As community institutions work to attract core deposits and increase non-interest fee income, a strong Treasury Management infrastructure becomes essential. This includes the right team, support, and suite of services. However, without the right Treasury Management Sales Officer (TMSO or “TMO”), your organization could miss valuable opportunities. My goal here is to help you achieve a win-win: growing your core deposits and fee income while ensuring your Treasury Management customers enjoy top-notch service.

In this blog, I’ll share the 7 paths to a Treasury Management Officer and provide insights to help you identify the right candidates for this crucial role.

Retail Branches or Banking Centers

Even though treasury management sales belong under business banking, you can often find great candidates in retail branches or banking centers. Look for the superstars who consistently bring in new customers and excel at helping them. These individuals are natural salespeople, often working as Universal Bankers or Branch Managers. You might also find a consumer banker eager to transition into business banking. While they might not be ready for a TMO role immediately, they could start as a Treasury Management Sales Associate and grow from there.

Deposit Operations

While many deposit operations employees prefer behind-the-scenes roles, you might find an exception – someone who enjoys interacting with customers and has a knack for sales. TMOs with operations experience have a deep understanding of how treasury management services work behind the scenes. This knowledge makes them excellent problem-solvers and effective communicators, bridging the gap between sales and support teams.

E-Banking or Digital Banking

Employees in e-banking or digital banking roles are often technologically savvy, making them strong candidates for TMO positions. If they’re eager to sell and understand how treasury management services function, they could excel in this role.

Commercial Lending

Some of the best TMOs come from commercial lending backgrounds. These individuals have experience working directly with businesses, understanding their operations and challenges. They’ve helped businesses grow through lending and are now ready to optimize cash management for those same customers. Their existing business connections also provide a strong foundation for success.

Small Business Lending

Like commercial lenders, those with small business lending experience make excellent TMOs. They’ve watched small businesses grow to the point of needing treasury management services and know how to ask the right questions. Combine this experience with the key traits of a successful TMO, and you’ve found a winning candidate.

Build a Career Path

If you’re struggling to find experienced TMOs internally, consider creating a clear career path within your organization. Roles like Treasury Management Sales Assistant, Treasury Management Support Specialist, and Treasury Management Operations Manager provide stepping stones. You could also create an Inside Sales or Digital Sales role focused on treasury management, giving employees a chance to develop the skills needed for success.

External Candidates

When internal options are exhausted, it’s time to look outside your organization. Consider these two external sources:

Sales Professionals

Great salespeople can succeed in almost any industry. If you find someone with a strong sales record who aligns with your institution’s core values, bring them on board. You can teach them banking and treasury management, but their natural ability to connect with customers is irreplaceable.

Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs bring a unique perspective to the TMO role. They’ve experienced the highs and lows of running a business, making them relatable to your customers. Their entrepreneurial spirit allows them to connect with business customers on a deeper level and foster trust quickly.

By exploring these 7 paths to a Treasury Management Officer, you’ll position your institution to find and develop the ideal candidate. With the right TMO, your institution can thrive, driving growth and delivering exceptional service to your customers.

Looking to strengthen or create your Treasury Management department? As always, we’re here to help.

We often hear that community financial institutions are seeking to attract more core deposits and increase non-interest fee income. A strong Treasury Management infrastructure, which includes the team, support, and suite of services, is the key. However, without the right Treasury Management Sales Officer (TMSO or “TMO”), your institution will be at a disadvantage. My goal is to help you arrive at a “win-win” solution. Your institution can increase its core deposits and fee income, while your TM customers are consistently serviced with top-notch support.

In this blog, I’ll share the 6 traits of a Treasury Management Officer. Let’s start by exploring the essential personality traits of the most successful TMOs.

To succeed in this role, your TMO must possess the following six traits:

Sales driven.

One challenge that many institutions face is having business bankers (their sales team) who aren’t natural salespeople. Some lack sales skills or even avoid using the word “selling.” They’re rarely considered “rainmakers” and often prefer to stay in the branch, waiting for business to come to them. This mindset doesn’t work for a TMO. You need to recognize and nurture true sales talent – and then compensate those individuals appropriately. The TMO role is fundamentally a sales role, just as important as the business banker position.

Customer focused.

Your TMO’s number one concern should always be helping business customers increase efficiency in their daily cash management operations, safely. This means understanding their needs and matching them with your institution’s TM services and solutions.

Strong understanding of business.

To connect with business customers, your TMOs need a solid business background. This helps them relate to your customer’s operations and challenges and makes them more relatable and effective in building trust.

Entrepreneurial spirit.

As a successful TMO, they’ll approach challenges with creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset. They’ll look for innovative ways to solve customer problems, leveraging technology to create efficiencies and optimize cash positions. Being open to new ideas is a must.

Connected with the community.

Building a strong network of business owners is essential. Successful TMOs get involved in your community, and don’t hesitate to ask for their banking business. Having a reliable infrastructure behind them gives them the confidence to make these asks.

Excellent communicators.

TMOs are the “central station” during the prospecting and onboarding process. Clear and timely communication with customers, business bankers, branch personnel, and TM support teams is non-negotiable. Poor communication or follow-through can ruin the customer experience.

By focusing on these 6 traits of a Treasury Management Officer, you can find highly effective TMOs and add valuable assets to your institution.

Looking to strengthen or create your Treasury Management department? As always, we’re here to help.