In any given workweek, Tim Russell might spend time in a furniture factory,
an engineering firm and an espresso bar.
He'll be talking to clients about their goals and plans for the next
five years. He'll ask about customers and cash flow.
It might seem like he's just keeping in touch with them, but what
he's really doing is selling. Russell is a commercial account manager.
When he describes his work, he uses one word.
"Sales," he says. "Above all, this is a job where you have to like selling
and you have to be good at it."
Russell is selling products and services his bank creates, like life insurance
policies, corporate credit cards and business checking accounts. He also sells
foreign exchange information and access to night deposit and payroll services.
"It's our job to know the customer and their business well enough
to meet their needs," Russell says. "The services and products we sell have
to make their business more profitable. It's about making the right match."
Making the match is another key aspect of Russell's job.
"A big part of my job is structuring deals -- bringing together investors,
owners and the bank to create a new business or a new project," he says. "It's
exciting, challenging and really satisfying."
Russell shares that satisfaction with his clients, like the owner of a
new restaurant who came to Russell with a great idea and a business plan.
"He had solid experience in the restaurant business and he was willing
to invest his life savings," recalls Russell. "My role was to beef up his
business plan and convince the credit people at my bank that the client was
worth the risk. In my judgment, he was."
Russell may spend long hours with a client, getting to know the details
of the business and preparing the business plan for presentation to the "credit
people."
"It was a great feeling to walk into that restaurant for the official opening,"
he says. "The owner was realizing a dream, and I'd been part of making
that happen. I do deals like that every week and believe me, it's a great
feeling."
There are a lot of stereotypes about bankers -- and some of them are true,
Russell admits. But he adds that mundane paperwork exists in every job.
"I think people should look past the stereotypes. There's a lot of
satisfaction in this type of work," he says. "It's a lot more than just
loans."
Gloria Spiers-Buchanan, a commercial account manager in Texas, agrees.
"I'm sure many people think we're a bunch of old fuddy-duddy bankers
sitting around in pinstripe suits talking about money all day,"
she says. "But there's so much more to what we do. We really help people."
As an example, Spiers-Buchanan uses a young couple she recently counseled
on a mortgage. "They came in to see me and they were new to the banking world,"
she says. "They had never taken out a loan before or negotiated a mortgage.
But by the time we were through, they had a manageable mortgage and were on
the way to buying their first home. It was wonderful to see the excitement
in their eyes.
"That's what it's all about. Bankers aren't mean people
whose only concern is to make money. We want to help people get what they
want. We want to help people start off on the right foot and make their way
in life."
Spiers-Buchanan suggests that anyone interested in becoming a commercial
account manager should definitely be a people person.
"We deal with people, that's our job," she says. "You have to know
how to talk to people, to communicate with them. If you go into this business
just to make money or to talk about money all the time, you're going
to be disappointed. You definitely have to be able to get on well with people
or it'll never work out."