ïn table
Thanks to its cooperative roots, Rabobank has
always been a client-led organisation, but now
the bank is aiming to take this one - big - step
further to achieve cliënt leadership and become
the bank of choice for both Ru ra I and Retail
Banking and Wholesale Banking clients. How to
take this big step? Berry Marttin and Sipko Schat
explain.
Bigger share
When Berry Marttin, Executive Board mem-
ber responsible for Rural and Retail Banking,
refers to the 'kitchen table', it is not a figure
of speech. The real kitchen table lies at the
very heart of RI's approach to Rural and
Retail Banking, he says. "We have clearly
defined its target clients: farmers and their
communities. And for that target audience,
sitting at a client's kitchen table is the only
real way to achieve the level of intimacy and
engagement Rl is looking for, not just with
clients but with their families, too," he says.
"Once you have engagement at that level,
then you've achieved dient leadership."
This level of intimacy is also vital for major
corporate clients, says Sipko Schat, Executive
Board member responsible for Whole
sale Banking. Only this time, the dialogue
is at the board room level, with the top
executives of a company. Being engaged
with a dient at board room level, talking
to the CFO or CEO helps the bank create a
two-way flow of ideas. "If you know a dient
intimately to have boardroom access, you
know what they need now, but you can also
anticipate future needs. This enables you
to take a proactive approach to that dient,
to surprise a dient with solutions that meet
their longer-term needs. Notforgetting that
if you're there in the board room, you can
see events coming up, such as M&A activity,
and offer solutions," Schat says.
"Of course, like any dient, corporate clients
need to know you can deliver, in good times
and bad. This is a matter of confidential-
ity and trust and the fact that the bank has
helped a dient over a long period of time.
But to gain real dient leadership, a bank
needs to come up with fresh ideas, to
surprise clients," Schat says."And having
a long-term, intensive relationship with a
dient creates the opportunity to put for-
ward new ideas as well as opportunities for
cross-sell. A chance to prove that Rabobank
can offer its clients enormous added value,
both in terms of competitive products and
the knowledge we have of our clients and
their sectors," Schat says.
"Yes, because the challenge once you have
achieved cliënt intimacy," Marttin says, "is
to translate that engagement into a bigger
share of their banking wallet." As Rabobank
is increasingly successful at getting to the
kitchen table, and the boardroom, it has a
great opportunity to increase wallet share.
'There is much more to be gained from
cross-selling our products. Even though
we have achieved emotional engagement
with our Rural and Retail Banking clients, the
products we're selling should go beyond
loan products. In effect, bankers have to
translate engagement into a much deeper
product relationship with clients, while the
bank itself has to make sure that the right
products are available."
"On the Wholesale side, this is where Senior
Relationship Bankers (SRBs) can play a
crucial role," Sipko Schat says. They know
the clients and they know the sectors inside
out. A SRBs role is to use that combined
issue 24 juiy 'oin RI WORLD
