The Briefing THE BOSS’ MANAGEMENT STRATEGY These can be challenging times for those in the banking industry. In the current economy, few companies consider themselves to be in growth modes, consequently they have less need to borrow money. Even those that are maintaining their revenue streams are busy paying down their debt, not taking on more. Karim Teymourtache is a regional vice president with Union Bank of California, based in Woodland Hills. He and his associates concentrate on cultivating the accounts of large corporate clients where, as he put it, nailing down deals is not exactly “the numbers game” it can be when soliciting business in the middle market. “So, the gestation period is much longer,” Teymourtache said. Teymourtache spoke to Business Journal editor Michael Hart about how he makes sure his department always has plenty of deals gestating. “The challenge I have is, how do I ensure that we maintain consistent sales and calling activities and market presence throughout this process so that we do not find ourselves with nothing in the pipeline when this wave of deals is booked? “First, I try to lead by example. My calendar is open and any member of my team can get into our sales management database and see my activities. I do not ask them to do things that I do not do myself. “Second, I have weekly one-on-one meetings with each of my team members to go over the results of last week’s activities, and to agree upon a set of sales activities. For instance, the number of cold calls, number of actions to move the sales process forward on identified prospects, referral source ‘touches’, etc. These form the minimum acceptable standard for sales activities for the week. “Although many may consider this micro-management, I feel that it is my responsibility to ensure that our team stays focused on those activities that have proven to be essential to our success. “Now, nobody likes to feel like they are being micro-managed, so it was important to me to explain up front the objective of our weekly meetings and the reasons that I was having them do these things, and give them the opportunity to address any of their concerns. “It is important that these meetings do not feel like a drilling session nor that they last very long, so I try to come to the meetings prepared, having reviewed the pipeline and prospect list, and have new suggestions and recommendations to make these meetings constructive and beneficial.”