Asia Property Outlook

This is an interesting article regarding the property market outlook in asia. Have a look. Thanks for reading.

Bank Sales Senior Management's Attitude

I would like to ask my readers what you all think about bosses. If you are in the banking line, then do you think if bosses should use fear and pressure to get results or should they find out what problems the staff are facing and solve the problems before demanding for results?
If you are not from the banking industry, I would still like to hear your comments about bosses in general. How many of you feel that you have a good boss who really cares and spends time and effort in listening to the real problems faced by staff.
For someone to be at the top means he/she has to be real committed to his/her work. I understand that there are just too many issues to be looked at, but isn't that the reason why the top people are so well-paid?

Euro Bank Stress Tests

Please read this article.

Lies Lies Lies

Most people tell lies to get away. Why do humans tell lies? Well, it is simply because we are all thinking of our own skins.
If everyone is downright honest, then it will be an ideal situation. But the problem is most people feel that they will lose out in negotiations if they are too honest.
I, for one, believe that Honesty is the best policy, although who can say that they never told a single lie in their entire life? The difference is the extent of the lies and how many lies one tells compared to another person.

Bank Sales Performance

When sales numbers are down, who should shoulder the bulk of the blame? Are the sales people to blame? or the management team?
I would say it is the latter rather than the former. Most people would think that the sales folks on the ground are the ones who are at fault, I beg to differ. Senior management staff are the ones who are mainly at fault. If their sales team is not performing, then it is their job to make them perform. If the sales team fails repeatedly, then the senior management team should be removed.
It is the same in sports management. When a football team does badly, the manager gets the sack. This is however not the case in most work places. Senior management will put the blame on some poor performing sales people and remove them from their jobs, instead of rightfully accepting the blame themselves.

Busy Busy Bank Sales Managers

These days, we bank sales people are so busy. With the economic downturn, we now have to do more in terms of paperwork, risks as determined by risk management are higher so we have to write more reports to justify why certain facilities can be given. Then, there is the part where we now need to do more than 'one person's job'.
Admin staff nos are being cut, so we have to do lots of monotonous data entry to key in customers' information and updating and maintenance of databases. So besides the very tough/challenging nature of bringing in sales for the bank, we now face several extra duties to keep us busy after office hours too. I have not been able to write much on this blog lately as there is just no time on weeknights.
Pray that the situation improves so I can spend more time sharing news and stories with my dear readers.

Banks' Stress Tests

Please read this article regarding Citigroup.

Bad Economic Situation

We are already in a bad enough shape in terms of the economic situation. Let's pray that the current flu virus does not spread and worsen the already bad situation.
Airline Travel, Tourism, Trade, General Commerce etc are already slowing down due to the financial crises that we are in, if the flu crises worsens, we are in for an even tougher time, with more job lay-offs and problems.
Pray that this does not happen. We all need the economy to be vibrant in order to enjoy the present good standard of living that we so fortunately have at this point in time.

High Sales Targets and Stress.

Some of my readers have expressed concerns over the high sales targets that are set for them by their management. Whether or not you are a PFC, RM (personal, middle enterprises, wholesale) Private Banker, SME Specialist, Mortgage Specialist etc, you will no doubt be feeling the stress lately.
Market is slow and a large number of consumers are sceptical about banks these days. If your targets are AUM (Assets Under Management) based, you will be even more stressed as your performance will be based on the $ that you can bring in. A customer recently said that he would rather put his hard earned $ at home under his bed or pillow than with a bank. And he was real serious when he passed that comment.

Hard And Smart Work Pay Off

There are some bank sales staff who work hard and long hours. They get their networks right, look for customers in the most efficient and effective ways, dont mind putting in the hours on weeknights and even weekends, and work their hearts out when delivering service to customers so that these satisfied customers will either come back for more bank products or recommend their friends and business associates to these bankers.
I know a number of such bank sales personnel who usually would succeed in their various fields. Not only are the monetary rewards good, there is that sense of satisfaction when you have that special bond with your customers who would only want to deal with you. As in all relationships, trust is key.