Mariner Finance LLC’s Branch Manager Trainee (BMT) Program quickly prepares recent college graduates for a role in management. From 2017 to 2018, the program continued to grow in terms of the number of participants, material/content, and sales figures. The firm continues to enhance the program content, including sales courses, and monthly company-wide recognition for top performers.
Program Details
The module requirements—such as shadowing field supervisors, attending a coaching workshop, and managing four different branches prior to graduation—are all components that prepare these individuals to not simply manage, but to manage in a way that adopts mechanisms key to Mariner Finance’s success.
Throughout the program, participants are mentored by employees who are certified to be mentors and understand what is important to Mariner Finance. Many of the mentors have gone through the BMT Program themselves and know what it takes to succeed. After being under their wing for 14 months, trainees often are promoted to another part of the country in order to share their expertise and knowledge with new employees.
Several components in the BMT program are interchangeable and, therefore, are shared with other employees in the field. Although the training is specifically for manager trainees, field training facilitators often borrow it during their branch visits. The sales training, for instance, is a month-long module that has been adapted into e-learning courses and a face-to-face workshop in order for other members of the company to easily access and apply the skills to their day-to-day responsibilities. Additionally, time management tools, networking/community involvement advice, and customer focus checklists are a few things Mariner Finance trainers use with other members of the team in order to share the best practices that have proven to be successful.
Results
Compared to other roles in the company, a branch manager trainee generates as much as 30 percent more than an assistant manager, and 35 percent more than an account representative. In just the last year, the program has increased its average monthly sales production by 14 percent over the average footprint production.
Mariner also has promoted more than 15 managers who went through the BMT program into a senior leadership role (i.e., vice president, assistant vice president, etc.).
