05 – 11:20 Presenting Solutions • PowerPoint Talk through preferred ways to

& Asking for the • Projector present solutions to the client and
Business ask for the business.
11:20 – 11:30 Needs Assessment • Projector Show the video.
Video • Needs Assessment
Video
• Observation Sheet

11:30 – 12:00 Discussion Discuss the video and how

people rated the interaction.

12:00 – 12:45 LUNCH

12:45 – 1:00 Brain Teaser • PowerPoint Present brain teaser provided.

• Projector

1:00 – 3:20 Pulling it All Together • Needs Assessment Role Play.

Tool
• Observation Sheet

3:20 – 3:30 BREAK

3:30 – 3:45 Debrief Talk about how the role play

went.

3:45 – 4:45 Train the Trainer • PowerPoint Discuss their responsibilities

• Projector moving forward with training staff
• Observation Sheet and expectations of using the
Leader Guide tool.

4:45 – 5:00 Wrap Up Answer remaining questions and

thank everyone for their
participation and support.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT LEADER GUIDELINES

Brain Teaser Have the brain teaser projected prior to the participants entering the room.
Greet them as they come in and provide instructions for completing the
15 minutes puzzles.
8:00 – 8:15
Encourage them to work in teams and collaborate. Avoid giving them the
Supplies Needed: answers until the end.

• PowerPoint At 8:10 start asking them to give you the answers. Write the answers on a flip
• Projector chart, or dry-erase board, or if you are projecting on a writable surface write the
• Answer Key answers on the projection board.

Welcome Introduce yourself then go around the room and have everyone introduce
themselves using the following information:
10 minutes
8:15 – 8:25 • Name
• How long they have been in banking
Supplies Needed:
• Favorite animal to visit at the zoo (or another life fact you feel will get
participants talking)
• PowerPoint
• Projector

Outline the Day House Keeping & Expected Etiquette:

5 minutes • Session Length (all day session)

8:25 – 8:30 • Two 15 minute breaks will be given
• Cell phones on silent and out of view (can check phone at breaks)
Supplies Needed:
• Refrain from using other electronic devices unless directed to do so
• Only check emails at designated break times
• PowerPoint
• Projector
Review the Agenda
• Agenda

Overview of Needs High level explanation and reasoning behind the tool.
Assessment Tool
The needs assessment, also commonly referred to as the needs analysis, is
20 minutes the heart and most important part of the sales process. Your role, as the
8:30 – 8:50 prospect or client’s personal banker, is to use this questioning strategy, which
focuses on identifying current and future financial needs (goals) that improve
Supplies Needed: the clients’ relationship and overall banking journey, because the entire client
journey revolves around what you do, what you learn and what you set up in
• PowerPoint the needs assessment.
• Projector
Needs Assessment Walk through the tool and its features. Don’t rush! Explain the tags, timer,
Tool Walkthrough & reminders, and solution recommendations.
Questions
• Introduction
20 minutes • Build Rapport
8:50 – 9:15 • Money Management
• Major Purchases
Supplies Needed: • The Unexpected
• Future Plans
• Projector
• Recap
• Needs Assessment
Tool NOTE: Banking Center Managers will walk their teams through a walk-through
guide.

Explore on Your Own Have participants get their computers out, to limit distractions instruct them to
keep everything closed except for the Needs Assessment Tool.
20 minutes
9:15 – 9:35 Direct them to the Needs Assessment Tool on goZK and let them explore.
Invite them to reflect on a recent interaction/conversation with a client and
Supplies Needed: have them try to fill out the items in the tool.

• Personal Computers Walk around answering questions while participants explore the tool.
• Needs Assessment
Tool *Ask one of the participants to keep record of the questions that are asked
during this phase, as this can begin documentation for a frequently asked
questions resource.

**Branch Managers and their staff will use the Needs Assessment prototype
for this portion of the training.

Relationship Building Talk about the importance of relationship building and trust. Ways to make
& Trust and break trust. Reference the latest Manager Moment on Building and
Sustaining Trust.
20 minutes
9:35 – 9:55 Introduce the concept of the Opening Statement: Provide a consistent,
descriptive introduction, also referred to the ‘positioning statement’, of
Supplies Needed: yourself to prospects and clients. Your opening statement is the first step in
the relationship building conversation. This one-line sentence tells the
• PowerPoint prospect what you do and is the first step in building rapport and trust with
• Projector your prospect or client.

Rapport Building Discuss rapport building. Ask the participants to define “rapport” and give
examples of how they currently build rapport with clients.
40 minutes
9:55 – 10:30 Have the group split up into pairs and have them practice their positioning
and value statements.
Supplies Needed:
Begin debriefing around 10:15.
• PowerPoint
• Projector
BREAK Give participants 15 minutes to check their email and handle any business
they need to handle.
15 minutes
10:30 – 10:45

Asking Open Ended Talk about open ended questions and complete the open ended questions
Questions activity.

20 minutes
10:45 – 11:05

Supplies Needed:

• PowerPoint
• Projector
• Activity Sheet

Presenting Solutions & Talk through preferred ways to present solutions to the client and ask for the
Asking for the sale.
Business
Value Proposition Example for Mobile/online services:
15 minutes
11:05 – 11:20 Because you are such a valuable customer of our bank, I would like to review
your relationship with you and talk about some products and services that I
Supplies Needed: feel will benefit you. Are you aware of your account options that make
banking easier for you, such as the use of the ATM, Online Banking, Debit
• PowerPoint Card, or Mobile banking? In times such as this, it is very important that you
• Projector have these services available to you.

Needs Assessment Provide an observation sheet to all participants and ask them to rate the
Video interaction based on the sheet. Quickly review the observation sheet with
them and answer any questions they may have.
40 minutes
11:20 – 12:00 Show the video. Pause the video at the following spots:

Supplies Needed: • After asking for permission (talk about rapport building)
• After the banker makes their value statement
• PowerPoint
• Projector Show the stubborn client video. Be sure to introduce and use the Observation
• Video Sheet for this video.
• Observation Sheet
Continue discussions on the video. Invite participants to share their rating of
the interaction.

LUNCH Check email, check phones, use restroom, and eat lunch.
45 minutes
12:00 – 12:45

Brain Teaser Have the brain teaser projected prior to the participants coming back from
lunch.
15 minutes
12:45 – 1:00 Encourage them to work in teams and collaborate. Avoid giving them the
answers until the end.
Supplies Needed:
At 12:55 start asking them to give you the answers. Write the answers on a flip
• PowerPoint chart, or dry-erase board, or if you are projecting on a writable surface write
• Projector the answers on the projection board.
• Answer Key

Pulling it all together Break participants into groups of 3. Have them take turns practicing
everything they have learned up to this point; using the tool, building rapport,
80 minutes asking open ended questions, and scheduling follow-ups.
1:00 – 3:20
Have each person take a turn as the banker, the client, and the observer. The
Supplies Needed: observer should use the observation sheet to rate the interaction and provide
coaching to the person playing the banker.
• PowerPoint
• Projector
• Observation Sheet
• Computers
• Needs Assessment
Tool

BREAK Give participants 10 minutes to check their email and handle any business
they need to handle.
10 minutes
3:20 – 3:30

Debrief Talk about how the role play went; what did they like, what do you think your
bankers will like, struggle with, and need help with?
15 minutes
3:30 – 3:45

Supplies Needed:

• PowerPoint
• Projector

Discuss their responsibilities moving forward with training staff and

Train the Trainer
expectations of using the tool. Also discuss the projected training schedule.
60 minutes
Give them a copy of the Leader Guide and walk them through how to use it.
3:45 – 4:45
Supplies Needed: Let them know where they can find all of the resources for when they train
their people.
• PowerPoint
• Projector Answer their questions.
• Leader Guide
• Observation Sheet

Answer remaining questions and thank everyone for their participation and
Wrap Up
support.
15 minutes
4:45 – 5:00