When I talk with loan officers, there are times they don’t know what they want for their future business growth. Is it about increasing the number of apps or pre-quals – or both? Is it about building a team infrastructure or about being more efficient with existing team members? Is it about being an elite producer in a branch or about becoming a branch manager some day? Is it about increasing public visibility in the community or about increasing targeted ideal leads for new business? Is it about using online ads, a media blitz or a video campaign?

In other words, there are a lot of strategies and tactics that can give you what you want in business, but you have to start with the end in mind. Even the best pilots need to course-correct to reach their final destination; the same is true for every loan officer who wants ‘more’. ‘More’ is not specific enough to generate real results. That’s like shouting ‘hey – you!’ in a crowded marketplace and expecting your ideal customer to turn around and hug you – it just isn’t a solid strategy. (By the way, I could start talking about how important it is for you to know your ideal customer profile here but I will restrain myself and stay focused – for now.)

So what do you do when you don’t know exactly what you want? This is a typical problem for newer loan officers especially but it’s also relevant for more experienced LOs. Why? Because more ‘seasoned’ officers don’t have as much time in their career to screw around in getting the results they want. (Oh come on… you know that’s true. I’m right there with you!)

If you haven’t yet reached ‘success’, it’s highly likely you haven’t yet defined it. But living in this amazing country means we have unlimited options – and there lies the problem. You absolutely need to define your own version of success to have it. If the outcome doesn’t pull you immediately, it’s either not the right element that makes you feel successful OR, like when you push off the bottom of a swimming pool to get out of it, you need to push away from what you don’t want.

So what DON’T you want for your business? If you don’t want:

• Inefficiency
• Wasted time
• Unhappy customers
• To work all the time
• Unproductive team members
• Missed opportunities…

You get the idea. Whatever you DON’T want points you to what you DO want!

If you don’t want inefficiency, that automatically means you want efficiency. So how do you get efficiency in your business? Do you hire more team members? Do you get new technology? Do you upgrade your processes? Do you take fewer breaks? Do you reduce your phone time in side conversations? It depends on what you see as inefficient and then on how you think you can best achieve what you determine is efficiency.

The bottom line is that you can clarify what success means to you – and the best way for you to get it – by determining what you don’t want first. Try it and let me know what comes up for you. My top three DON’Ts are: unhappy customers, unhappy team members, unhappy wife (and not necessarily in that order!).

Fill me in on your top three DON’Ts on Linkedin so we can brainstorm on what you really want going forward for your business. I’m looking forward to learning about what’s important to you for your business.

Carl White, Chief Officer of Coolness
Article Originally Posted on LinkedIn

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When you got into this business, you formulated a way to go about doing it successfully. For example, whether your marketing plan was about networking or speaking or asking for referrals or relying on community members or going to church more often to meet people, you had a plan. And you got some success with that plan. Why? Because even a blind hog gets an acorn every now and again.

Now, there are a lot of things you could do to make your business more successful. And my team and I are happy to share everything we know about that with you.

But here’s the thing – if you think you already know what’s going to make your business successful, you won’t hear a thing we say. In fact, it means your conditioning is running your business.

What’s conditioning? In psychological terms, it’s also called the Law of Effect, which was coined in 1905 to describe what happens when someone experiences either a positive or negative effect from something they did. So, if you did something that worked, you will do it again. If something didn’t work, you will be averse to trying it again.

B.F. Skinner came along and upgraded the concept to something he called “operant conditioning”. For a good time, check out The Big Bang Theory’s approach to operant conditioning.

The point is that, if you haven’t upgraded your systems, your marketing, your approach, your conversation, your marketplace positioning, your online presence, your advertising strategy, etc. in a long time, you might be a victim to your past conditioning. You think you already know what you need to know so you’re not open to new ideas. Maybe you don’t want to rock your own boat but you could be missing efficiencies, customers, revenues and new team members to help you be even more successful.

I can hear it already… yes, “victim” is a strong word here. BUT, if you don’t even know it’s happening, you’re not volunteering to be stuck, right? The good news is you can take the proverbial handlebars of your business back by being willing to explore new ideas. (Who uses reins in business anymore, right?) (Just proved my point there, didn’t I?)

Even good conditioning can run it’s course. It’s important to recognize if you are stuck in your business, if it’s running you, if you could be doing something different to make things easier for you, your team and your customers. Because you’ve been doing what you do for a while, you may not be able to see that on your own. That’s why my team and I offer personal strategy calls and everything else we do. Your eyeball can’t see itself without a mirror and you might not be able to objectively see what’s happening in your business without a sounding board.

If you’re getting a ping, a sting or a ‘charge’ when reading this, that’s a sign something in you knows it’s time for something new. You don’t need to do it alone – just schedule your 1:1 session here today.

Carl White, Chief Officer of Coolness
Article Originally Posted on LinkedIn

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#LoanOfficer #MortgageMarketing #MortgageExpert #LoanOfficers #LoanOriginators #Lenders #MortgagePro #MortgageBroker #FreedomSeeker #Branding #Mortgage #LoanOfficerCoach #LoanOfficerMarketing #MortgageLoanOfficer #MortgageAdvisor #MortgageBanker #TheMortgageMarketingAnimals #CarlWhite #FreedomClub #LoanOfficerFreedom #MortgageLife #MortgageLifestyle #HomeLoans #LoanOfficerLife #LoanOfficerLifestyle #MortgageBoss #Entrepreneur #Mentality

One of the great ironies of living longer is you can get stuck in what you’ve learned from experience. When you look back on a difficult situation from your past and see you would do it different today, that shows how far you’ve come in your experience. You want that because when you’re not getting better, you’re either stagnant, boxed into the past or dead. (It stands to reason, right?)

Here’s the thing – when you gain a certain level of experience, it gets real easy to coast on your laurels. It seems obvious you don’t need to learn about something that you think you know well. There’s a little ego in that too. The rub is that, when you think you know something, you’re not open to the new possibilities that come from learning and growing past the familiar, known and expected. Things get predictable, which is different from stable. And that, my friend, is the enemy for your business. 

I know you’ve met people who are a little stuck in the past. They’re the ones wearing clothes from the 80’s (and not the cool kind), in a home with ‘vintage’ decor, driving a car that’s taped together in places because it’s paid off. These are the people who complain about how things are changing for the worse these days, being critical of the world but not doing anything to make it better. In our industry, these are the folks who work from handwritten notes, try to do everything on their own instead of hiring a team, don’t use social media and have an old website. I’m not putting these people down! Instead, I want to help them get into the present so they can be happier and more successful. We all need help now and then, but it means being willing to let go of what we think we already know so we can try new possibilities. 

When you feel you know something so well you don’t need to learn anything, that’s a problem. Today’s competitive market means you need to keep up and, ideally, get ahead of the curve. Growth is, by definition, uncomfortable. The degree of discomfort is the measure of how far you are going past your experience. You need to stay on the growing edge to be current and relevant to your customers. That might be around technology, best practices for your team or spiffing up your personal image to be your most attractive. 

The point is your previous experience can be the enemy of your business. You do want to know what you know – but you also don’t want to be that guy or gal who goes through their day by rote, doing what you’ve always done the way you’ve always done it. Because if you do, life is going to be boring and your business is going to be behind the eight ball right quick. 

Things move fast these days, including in business. So how do you balance having or gaining experience with learning new stuff all the time?

For me, I focus on only three things, mostly because I hire great people to help me focus on everything else in my business. My focus is on finding ways to create more value in three areas: 

1. Relationships. The relationships that I have with my family, my team, my clients, my students and the new people who are attracted in to working with me in some way are the lifeblood of what I do. I trust my people and value my relationships as a top priority. 

1. Opportunity identification. I look for opportunities like a bloodhound. If there’s some hidey-hole of gold, I’m going to do my best to find it. I may not be the one to go after it, because my team members might be better at that than me – but I look for new potential to make the most of it. I do this with my clients too because they might be missing something that is obvious from where I stand. Looking at things from different perspectives gives me and the people around me the extra edge in both life and business.

1. Self-care. When I’m not at my best, everything suffers. I need good sleep, healthy food, a little exercise, having a good laugh and having fun, time to connect with God and my loved ones, time to think about things – I like to do that at the lake. Me making the time to take care of myself means I bring my best to the eight days a month that I work. I am more productive in those eight days than some people are in eight months (or even years!). The good news is that I am committed to showing my students how to live this lifestyle too.

One other thing about what happens when you think you know it all… in my experience (pun intended!), just when you think you know it all, life has a way of taking you down a peg or two by throwing you a curve ball. When that happens, it’s a sign to get humble, open your mind to learning something new and either go back to learn whatever you missed or, on the other hand, take whatever you have learned and should have respected more into new directions in your life and business activities. 

The bottom line: get comfy with discomfort. When you lean into it, learning something new is exciting and thrilling and gives you a sense of accomplishment. And it benefits your business and the people around you.

So where do you think your experience might be holding you back? What do you need to learn that could help you be a better human and a better loan officer?

Carl White, Chief Officer of Coolness
Article Originally Posted on LinkedIn

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Leaders and Brand Archetypes: Using the Unconscious to Build Business

You have probably heard that buying decisions are emotional decisions. But have you heard that the collective unconscious is a power tool for branding and building business?

Here are a few simple examples of common archetypes you might have heard:

“That guy is such a rebel.”

“She’s a Parrot Head.”

“He’s a jock all the way.”

“She’s always been the class clown.”

When you hear that kind of description, you immediately assign certain characteristics, features and qualities to that person, right? From statements like those, you can make certain assumptions about the character and motivations of that person.

In other words, archetypes are universal patterns of behavior that help us understand people.  

The same can hold true for brands because they can signify the mission of a business, as well as its brand promise and culture. For example, Harley Davidson fits the brand archetype of rebel. (And some might define me that way too!)

When a business uses a brand archetype, it makes it easy for their audience to understand the experience they deliver and can be the foundation of why it attracts certain customers or deals. 

When You Don’t Know Your Business Archetype

If you don’t know who you are in business, or you are unclear in your brand promise, it makes it hard to differentiate yourself in a competitive market. And that makes it harder to attract and engage customers. When you are not perceived as unique (and familiar at the same time), you end up competing for business.

If a brand is not clear about ‘who’ it is, no one is going to be interested in the business or what it can do for them. Your archetype can be the beginning of clear relationships with customers because they ‘get’ your brand.

When you don’t know your business archetype, it can cause confusion in your market because you might be telling conflicting stories about yourself and your business. Your brand archetype can clarify your business and, at the same time, give people a way to share stories about you – or not.

If you know your business reflects a rebel archetype but you try to look like and do what everybody else is doing, you aren’t being authentic. And that can cost you potential relationships with your ideal customers because you are working deals that aren’t really a match for you.

And, naturally, if your customers don’t know who you are once you are in a working relationship, you could lose their loyalty and referrals because they’re looking for someone who is rock-solid in who they are in business. 

What Happens When You Know Your Business Brand Archetype

Archetypes provide an intangible experience of meaning for a brand, bridging customer motivation and business solution(s).

Your brand archetype gives meaning to the value of your work, meaning that you no longer compete only on price (as one example). So, if you value working with someone who is a Caregiver or a Hero or an Explorer, you will naturally seek that type of person (or business) out when you’re ready to do business.

Because people buy for emotional and psychological reasons, so the meaning of your brand is its biggest asset. What your brand means to people is what causes them to buy in to what you’re selling. It makes them want to do business with you. You stand out in a crowded market with clarity as different. And your business brand archetype can be verbalized so it can be shared consistently.

When I say the name ‘Harley Davidson’, you immediately get an image of what that means (and, hopefully, I show up there too!). For me, Harley Davidson means freedom, being cool in a laid-back way and quality products. There’s a little status in there too because Harley owners hang with other Harley owners and are, sometimes, more successful than their jeans and leather would tell. I like that too.

Brand Archetypes Are More Strategic Than Marketing Strategies

Entrepreneurs are always looking for the magic silver bullet in marketing – a strategy, plan, technique, angle – that will attract and convert the perfect customers who just knows their solution is unique and irreplaceable. But you can’t get that from a single strategy! That kind of reputation comes from having a clean, clear, concise brand archetype.

So your business, while not actually a person, has a distinct character. That character comes to life through how you and your team handle your business. It comes from your mission, brand promise and corporate culture. And when you nail your brand archetype, it means people get an instant ‘hit’ on who you are and what you stand for through your business.

Archetypes “work” to help build business because they create instant emotional impact which triggers instant like-mindedness. They increase trust because they are steeped in a consistent and enduring expression of meaning that rises above the specific situation or business.

Using archetypes can shift a business from push to pull for new customers and opportunities, from messaging to shared values, from control to expansion, and move transactions toward relationships. When you live your brand archetype, it can also help align behaviors and business decisions to avoid (or resolve) any inconsistencies. Your archetype can also guide your marketing strategy, relationships and services.

In the end, using a brand archetype can increase your brand impact and bottom-line.

What Are the 12 Main Brand Archetypes?

You know what a brand stands for when you see or hear the brand name and instantly have a sense of who they are and what they’re about… that is brand archetyping in action. In a business brand context, they usually show up as 12 primary archetypes.

Here are a few household-name brands you might recognize, along with their brand archetypes.

Disney = Magician        

Jeep = Explorer        

Lego = Creator        

Johnson & Johnson = Caregiver        

Nike = Hero

Is this making more sense now? This is a huge concept, so this article is just the beginning of what you need to know about brand archetypes – but it is what market leaders use to differentiate their brands. They just don’t talk about it.  

Here are the 12 basic identities, or archetypes, a brand can assume:

1. The MAGICIAN makes dreams come true. They don’t just offer a better widget; instead, they make your wildest dreams come to life. Disney, anyone?

2. The SAGE seeks truth and wisdom. They command respect through what they know… like anything with the name ‘Harvard’ on it. 

3. The INNOCENT wants to be happy – that’s it. An Innocent business brand will never guilt or manipulate someone; instead, they will charm through sentimentality, nostalgia and good times. It kinda makes you want some Orville Redenbacher popcorn, doesn’t it?

4. The REBEL seeks revolution and is fearless. Like I’ve already said, Harley Davidson, Apple, me… we like to shake things up.

5. The JESTER is about humor, being in the present (not the future or past). Pure silliness (all the way to the bank) is a trait that the new Old Spice Man and Dollar Shave Club are working to build their markets.

6. The LOVER seduces you into indulgence. Feel like some Godiva Chocolate?

7. The EXPLORER breaks free and has adventures. I don’t know about you but every Subaru commercial I see makes me think – for just a minute – about hitting the untamed road for spectacular views.

8. The RULER wants absolute power and gets it through exclusivity, luxury and expensive price tags. Does anyone seriously worry about crash-test ratings when it comes to a Rolls-Royce or telling time when it comes to Rolex?

9. The CAREGIVER nurtures and just wants to be there. You trust Johnson & Johnson products to make your fall-down-and-go-boom-owies feel better.

10. The HERO wants to make the world better by being the best. There’s no nurturing when it comes to the U.S. Army or the U.S. Marines, for example. They want you to ‘answer the call’ to arms and take care of business.

11. The REGULAR is unpretentious and wants to belong in an un-hip, simple, relatable way. This is the most difficult archetype to work with well because you have to have a brand that appeals across all demographics. For example, everybody wakes up, everybody puts their pants on, everybody wants to drink Folger’s Coffee.

12. The CREATOR wants to build something you can’t live without, like Lego did in using the simplest ‘technology’ – blocks – to create a product that has shaped and inspired generations.

Your Goal Now?

Successful brand archetyping bridges the gap between the offer and how / why people make buying decisions. Understand your archetype as a key to your brand and business strategy, corporate culture and market presence.

You need to know who you are in the market and have a quick way for your customers (current and future) to know how to reference and relate with you. Over time, your brand archetype will guide marketing strategy, relationships and offers while increasing your brand impact in your market – and bottom-line results.

Ask yourself the following questions:

– What archetype do you think your customer has about your business?

– What is the brand archetype that best reflects your business? Why? And would your ideal customer agree with you?

– What brand archetype best represents your business as a whole? Why?

– Does your business have a secondary brand archetype? If yes, what and why?

For me, the Mortgage Marketing Animals might just be Rebel Lovers… our goal is to shake things up but we do it with heart and extreme consideration for how it will make things better for our people. We really care about each of our customers and students.

Carl White, Chief Officer of Coolness
Article Originally Posted on LinkedIn

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A good loan officer has conversations with prospects and clients; a great loan officer asks quality questions and listens to the answers.

To help you be awesome at asking questions, here are some of my favorite ways to engage whoever you are talking to so you can learn… learn what? How that person is thinking, what they really want, how they are choosing to claim the life of their dreams… you can learn a lot by being curious and listening.

Now, to be clear, I’m not talking about being curious in a pushy, meddle-y, arse-y way… this isn’t about stalking someone through a conversation! Instead, this is about being genuinely interested in understanding the world from their view to help you help them get what they really want.

You can use a mix of question styles, depending on the situation. One of my personal favorites is…

Ask dumb questions. You cannot possibly be an expert in everything. You can’t learn unless you’re willing to have the mind of a beginner. And people like to be experts and share what they know – it’s a win-win. So don’t be afraid to ask the obvious because maybe it isn’t.

I also like asking open questions, like ‘can you tell me about X?’ or ‘why would you say X?’ or ‘Describe your thoughts on X…’. This gives your conversation partner a way to share what they know beyond a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer (which are called closed questions, by the way). Closed questions are when you want a precise answer – ‘do you have a down payment?’ However, most of the time, you want to create openings for people to share in your conversation. Within their answers are the keys to how they perceive the world and what they really want, so listen closely for those clues.

If your conversation isn’t going anywhere, you can ask leading questions. ‘Would you agree that X?’, ‘Is it fair to say that X?’ or ‘Are you thinking that X?’ are examples of leading questions. The other person may not agree with what you’ve just set up in your conversation and that’s totally cool! You WANT them to have an opinion and to share that with you. Asking ‘loaded’ questions like these will get the person to either agree or disagree and keep things moving – ideally, in the direction you want the conversation to go.

When you are writing promotions, you can ask yourself the ‘Bigger, Better, Faster’ questions to help get copy flowing. By this, I mean things like ‘what about this property makes people dream bigger?’, ‘what’s better about this deal?’, or ‘how can my process help people get in their new homes faster?’. Basically, your answers will address the ‘so what?’ question – why something matters. And that can make your ad and promotional copy more interesting, engaging and real.

Remember to keep your questions tight. If you’re asking a question that goes longer than a minute to get out of your mouth, it’s too long. Actually, that’s a good point to make in case you are being interviewed by the media or on a podcast – keep your answers concise and to the point. Limit yourself to maybe two minutes if you are the interviewee to keep the energy high in that dialogue.

If somebody doesn’t understand the question you just asked, try rephrasing it. It might be a vocabulary thing or maybe they don’t share your frame of reference. After all, when you ask if someone has a small down payment, like $50k, not everyone might think that’s a small down payment. I’ve even had clients who didn’t know what a FICO score was – so they had no idea what I was asking them for in that moment! Sometimes our work as loan officers includes more education than we know.

Lastly, when you ask a question, be prepared to stop talking. When there is silence, the other person usually feels like they need to fill that silence. That also gives your conversation partner the space to extend their answer(s) without feeling pressured. And some people think a little slower so they need time to process. That applies to introverts and highly-sensitive people, by the way… I read somewhere that their thoughts literally go through longer conduits in their brain so it takes more time for them to process information. The good news about that is they also get the nuances of a situation more than a faster thinker, who is usually on to the next thought right away.

You might be surprised to know that I tend to be an introvert… I’m a high-functioning introvert! But, especially when I was younger, I wasn’t the first guy wearing the lampshade at the party. Now, that’s a different story! (Come to the next Mastermind to find out about that!)

Seriously, you need to know who you are in asking questions too. Know yourself and you have the big audacious awesome key to connecting with others more meaningfully and effectively. And, as you know, connection is everything in our business.

I’ll start… I asked a waitress if I could see a menu please, and she said, “I don’t have to tell you about the men I please!” (Ha!) Ok – Join us on Facebook and tell me about your best questions, when you got an unexpected answer and, of course, a good joke – we all need to hear from you!

Carl White, Chief Officer of Coolness
Article Originally Posted on LinkedIn

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