Job van Vijfeyken

After five years as a personal banker, Job was keen to make broader use of his knowledge and sales experience – and he got the chance to do just that within Formula Management, Personal Banking. He then spent a year involved in day-to-day banking matters as a Customer Journey Expert, during which he got to know a completely different side of the bank, and that experience is also very beneficial today. “My current role is one of advising and connecting – with Sales, on the one hand, and with the tribes that are working on product development and marketing for Private Banking on the other. We all share the same goal: to keep taking the sales performance and service to the next level.”

Creating the optimal conditions for Sales

“Sales consultancy is part of the Sales Support department, which also includes disciplines such as quality management for investment, risk and compliance. Together, we create the right conditions so that Sales can provide optimal customer service to their clients. My fellow Sales Consultant and I bridge the gap between Sales and the head office. We attend meetings with the regional leads and area leads and exchange lots of ideas with the local colleagues – and also with colleagues in the tribes and squads (the temporary teams) working on specific projects. We try to spend a day working in the region at least once a fortnight. It’s also common for us to accompany a banker on a customer visit to help us stay in touch with the market. That’s when we hear what’s really going on and what customers need.”

Fundamental improvements

“Sales colleagues approach us with all kinds of requests. It’s our job to group them together, prioritise them and come up with possible solutions, as well as to assess whether those solutions will actually contribute to the further professionalisation of Sales in the longer term. We’re a sounding board for Sales and we challenge them by asking them constructively critical questions: will this help us to fundamentally improve our service to customers? Can we meet their expectations – now and in the future? Can we standardise things while also maintaining the flexibility that Private Banking customers require? It’s hugely satisfying when we’ve developed a carefully thought-out solution, such as a model that provides better insight into the sales portfolio. I also enjoy achieving results; I think that ‘winning mentality’ has stayed with me from my time in Sales. And if the Sales colleagues are enthusiastic and react along the lines of ‘Wow, this is really helpful!’, that’s the ultimate reward. That’s when everything falls into place.”