In a recent national broadcast, Mark Trinkle, Chief Growth Officer at Anthony Cole Training Group, sat down with Kevin Brewer, Chief Sales Officer at Citizens National Bank, to talk about a challenge many banks face today: how to give lenders the courage to succeed in a competitive environment.
As Community Banking Month highlights the vital role community banks play in their local economies, conversations like this one reinforce what drives that impact: strong lenders who know how to build trust, create value, and consistently perform.
Mark opened the conversation by setting the stage. Top lenders, he explained, can drive nearly 10 times as much revenue as lower-performing lenders. They’re also four times more likely to exceed expectations. But despite that impact, they’re rare — making up only about 16% of lenders.
Kevin agreed. “They are rare to find,” he said, “and to get one on your team is a blessing.”
Every one of these situations requires some “selling”, and in every situation, you had to make a case for why the outcome you desired was a good outcome. That, my friend, is the essence of selling. So, why do sales get stuck?
What Makes Top Performers Different
What separates those top performers from everyone else? Kevin didn’t hesitate. “They have a passion, but they also have ownership and commitment to do whatever it takes,” he explained. “If it goes well, they’ve worked hard and had help along the way. If it doesn’t go well, they’re asking themselves, ‘What could I have done differently?’ They don’t blame other things. They own it.”
That idea of ownership became a central theme throughout the conversation. Mark reinforced it: “Accountability comes down to owning the outcomes you’ve created.” Because in banking, it’s easy to fall into the habit of blaming external factors — the economy, competition, rates, or even the prospect. But the best lenders don’t do that. They take responsibility for their results.
Banking sales strategy tip: evaluate new lenders for ownership and passion.
The “Will to Sell” Problem in Banking
From there, Mark introduced what Anthony Cole Training Group calls the “Will to Sell,” which includes desire, commitment, outlook, responsibility, and motivation.
Kevin’s perspective on motivation was clear. “The top performers have something internally,” he said. “I don’t know if they want to win more or just hate losing, but they have something that makes them wake up every day and go get after it.”
But when Mark asked whether that motivation can be taught, Kevin was honest: “It’s hard to give somebody motivation. You can encourage them, but some people just want it more than others.” Mark agreed and took it a step further. “You can’t teach someone to care.”
That’s what makes desire and commitment so critical — and so difficult. Leaders can coach skills, but they can’t manufacture drive.
Banking sales strategy tip: evaluate your team for desire, commitment, outlook, responsibility and motivation.
The Reality of “Accidental Salespeople”
One of the more relatable moments came when Mark talked about how many lenders end up in sales. Most didn’t choose it. “I don’t think many people grow up saying, ‘I want to be a banker,’” he said. “We have accidental bankers — and most of them found themselves in sales by accident too.”
Kevin agreed. That reality helps explain why many lenders struggle with selling. They don’t see themselves as salespeople, and as a result, they often take a more reactive approach.
“They’ll come to us,” is a common mindset. But Kevin made it clear why that’s risky. “There are good bankers out there hustling,” he said. “They’re going to be calling on your customers. People don’t just walk into banks anymore.”
Why Asking Tough Questions Matters
As the conversation shifted to consultative selling, Mark emphasized the importance of asking questions — not just surface-level ones, but tough questions.
Kevin explained why that matters. “When we ask tough questions, it helps us understand if it’s really a fit,” he said. “If it’s going to be a no, I want to know early.” But many lenders hesitate to go there. Kevin pointed out that sometimes it’s simply easier not to. “If we don’t ask the tough questions, people are less likely to tell us no,” he said. “And then we have something to talk about in our sales meetings.”
Mark added another layer. “Salespeople work hard to get the meeting. The last thing they want to do is ask a question that might end it.” But avoiding those questions often leads to stalled deals and missed opportunities.
Banking sales strategy tip: sales leaders must do regular pre-call and post-call reviews with lenders to help them develop a consultative questioning approach
“Nice to Have” vs. “Must Have”
This hesitation often keeps conversations stuck in the “nice to have” category. Kevin shared how that plays out from his perspective. “I’ll have vendors call me, and I’ll think, ‘That might be nice to have,’” he said. “But in the back of my mind, I know it’s not going to happen this year.” The issue isn’t whether something is appealing — it’s whether it’s compelling enough to create action.
Mark explained it this way: “You can’t win by being a little bit better. You have to be miles better.” To do that, lenders need to uncover real problems and determine whether the current relationship is breakable. Without that, even a strong offering won’t move the deal forward.
The Importance of a Sales Process
Another major theme was the role of a structured sales process. Mark made a bold claim: implementing a strong, milestone-based sales process can increase sales by 20% on its own.
Kevin backed that up from experience. “It’s really hard to lead a group if you don’t know where they’re at,” he said. “A process helps us stay disciplined. It helps us ask the right questions and understand where we are in the deal.”
Without it, everything becomes inconsistent. “It feels like everyone is doing their own thing,” Kevin added. “And it’s hard to measure or improve.”
Banking sales strategy tip: implement a proven and effective selling system and track all prospects in your pipeline within these sales system stages
Selling Value vs. Competing on Price
As the discussion continued, Mark introduced another key distinction — selling value versus selling on price. Some lenders can only win when they have the lowest rate. Others can win even when they’re not the cheapest. The difference comes down to how they sell.
Kevin explained why timing matters. “It’s hard at the end to explain your value if you didn’t show it at the beginning,” he said. “You have to ask questions in a way that demonstrates value early.”
Mark reinforced that idea. “Why would they pay more for something they never saw?” If the conversation starts with pricing, it usually ends there.
Banking sales strategy tip: value begins with the development of a unique sales approach. Take time to practice this with lenders and develop actions to differentiate from others
Strengths — and Gaps — in Banking
Despite the challenges, the conversation highlighted some strengths.
Bankers tend to be strong relationship builders and are often good at getting in front of decision-makers. But even there, gaps remain. Kevin pointed out that while lenders can get to a “yes,” they often struggle with urgency after that point.
“We’re good from the beginning to a decision,” he said. “But from that decision to closing, we struggle with urgency.” Mark summed it up simply: “The most urgent person usually wins.”
Final Takeaways
As the session wrapped up, Mark recapped what separates top-performing lenders:
They have a strong will to sell.
They ask better questions.
They uncover real problems.
They follow a process.
They sell value.
And they create urgency.
The encouraging part is that many of these skills can be developed. But as both Mark and Kevin made clear, it all starts with something that can’t be taught: The desire and commitment to succeed.
If your bank is looking to strengthen these sales strategies and drive more consistent performance, we can help.
Explore our Banking Sales Training →
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