The Edge Academy

After experiencing the EDGE Academy, your team will have a proven, quantifiable system to develop and sustain a winning business building culture that has been successfully implemented in banks of all sizes for the past twenty years. To learn more, click on the link provided.

What is the Edge Academy

The EDGE Academy is the culmination of over 20 years of experience working with community banks. Its purpose is to provide a quantifiable, result-driven platform to exponentially increase business development growth through a customized approach to customer acquisition and relationship banking. From identifying prospects to discovering buying signs, to delivering the solution and gaining referrals, your team will be well equipped to stay at the forefront as the banking provider of choice in your marketplace.
Competition is at an all-time high, and it is not just brick and mortar anymore! Because of this, a community bank cannot sit idly by. You must take your personalized message to the streets.

Note from Scott Dueser

To whom it may concern,

Tim Tivis of Pinnacle Training Group has worked with our bank for more than a year to train primarily our leaders and treasury management staff. This training consisted of teaching them how to properly make calls to our customers and prospects, how to get an appointment, the process of gaining trust and how to negotiate the deal and close it.

I have personally sat through both of his training classes, and they have been extremely valuable in learning the proper methods of making successful sales calls and being able to close the deal. Tim is a great motivator, teacher, coach, trainer, and leader. His role-playing sessions give individuals firs-hand experience of feeling comfortable and learning the process.

The results of his training have been very good, in the fact that our loan production and new account growth have increased. Even our lower-level producers are coming up the ladder to be more confident in doing their job.

I would highly recommend Tim to you.

Sincerely,

Scott Dueser
Chairman, President
and Chief Executive Officer

Training Modules

Edge Academy – Introduction

Welcome to EDGE Academy! The EDGE Academy is a 18 module online video series packed with proven tools and resources designed to give emerging and existing leaders competitive edge solutions to thrive in your ever-changing marketplace today and tomorrow.

Video One: Emerge-Successful Leadership Development

The first step to leadership development is understanding what make you, you. In this first video we will introduce the fundamentals of great interpersonal skill development. The video concludes with introducing the IOPT tool that helps identify how you specifically process information and form the concepts to act upon it which determines the results, a very critical piece to your personal leadership development.

Video Two: The CLIENT Communication System

Many times, the loudest message heard are the ones you never speak! This video provides a proven system to help you engage in highly productive conversations both verbally and non-verbally. From voice tone, to a professionally engaging email, you will create a positive image at every encounter.

Video Three: Develop-Personal Leadership Style Development

Everyone’s journey to a leadership position is unique. This video introduces the concept of “true north” and its impact on personal leadership development. We will address the fundamental definition of a leader and the ways we gain the position. The video concludes with a discussion the common characteristics and value of a great leader.

Video Four: Discovering Your True North

Your leadership journey has a very specific path that can be traced back to four core DNA-level components. This video breaks down these elements to give you a clear picture of how you have arrived at where you are today. When you understand how you got here, you can influence where you are going!

Video Five: Grow Your Market Share

Successful leaders have a keen sense of the trends that shape their industry. This video discusses the critical element of understanding the ever-changing world of banking and how to implement successful strategies to compete and win.

Video Six: The Concept of Branding

The video provides great insight to the power of establishing and maintaining a successful brand. Discover the three “M’s” to a great brand and how they influences your bank’s perception and results for years to come!

Video Seven: Your Marketplace: Understanding Your “Unique” Marketplace

Every marketplace regardless of size and location has its own unique features. This video takes an in-depth look at the elements of your marketplace. What are the characteristics of your market? Who are your customers, and what are their demands? Who are your competitors and what is the best method to deliver your products and services? These “must-know” factors are essential to the success of your bank.

Video Eight: The Fundamentals of Successful Business Development

Perhaps one of the most highly changing issues banks deal with is the way new customers are acquired. This video introduces the concept and components of selling that will help you successfully navigate the new world of business development in a no pressure, “consultant approach” manner. The module concludes with an introduction to trigger points and buying signals.

Video Nine: Recognizing Trigger Points

One of the greatest concepts to master regarding business development, is understanding the manner of how people determine who they “CHOOSE” to do business with. This module provides proven tips on how to recognize “trigger points” during a conversation to help you adapt your presentation to the best
of your ability to “mirror” how your prospect likes to buy.

Video Ten: The Prospect to Customer System: Introduction to Prospecting

This video introduces a 35-year proven system to help identify the most effective ways to turn prospects into life-long customers. From how you identify prospects, where to find them. to how you approach them, you will be prepared to successfully grow your market share in a highly productive manner!

Video Eleven: Introduction to The Eight Steps to Selling Success

This module introduces you to a highly successful system of turning prospects into loyal customers. You will be introduced to the eight steps of success as an introduction to scripts and a template to help you create your own conversational script for each of the steps provided.

Video Twelve: The Eight Steps to Selling Success: Steps 1-4

This video takes all the concepts previously learned and puts them into a successful eight step turn-key system. This module discusses the first four steps: The approach, preparation, presentation and recommendation.

Video Thirteen: The Eight Steps to Selling Success: Steps 5-8

This module concludes the eight steps to selling success to include: The close, the delivery, the referral and the follow up. These two video modules will give you the tools you need to be successful from the initial contact to setting the stage for your next business development opportunity!

Video Fourteen: The Role Play

See an actual business development scenario play out from beginning to end. From the phone call to the meeting, from the presentation to the follow up, you will get a first-hand look at the process from beginning to end. Based on what you see, you will be challenged to set up your own role play to sharpen your presentation skills!

Video Fifteen: Execute: Setting Goals and Managing Results

One of the key responsibilities of a great leader is setting the agenda for success. The module is designed to help you with the critical fundamentals and significance of goal setting. Real examples of successful goal setting strategies are provided.

Video Sixteen: Mastering Time Management

The EDGE Academy concludes by presenting a proven daily management system. The keys to any successful time management system are to have confidence that it works and that you will actually use it! This module will help you master the fundamentals of managing your time to help turn busy days into consistently productive ones.

Video Seventeen: EDGE Academy Summary

Video Eighteen: An Interview with Mike Mauldin

Mike Mauldin, Director of the Excellence in Banking Program at Texas Tech University discusses the importance of developing great leaders for the future of community banking.