Training is Marketing One's selling point.

Marketing One points with pride to its training programs.

These sessions, for brokers and other bank representatives, help the Portland, Ore., company distinguish itself from the pack of third-party marketers, officers say.

Training traffic is heavy at Marketing One's headquarters, where most of the courses are held.

Last year the company trained 1.200 people, including many involved in a large program rolled out by Wells Fargo & Co., San Francisco.

Demand Has Accelerated

In all, 5,000 brokers and bank employees have been trained by Marketing One during the last 10 years.

Most of the training came in recent years, as banks stepped up there investment product programs.

To keep pace, Marketing One recruits licensed brokers and helps them hone their skills and adapt to the bank environment.

"We think we have a bench-mark training program," said company spokesman Michael Maher. "It's something the larger clients demand."

Marketing One offers a variety of training programs.

Variety of Programs

Sales reps can cover mutual funds or annuities in four-day sessions, or come in for eight-days and receive training in both investment product areas.

Marketing One has seven-day sessions for administrative assistants and five-day programs for sales managers.

Last year, the company booked 2,000 nights worth of hotel rooms to accommodate the crush of bank representatives taking these courses.

Bank brokers make up the lion's share of those undergoing training, and Marketing One tailors its approach to them.

A Softer Sell

The company sensitizes brokers to the softer-sell cultures of banks.

This is especially important since many brokers do not come from banks.

Brokerage firms used to supply most of Marketing One's recruits for bank programs, but now they account for just a quarter of trainees.

Also represented are brokers from other bank investments-products programs and insurance sales representatives.

Cooperation Pays Off

One key area Marketing One focuses on is branch relations, or teaching brokers how to win over the rest of the bank staff to their cause.

Brokers receive three times more referrals in a cooperative branch than in one that's hostile to the broker's presence, a Marketing One study found.

"A branch can literally kill them," said assistant training manager Lisa Schmitt. "It's a whole different ball game" for brokers that come from wire-houses.

If they "come in with a knock-down, high-sell attitude, it won't work." Ms. Schmitt said. "Branch people typically are protective of the customers."

Sales representatives should not push customers who don't feel confident with investment products, instructor Leslie Andre told a recent seven-member class.

Time Limits Set

Brokers should also wrap up sessions with customers in a specific amount of time, she said.

Class members took her advice to heart. "It's a lot more structured," said Dan Frydrych, who serve as a sales rep at a thrift in Arizona.

But Mr. Frydrych firmly believes banks are the place to be. "There are a lot of people in banking who believe this is an evolution. You've seen mutual fund assets exceed bank deposits."

Access to More Clients

Paul Sweeney, a broker at a midsize Florida bank, is making the transition from a brokerage background. He finds it "a bit awkward," but adds, "it's easy access to a lot of clients. The name recognition is real good, and there's a degree of flexibility."

Karin Cummins was a customer service manager for a small savings and loan in Sequim, Wash. "I was burned out," she said.

She decided to switch to selling mutual funds and annuities, because "I missed the customer contact."

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