I Was Doing It Wrong…

Early in my loan officer career, I was working 50-70 hours a week. The funny thing is, my co-workers at the time encouraged me to work those kinds of hours.

They patted me on the back and said things like “nobody works harder than you”, or the ol’ “Carl, you are a working stud.”

It was like it was a badge of honor.

It wasn’t until a very dear friend of mine asked, “How’s that working out for your family?” that I took an honest assessment of my “success.

”I responded back, “There’s no such thing as work / life balance.”

My friend squared me up and said 17 words that changed my life:

“If you think there is no such thing as work / life balance, you are doing it wrong…”

I went home that night and really pondered that.

I started questioning everything that I was doing.

And then it occurred to me, he was right. I was indeed doing it wrong.

I saw some of the top loan officers were working night and day, 7 days a week, while other top loan officers were working 32-hour work weeks, or even less.

So I started interviewing and studying those LOs that worked less than 40 hours a week, yet were helping even more families than I was, and making even more money than I was.

I compiled their top strategies and came up with what I have been using for the last 16 years with great success.

It’s called the Daily Success Plan or DSP.

It’s a very simple set of daily activities that we do Monday-Thursday from 9-11am. That’s our prospecting time.

We do it first thing in the morning, so that the “clutter and fires” don’t get in the way of prospecting.

Don’t get so busy building the farm that you forget to milk the cows…

We found that when we focus our first 2 hours on this Daily Success Plan, that we can close 20, 40, even 50+ loans per month of personal production, all while having that previously elusive “Work / Life Balance” by working less than 40 hours / week.

I found that I didn’t have to change everything, I just had to make simple tweaks to what I was already doing.

And honestly, it was just doing the DSP.

Simple activities, done 9-11am Monday – Thursday that provides massive results.

What a wonderful career we all have stumbled upon!!

Let’s walk you through the DSP. No gimmicks, no software to buy, just a simple set of activities that helps us close more loans with less headaches and more time for “coolness”.

We’ll even customize it to the activities that you are already doing, just with less

Click here to set up your call

Part I–9 Ways to Make Mo’ Money

Do you struggle with finding qualified agents? Maybe you don’t feel worthy enough to be in the million-dollar club? In this episode of Loan Officer Freedom, the #1 podcast worldwide for loan officers, I’m joined by my good friend and mastermind coach, Mike Cardascia, giving you part I of our ‘Make Mo Money’ series.

We will give you reasons to fight those intimidation fears, and why we know you are worthy of this, just like those currently pulling in that loan production.

Mike and I bounce ideas and highly effective marketing strategies off each other to get you on the path that we show our loan officers.

You’ll be able to use the right scripts for the right agents and find out how and where to target for the best and most efficient referrals possible.

Looking to find out how to make mo’ money? Let’s map out your best route on a complimentary strategy call here. < no cost >

The “I have To Give 3 Cards” Script

So I was sitting in my office the other day and Sue, a loan officer who is a private consulting client of mine, sent me over a message as a quick SOS signal. Here was her message:

“I have a realtor with me right now – here’s the question: Her brokers (she is in FL) tell her that there is a “law” that she has to recommend more than one lender. I know there is no such law, but what do I say to her Carl? I need to know ASAP as I’m sitting with her now. Thanks!”

How many times have we all heard the ‘ol “I have to hand out 3 cards” response from agents?!

Now, some of the time, this is a real situation that is in agents’ minds that they really think they do need to hand out 3 cards based on some erroneous information that somebody has given them. Other times it’s nothing more than a “deflection” response from agents, you know, meaning that you really haven’t given them a reason to give out just your card…

… or better yet, YOU WANT AGENTS TO BREAK OUT IN A COLD SWEAT EVERY TIME THEY GET A BUYER LEAD UNTIL THEY HAND THAT LEAD OFF TO YOU!

You don’t actually want them to give your card to a prospect, who may or may not call you, by the way.

Instead…..

…you want the agent to tell the prospect you will be calling them, then that agent call you and give the referral to you. This ensures a solid connection, instead of the ol’ “well, I gave them your card, I’m not sure why they didn’t call you…” response from agents.

So here’s the script that I sent over to Sue, my private consulting client:

“Awesome, it’s an honor to be one of the 3. At least we know that 1 out of every 3 of your referrals will close on time and you will have great communication on the loan process, and that 1/3rd of the time that your leads will be followed up like great on a pickle, so at least on those, you will get even more referrals from them once they are in your past database. On the other 2, well, all bets are off.”

Now, let’s talk about that script for a minute and I’ll explain why it works so well, and give you some follow up information that will help you get a lot more referrals in other ways too.

A few years ago I sent a survey out to around 15,000 real estate agents asking them what their #1 complaint was with loan officers that they refer to.

Here’s what came back in the order of importance to them:

#1: They don’t close on time

#2: They don’t communicate with me on the loan process, I don’t know what’s going on with the file.

#3: The loan officer doesn’t follow up on my leads

So I knew right then what to focus on in my marketing to agents….

I call this my “Realtor Referral Getting” Checklist:

1. Close on time!

2. Communicate with them every Tuesday morning on what’s going on with the files we are working on together (either me or my team calls them with updates)!

[by the way, there’s another script my team uses to get tons more deals when we do those weekly updates. Be sure to ask me about the “Just Ask” script when you do your complementary strategy call with us by going here: www.LoanOfficerStrategyCall.com

3. Follow up on their leads relentlessly!

So you want to weave those 3 things in all of your marketing and scripts because those are the things they said are most problematic with their current lender they are giving all their referrals too.

When you cover those 3 things, you’ll get a deluge of business from agents…

…IT’S WHAT THEY WANT!!

But listen to this, it’s one thing to say you’re going to do those 3 things, it’s another to actually do them.

WE HAVE TO STRUCTURE OUR ACTIVITIES AND OUR STRATEGIES SO THAT WE ARE COVERING THOSE 3 THINGS!

But we can talk about how to structure “who’s doing what” in your current day to day activity to show you how to use your current resources to make those 3 things happen like clockwork during your strategy call. It’s way easier than you think…

…it’s just prior to now, nobody has shown you how…

… but once you know just a few things, you’ll see how epic your mortgage business can be, getting even more referrals and all with less stress

On your strategy call, we will be going over some other “loan getting” scripts too. This call will be a great source for even more free scripts

Go here now to see if there are any openings left for your complimentary strategy call

Good Ole’ Fashioned Business Tools for The New Loan Officer

You’re in for a treat on this episode of Loan Officer Freedom, the #1 loan officer podcast in the world, as the tables turn when I am interviewed by an up-and-coming loan officer.

Hudson Beebe, based out of Spokane, Washington, is the youngest podcast guest I’ve ever had on. He runs down a list of basic, important questions about starting out as a loan officer and what he needs todo to get on the road to freedom.

I share with Hudson what I have experienced firsthand are the greatest basic strategies and activities to grow your mortgage business and structure it the best way possible.

The next generation is coming up the pipeline and I am honored to be the person that they reach out to with questions on what works when becoming a loan officer.

I’d love if you’d join us at our next Mortgage Marketing Animals event in Clear water to get even more strategies to plan out–Register here: MastermindRetreats.com

Ready to move to the front of the line on the calendar? Schedule here: LoanOfficerStrategyCall.com

NAMMBA Connect 2021 Atlanta – The Place to Be in September

Are you ready to open your minds to what the future of the mortgage space is and be a part of the growth? Then listen in to Loan Officer Freedom, the #1 podcast for loan officers in the country, as Guest Host, Steve Kyles, in for Carl White, talks to Tony Thompson, Founder & CEO of National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America, to learn more about this incredible opportunity in September of 2021.

The mission that NAMMBA is on to gather people of all kinds, ages, and cultures to connect them by creating relationships and providing the extensive knowledge to grow their business, is inspiring the next generation. Be a part of this – sign up today!

Get your tickets here!

If you’re a loan officer ready to take your business to new heights by closing more loans with less headaches, then let’s talk strategies. <no charge> Click To Schedule.

Loan Officer Freedom