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Are You Meeting Your Own Expectations?

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Being a loan officer is a big responsibility. Because of what you do, a family will have their dream home – or not. A single young adult can buy their first new home – or not. Your family gets the lifestyle they want and deserve – or not. You get to do what you love – or not. When it’s the ‘or nots’, that’s when you are probably not meeting your own expectations around your business goals and results.

So let’s break this down… what is the anatomy of not meeting your own expectations?

Well, you probably get excited about the outcomes and start out strong. You make your calls, looking for the win and, when you get no’s or a lack of interest or lots of voicemails, your enthusiasm kinda shrinks up. You had high hopes and expected things to go the way you wanted but, when they don’t, you take it as a personal hit to your confidence. You aren’t meeting your own expectations.

Now chances are, if this is the case, you’re probably an attractive person. And no, I’m not just saying that to suck up! Seriously – attractive people just don’t have practice with the ‘no’s’ in life. So that’s the first thing here – look in the mirror and smile at what you see because the smile is what people are going to remember about you.

Next it’s about how heavy that phone gets as you are making your prospecting and touch-base calls with people you know, referrals, previous clients and people you want to meet. If you find yourself distracted by, well, anything, call reluctance is probably getting in your way.

If that’s the case, congratulations! The most successful salespeople have experienced call reluctance too. That means you are destined for greatness because you are in touch with the fear. Now let’s get you past it.

Are you following through on what you know how to do in making your calls? Do you have the contact information you need ready? Have you set aside dedicated time to make your calls? Do you have someone answering your phone for callbacks while you’re dialing? Do you have a script to help prompt you through the call when you reach someone on the other end? Do you have your calendar open so you can schedule a face-to-face meeting?

If you aren’t sure about how to set yourself up to be successful in meeting your own expectations when making calls, I can help you have the confidence you need to get it done. In fact, me and my buddy Kevin Gillespie wrote a whole book on this – you can see it at www.CrushingCallReluctance.com. But I digress…

Only One of Four Things Can Happen

When you have yourself geared up mentally, and you are prepared with a proven system (like what we teach), only one of four things can happen.

1. There’s not a love match.

Sometimes, even when you execute perfectly, you and that other person just aren’t a good fit to work together. In that scenario, remember that your true commitment is to help those who want to be helped – by YOU. You are developing a relationship to help them get what they want. You are both servant and adventure guide in the process. If you aren’t a fit together from the first call, it’s going to be painful for both of you. Just let go and move on.

2. You got unexpected training.

Making mistakes in a sales process are never easy or comfortable while you’re in the middle of them. If you said something that just didn’t fly or make sense, apologize and make it right. If you don’t know something, say so and commit to getting the right answer. Make sure that what you’re saying is what the other person is hearing so there’s minimal miscommunication. Then chalk it up to training – be authentic and transparent about it. Sometimes that is the way you will create bridges with another person who recognizes you are doing your best and they genuinely like you for that.

3. Not right now.

Timing is everything. Part of why you make calls consistently is so that you stay top of mind and you’re right there when that person is looking for a loan or to make a referral. But if and when that doesn’t happen right now doesn’t mean it will never not happen. (Think that three times fast – sheesh.)

The point is that if they didn’t say yes right now, the timing might not be for right now. That just means you have more time to build that relationship until they’re ready to say yes.

I know a loan officer who made his calls every Monday for more than a year. One Monday, he didn’t make his calls and one of his real estate agents – who never picked up the phone – posted on Facebook that he must be dead or it’s not really Monday because he didn’t call! And then all that agent’s real estate agent friends got to see his name on her Facebook wall, so he got even more connections from that post! So make the calls and trust the timing is happening on a bigger calendar than the one you use to schedule appointments (get it?).

4. They say yes.

What? They said YES??? Yep, that’s what happens when you use your system, are consistent in showing up and making your calls, build your relationships over time and are in the right place at the right time.

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Now, it may take a lot of those first three scenarios to get to the fourth one where they say yes – but it’s a numbers game. The more no’s you get, the closer you are to that ‘yes’ scenario.

And if you want a system that works to help you with CrushingCallReluctance.com, check out my new bestselling book. It’s the investment that will pay you back – I guarantee it.

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

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Call Reluctance Will Kill Your Business (If You Let It)

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I hate for that to be the introduction to this post but I thought it best to put it right out there. Better you hear it from me now than from your future empty bank account.

So what are some of the factors that cause call reluctance in the first place?

First, let’s talk about your personal sales-esteem. When I say that, it’s about your self-confidence when in a sales scenario. Maybe you’re new to sales, or you’ve got experience but you’ve heard ‘no’ a lot or had people take out their frustrations on you when you’ve called before. If your sales-esteem is low, that would make it hard to pick up the phone, no doubt.

Naturally, another factor is not knowing what to say. Those first few seconds on the phone (or in a first face-to-face meeting) can be a little chilly or awkward if you’re not ready with something to say.

If distractions are in the way, like tweets singin’ your name or email pinging you or even a root canal at the dentist, it’s hard to focus and make things happen with calls.

Another good one is if you don’t have the contact information in front of you and you have to hunt around for it. That extra step is enough to put off making calls – believe me, I know.

Maybe you think you need to have more discipline… and, if that’s the case, I’m here to tell you that discipline is over-rated. Why? Because if you want something bad enough (think Chunky Monkey ice cream late on a Saturday night), you will get it done. When your desire is bigger than whatever is blocking your path to it, you will make your calls.

If you aren’t dialed into the fact that you are making it possible for people to live in their dream home because of that call you’re about to make, that’s a problem too. You have the potential to change people’s lives. When you really ‘get’ that, there’s no phone big enough to stop you from making that call.

When you find your groove on making calls, you find your sales rhythm and you create momentum in your business. You find that you look forward to making sales calls and having conversations that matter in the bigger picture. You finally figure out that this isn’t about you – this is about what you can do for the person on the other end of the phone. And when they know that, your business will grow naturally.

I’ve been a mortgage loan officer for a long time now, so I can tell you one of the biggest secrets that I know absolutely works to be successful in our industry – be humble. Just show up. Get out of your own way by focusing on the other person. Share how you can help someone get what they want. And make the calls.

I am so passionate about this topic that I sat down with one of my friends – Kevin Gillespie, one of the top trainers in our business – and we wrote a book. In fact, it’s a best-selling book. And you can get it here: www.CrushingCallReluctance.com.

If call reluctance has ever been, or is right now, a factor for you, I’d love to hear from you. I want to know your story about it – how it showed up, what it did (or is doing) to your business and how you overcame it (or why it’s important to you to overcome it right NOW). I’m serious – let me hear from you below.

And, if this is something that’s up for you right now, I really want to hear from you. Know that you can get past it – I promise you. Every great salesperson has had at least a brush with this, and a good many – including me – have gotten smacked by a big heavy dose of it. Maybe it’s a rite of passage… in any case, don’t let it kill your business. Instead, consider this your invitation to crush your call reluctance – I’m here to help.

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

Ten Cents of Water for $2.50: Convenience Trumps Price Almost Every Time

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So thirsty, have to pee, so thirsty, have to pee!  Just up head I see my favorite local convenience store.  I pull in, park right in front, jump out of the car, run inside to the men’s room.  Back out, grab the biggest bottle of water they have, oh and a vitamin water, and a Slim Jim. Nope, put Slim Jim back. I’m “being good right now”.  OH, they have turkey jerky instead! Definitely need that. “Ring me up Mr. Cashier”. Cashier says, “Carl that will be $12.50”. Swipe my card, and I’m out the door.  It only took 8 minutes out of my time, and wow does that $2.50 bottle of cold water taste good. But wait, $12.50 total? How much was that turkey jerky? Who cares! It is really hitting the spot right now.  I may stop by for more tomorrow . . .

People really value convenience.  Now we all know someone that will shop that bottle of water until they find a $5 for 24 deal. Then they will pack water and a snack for the road. However 99.99% of us just aren’t that person.  We want to be able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

Convenience: the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.

Point being the less pain we feel in doing something, the more likely we are to do it, and then do it again.  And also recommend that others follow suite.

So let me ask you this friends, how painful is your mortgage process?  The big online mortgage companies are all advertising how convenient they are.  Since we know Rocket Mortgage is smoke and mirrors, how do we offer the same convenience?

Everyone assumes its technology, but let’s go the old fashioned way first. Convenience is in the eye of the beholder.  So let me ask you, did you design your loan process around you or your customer?

I sat down with our digital marketer to write a Facebook ad recently.   The digital marketer asked me to start by writing out what my clients hate.  Well, that was easy to list: Bank statements! Processors that over ask for things, taking too long in underwriting, last minute signatures on forms.  Documents sent in ten different ways!

DM:  “Carl, that’s what you hate. I asked what your customers hate.”

Me:  “Oh? Don’t my clients hate the same things I hate? “

DM:  “NO. You are not you, you are them.” “Try again.”

Me:  “Okay then” . . .  re-thinking . . . re-thinking . . . “They hate uncertainty. They hate feeling messed with.  They hate it when we aren’t helpful, or talk down to them. They hate it when we make things so darn hard they want to give up.  They hate inconvenience. “

Technology can open the door, but what your customers really want is set expectations, consistency and helpfulness.

If you need some help putting together your perfect loan process, hiring the right staff to carry out the process, and recommendations for the best technology to use, come join us at our next 3-day event. You can get the skinny on that here: http://www.mastermindretreats.com/

Remember: Convenience is in the eye of the beholder.

Yours in Coolness,
Carl
Article Originally Published on LinkedIn

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“Damaged” doesn’t mean “Broken”

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I had a live mastermind event in Florida a couple of weeks ago.

After one of the sessions, I happened to walk by two Freedom Club members talking about something called “Kintsugi”.

“Bless you!” I said.

They laughed and explained what they were talking about.

“No Carl, I didn’t sneeze, I was telling Joe here about Kintsugi. It’s a Japanese form of pottery, where they take a pot that’s cracked or broken in pieces, and they repair it with gold lacquer, so that it’s repaired, but now it’s cracks and damages are the most beautiful part of it.”

In that moment, I had something like an epiphany. Just because you’re “damaged goods”, does not mean you are broken, my friend. You are still just as functional, as successful, as useful as you’ve always been, even if you’ve been through the wringer a time or two. Maybe it’s been an especially hard time. Maybe you’re in more pieces than you’d like to be. But guess what, you are strong, you are capable, and you are resilient. You’ll make it through whatever trial you’re facing, I guarantee it.

You might be thinking, as you’re reading this, “I don’t know Carl, this time it’s different, I don’t think I can put myself back together again, what do I do?”

I’ll tell you what you do. You reach out to me here, on LinkedIn, or on Facebook, or call my office, and I will work together with you to repair your cracks and fix them all up with gold so that you’re back and better than ever. I promise you this, I am with you every step of the way my friend.

You are stronger than you think. Keep on keeping on, my friend. I’ll be cheering you on wherever you are.

You’ve got this.

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

PS: When you are ready, here are the ways we can help you best.

1. Work with us one-on-one
If you’d like to work directly with us to map out a dream mortgage business – one where you have an epic income while actually working less weekends and evenings (if any at all) – just Click Here and tell us a little about your business and what you would like to work on together, and we will get you all the details.

2. Get your complimentary 1-hour strategy session
You are entitled to 1 full hour strategy call to map out a step-by-step plan on exactly “how to write more loans while working less hours.” Simply tell us a little about your business to help us prepare for your strategy session, and then you’ll have full access to our calendar to schedule your call. At the end of the call, you can ask us to help you implement that plan, or you are absolutely welcome to take that complete plan and work on it by yourself. Click Here to schedule your call today!

3. Click Here for information about our next 3-day “How To Close More Loans Now” event!
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The Perfect Gift

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One of our Freedom Club members (our top-level LO mastermind group) asked a great question…

“I’m am seeking some ideas for unique closing gifts that I can send out. Ideally something universal that I can leave a lasting impression and that has my branding on. Any ideas you can share with me?”

My response:

Great question! Here’s the thing, we have found that we don’t need to leave a “lasting impression”, as we will be contacting them quarterly with a phone call (using our past database scripts and the automated system) and monthly with our “handwritten” note (also done automatically).

Think of it like not needing a lasting impression when you leave a friend’s house after playing cards. You’ll be back next week…

Follow up out trumps a closing gift every time.

The follow up we do is 3 fold:

1. Call with a simple script 4 times a year (this is the most powerful and we have figured out a way to automate it).

2. Snail mail once per month. This has proved to give us huge results. The trick is to NOT send a newsletter or corporate looking postcard. We have found that an actual letter produces more goodwill and leads than anything else (I can show some examples of what we do).

3. And finally, a weekly email. The email we have found that gets us the best response isn’t about mortgages, it’s about what’s going on this weekend around your area. At the end of the email, there is a simple call to action that we call the “Super Signature” that has proved to be the secret sauce.

When I did a closing gift that had a “last impression”, it had zero effect in my closings from those past clients going forward. It wasn’t until I added the 3 fold follow up strategies that I saw an explosion in my measured results.

This follow up approach gives us an average of 1 closing per 100 people in our database per month. So if you have 500 people in your past database, that would be 5 closings… PER MONTH, just from this simple strategy.

Now, to answer your most excellent question, I found giving them pizzas on moving day worked very well for me. After all, it’s what friends do for each other.

Carl
Article Originally Published on LinkedIn

P.S.
If you want to schedule a time where we can map out and share how we do all this, along with my proven scripts, just shoot me an email and I’ll get you set up. After all, it’s what friends do for each other…
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