How a Spa Day Helped Financial Services Execs Rethink Salesforce Strategy and Adoption

What takes the anxiety out of digital transformation faster than a day in robes, sipping champagne at a spa?

That was the setup for a recent event we hosted for women in financial services in Texas—designed to unwind, reconnect, and talk candidly about what’s working (and what’s not) when it comes to Salesforce, AI, and building smarter financial institutions. We were joined by inspiring leaders from institutions across the region, including Texas Capital Bank, Susser Bank, Credit Union of Texas, State Bank of Texas, Texas Trust Credit Union, American National Bank of Texas, and others, all navigating the intersection of customer expectations, AI, compliance, and business growth.

Laura Sullivan Ethridge, a Zennify Industry Advisor who brings 30+ years of leadership across Hancock Whitney, Wells Fargo, and American Express, knows how to cut through complexity and focus on what actually moves the needle. Below is a recap of her top takeaways, refined from her prep notes and shaped by real conversations in the room.

Start with simplicity and trust

Before building anything, build the case. A clear business rationale, framed in outcomes and numbers, is what earns trust and unlocks momentum.

• Lead with value. Focus on pain relief, revenue, or cost savings.
• Build the business case early. A simple pro forma helps show projected impact, align stakeholders, and secure buy-in.
• Limit the pilots. Three use cases. Clear outcomes.
• Get leaders using Salesforce. Show insights in meetings.
• Applaud early adopters. Visibility fuels buy-in.
• Win support 1:1. Peer moments often move skeptics.

Drive deposit growth through smarter, more coordinated outreach

Growth happens when marketing, sales, and service are aligned—and working from the same playbook.

• Engage early. Use onboarding journeys to connect with new depositors in the first few days.
• Segment for precision. Tailor messages to different life stages—young savers vs. retirees.
• Sync across channels. Align banker prompts with email and digital marketing cadence.
• Let AI guide cross-sell. Don’t guess. Use data to surface when someone’s ready for a CD, IRA, or money market.
• Stay ahead of attrition. Use retention tools to catch risk signals early.
• Trigger campaigns around life events. Retirement, job changes, and mortgage activity create natural entry points.
• Prioritize business banking. Cash flow and engagement data can spotlight high-value leads.

Leverage (and challenge) your network

No one has all the answers. But together, you’ve got a map.

• Bounce ideas off peers. What’s working? What’s stuck? Use your circle to shortcut trial-and-error.
• Share wins and missteps. Real progress comes from both.
• Challenge old routines. Innovation happens when assumptions get tested.
• Build cross-functional champions. Marketing, ops, compliance, frontline—they all need to be in the loop.

Use BEAM + TUNE to guide the work

Two models to keep teams focused, agile, and outcome-oriented:

• BEAM = Build, Evaluate, Activate, Maintain
  • Build the foundation and define your use cases
  • Evaluate current tools, gaps, and lessons learned
  • Activate with simple, valuable pilots
  • Maintain with infrastructure, support, and iteration
    
• TUNE = Train, Use, Navigate, Evolve
  • Train with purpose
  • Use the tools in live workflows
  • Navigate change through feedback
  • Evolve by scaling what works

Used together, BEAM and TUNE are like a flashlight helping you focus on what matters, take the next step with confidence, and guide others.

Want help building your next Salesforce move—with clarity and speed?

Zennify partners with financial institutions to turn complexity into action. Let’s talk.