{"id":19598,"date":"2025-06-29T23:33:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T23:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/29\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T03:49:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T03:49:59","slug":"transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sourced from Align Training<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overview<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First Dakota National Bank was established in 1872, becoming the first fully-chartered bank in the Dakota Territory. Headquartered in Yankton, South Dakota, the bank steadily grew alongside the community\u2014serving settlers, river trade, and thriving local businesses. Today, First Dakota operates a network of 16 full-service branches and 6 loan production offices, with assets exceeding USD $1 billion. The bank offers a comprehensive range of banking, investment, and trust services. One of their cornerstone values, \u201cAlign to do the right thing and do things right,\u201d made their partnership with Align Training a natural fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n

  • Managing rapid organisational growth and regional expansion<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • Preserving a strong legacy and deeply rooted company culture<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • Aligning training with company values and a customer-first philosophy<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • Enhancing team confidence in cross-selling and shifting attitudes toward sales<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • Creating consistency in customer experience across departments and roles<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Programmes and Participants<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In support of First Dakota\u2019s commitment to exceed customer expectations, every employee has completed at least one of the following Align Training programmes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Programme<\/strong><\/th>\nParticipants<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Align Service\u00ae<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nTeams in Accounting, Compliance, Audit, Loan Accounting, Operations, Administration, Credit Review, Lending Support, Maintenance, and other back-office functions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Align Selling\u00ae for Service Professionals<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nFront-line staff including Tellers, Personal Bankers, Customer Service Representatives, Lending Assistants<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Align Selling\u00ae<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nAgri-Business Lenders, Commercial Bankers, Trust Officers, Brokerage, Marketing and Executive Leaders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Align Coaching\u00ae<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nSupervisors and Senior Leaders<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
    \n
    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    To ensure long-term success and deep cultural integration, First Dakota implemented a range of sustainment and reinforcement initiatives, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

    • Performance Accelerators<\/strong>: Structured reinforcement modules linked directly to core programme content<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

    • CRM Integration<\/strong>: Core Align tools and concepts embedded within their CRM for a consistent customer experience<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

    • Advanced Leadership Training<\/strong>: Equipping Branch Managers with a unified coaching approach to drive accountability and behavioural change<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

    • Behaviour Styles\u00ae Assessments<\/strong>: Personalised reports used for team development and one-on-one coaching<\/p><\/li>\n\n\n\n

    • Q Mindshare<\/strong>: A digital reinforcement platform designed to enhance learning retention and ongoing engagement<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Since introducing Align training, First Dakota has achieved strong growth across all core business areas. Their investment in people and values-led development has delivered measurable results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS<\/strong> (within two years of programme launch):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
      \n\n\n\n\n\n
      Metric<\/th>\nAssets (MM)<\/th>\nLoan Volume (MM)<\/th>\nDeposit Volume<\/th>\nHouseholds<\/th>\nServices per Household<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
      % Growth<\/td>\n+22%<\/td>\n+26%<\/td>\n+22%<\/td>\n+7%<\/td>\n+11%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
      \n
      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      \u201cThe numbers speak for themselves. Across every key metric\u2014assets, loans, deposits, household growth and services per household\u2014we\u2019ve seen a consistent upward trend.\u201d
      \u2014 Rob Stephenson, President & Chief Operating Officer<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      Employee Feedback<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Align and values are deeply embedded in First Dakota\u2019s leadership philosophy\u2014and employees echo this sentiment. Feedback from training participants highlighted the positive cultural shift:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cKnowing that we\u2019re genuinely focused on doing what\u2019s best for the customer makes sales feel authentic. It\u2019s not about promoting a product of the month\u2014it\u2019s about offering real solutions that meet individual needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cBefore the training, I\u2019d quietly dread seeing certain customers. I\u2019d smile outwardly but struggle to connect. Align Selling\u00ae helped me understand behavioural styles and adapt. Now I genuinely enjoy helping even the most demanding personalities\u2014I approach every customer with confidence and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cTrust is the foundation of banking. Our customers entrust us with their finances, and they expect us to be honest, accurate and reliable. Align training helps ensure that we meet and exceed that expectation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      Client Feedback<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      \u201cAlign programmes are the most practical and transformative sales and service training I\u2019ve experienced. Implementation is straightforward, and the personal and professional changes are profound. We couldn\u2019t be happier.\u201d
      \u2014 Shelly Eilers, Vice President eBanking & Cash Management, First Dakota National Bank<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cWatching the transformation at programme graduation was the most rewarding part. Hearing team members share how they\u2019d grown confirmed just how powerful the experience had been.\u201d
      \u2014 Deb Weddingfeld, Senior Vice President, First Dakota National Bank<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      \n

      \u201cWe chose Align Selling\u00ae because it reflects who we are as an organisation.\u201d
      \u2014 Nate Franzen, President, Agri-Business Division, First Dakota National Bank<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      First Dakota National Bank was established in 1872, becoming the first fully-chartered bank in the Dakota Territory. Headquartered in Yankton, South Dakota, the bank steadily grew alongside the community\u2014serving settlers, river trade, and thriving local businesses. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,198],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership-coaching","category-sales"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image-408x445.jpg",408,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image-408x348.jpg",408,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image-200x300.jpg",200,300,true],"full":["https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image.jpg",408,612,false]},"yoast_head":"\nTransforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank - Align Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Transforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank - Align Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First Dakota National Bank was established in 1872, becoming the first fully-chartered bank in the Dakota Territory. Headquartered in Yankton, South Dakota, the bank steadily grew alongside the community\u2014serving settlers, river trade, and thriving local businesses.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Align Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-29T23:33:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-22T03:49:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"408\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"612\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Luke Sullivan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Luke Sullivan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Transforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank - Align Training","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Transforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank - Align Training","og_description":"First Dakota National Bank was established in 1872, becoming the first fully-chartered bank in the Dakota Territory. Headquartered in Yankton, South Dakota, the bank steadily grew alongside the community\u2014serving settlers, river trade, and thriving local businesses.","og_url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/","og_site_name":"Align Training","article_published_time":"2025-06-29T23:33:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-22T03:49:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":408,"height":612,"url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Luke Sullivan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Luke Sullivan","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/"},"author":{"name":"Luke Sullivan","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#\/schema\/person\/8f7e604bc7be9e16131bcf3f1359a249"},"headline":"Transforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank","datePublished":"2025-06-29T23:33:31+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-22T03:49:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/"},"wordCount":652,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image.jpg","articleSection":["Leadership Coaching","Sales"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/","url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/","name":"Transforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank - Align Training","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-29T23:33:31+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-22T03:49:59+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Bankstock-image.jpg","width":408,"height":612},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/transforming-sales-culture-and-mindset-at-first-dakota-national-bank\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Transforming Sales Culture and Mindset at First Dakota National Bank"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#website","url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/","name":"Align Training","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#organization","name":"Align Training","url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/67d6470ab76596ae91cdf4ebec93dd95.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/67d6470ab76596ae91cdf4ebec93dd95.png","width":998,"height":125,"caption":"Align Training"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/#\/schema\/person\/8f7e604bc7be9e16131bcf3f1359a249","name":"Luke Sullivan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/19dc6e801107c12be3f76b78b108c13fe7ffdf1cfedfa04ae2e3580585513d7f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/19dc6e801107c12be3f76b78b108c13fe7ffdf1cfedfa04ae2e3580585513d7f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/19dc6e801107c12be3f76b78b108c13fe7ffdf1cfedfa04ae2e3580585513d7f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Luke Sullivan"},"url":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/blog\/author\/luke\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19598"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19867,"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19598\/revisions\/19867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aligntraining.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}