CEO Interviews
Interview with JJ Blake
By Roxanne Emmerich, CSP, CMC

In this issue of Extraordinary Banker, we selected a banker who we feel has made astounding advancements in his bank’s sales culture in the last six months by taking a warm, friendly, down-home feel   and making it even better.   This issue’s Extraordinary Banker is J.J. Blake, President and CEO of Peoples State Bank in Many, Louisiana.

Roxanne:   Tell me a little about the miracle that’s been going on at Peoples State Bank.

JJ:    Well, about a year ago, it hit me.   How could we get to the next level? The bank had always been a little bit above average, able to grow, and always family-oriented.   But for some reason I got an intuitive feeling that something else needed to be done.  

Personally, after 27 years at the bank, it was very easy to not be excited about my job.   I knew the passion wasn’t quite where it needed to be.   Then I realized that if it wasn’t there for me, it wouldn’t be for the rest of my team members and employees.

In my search for how to move us along, I ordered the book, Profit-Rich Sales for Lenders, Brokers, and Private Bankers.   After reading it I said, “We can do this.”  

I attended our first Marketing & Sales Management Boot Camp in January of this year; that got us really excited about what was possible for us.   Since that time, employees have caught the “bug.” It’s been fabulous.

Roxanne: Other bankers say it takes two years to create a sales culture. You did it in nanoseconds. What can you tell other banks who want to come out of the gates like you did?

JJ: After our kick-off, our people took much more interest in the bank and our results.   We’ve talked about the big picture many, many times.   Everyone is genuinely thinking, “How can we really help our customers?”   But it’s not just that – the employees also look to how they can help each other as individuals. That’s why we’re here on Earth – to help each other whenever we can.

After the kick-off, we’ve never looked back or second-guessed ourselves as far as what we needed to do.   It’s absolutely the best thing we’ve ever done.  

Roxanne: We have talked about how people choose to “be” is more important that what they “do.” What choices has your team made about how to “be?”

JJ: Every day we get to make a conscious choice whether it’s going to be one of the best days we’ve ever had in our life or not.    As bankers we are so blessed, because in our roles we can really help people. It’s not about opening that new account, doing that loan, or whatever else.   Yeah, that might be the end result of what happens, but we are in a position to actually help people in so many different ways.   There’s a great deal of satisfaction that comes with that.

Roxanne: What would you recommend to other leaders about how they can get an organization to have a profound shift?

JJ: In my case, I had to look at myself first.   You really can’t change your work life until you transform your personal life.   It all works together.  

I now look at each person in the bank in a different way. Before they were employees.   Now I see each one as an individual person that I care about very, very much.   I want to do everything I can to further their personal growth and help them to be successful.   I tell the employees often that I am here to serve them, not to be served.   I believe that’s created a lot of positive energy.

Roxanne: You’ve immediately hit some slam-dunk sales results using your new sales process.    Tell us about how you’ve done that.            

JJ: After reading, Profit-Rich Sales, we put together a little group of super-achievers from within the bank and started having short classes once a week. Having a step-by-step process to follow helped us understand the sales process and how we could apply it.   We learned that we may not get it all right the first time, and that’s okay.   Just keep trying.  

One of our “super-achiever” officers and the EVP immediately went out and used the technique.   We not only got a quality loan but received premium pricing on it, too.   We earned a fee of $520,000 on a guaranteed loan.   That sale wouldn’t have happened had we not followed the sales process outlined in the book.  

Roxanne:   Your people demonstrated that sales is not a “dark-art” but a simple process that when followed can yield big payoffs.   What other success have you been seeing?

JJ: We’ve had many other successes.   That’s what gets me excited:  if we’ve only just begun, what’s our company going to look like a year from now, two years from now?   That really gets me fired up.

Roxanne:   So what would you like your legacy to be?  

JJ: Well, I’m a third-generation banker.   My granddad and dad were also presidents of this bank, which started in 1913.   In 1984 we sold the bank to a local businessman.   He and I share a lot of similar philosophies in terms of giving back to the community.   He has such a huge heart.   Our personalities really play well off of each other, and the bank has grown a lot since he bought it – from $28 million to $370 million.  

Our big, hairy, audacious goal is…. to have the bank reach one billion by its 100^th anniversary in 2013.   So hopefully we can be – we will be – a billion-dollar institution by then. That’s a company milestone, but as far as my personal legacy, I want to be remembered as a good person.   I may not be the smartest banker, but I’ve worked hard and always had the attitude that “we can get it done, no matter what.”   Failure doesn’t cross my mind. When people think about the bank, I’d like them to think, “That old JJ, he did a really good job.”  

But at the end of the day, what really counts most in life is what you’ve taught your kids, what you’ve done for your church and how you’ve helped your neighbor.  If I succeed in those areas, I think I’ll have left a pretty good legacy behind.

Roxanne: Every bank has something they excel at. What part have you “figured out?”

JJ: Well the first thing that comes to my mind is the folks that work at the bank; my team members.   We absolutely have the best people and I just love them dearly, each and every one of them. It’s not the technical skills, but the core values that we’ve established ourselves.

Roxanne: Part of a strong sales culture is the importance of celebration.   Are you good at that?

JJ:  Absolutely. We get to celebrate our wins each and every time.   I love to interact with employees in that way—high-five and go crazy. Celebrating success—it’s critical, and it’s the fun part, too.

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