Category Archives: Uncategorized

Get Clear about Your 2019 Business Vision

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Will you make the commitment to see your 2019 business growth bizvisiongoals through to the end?

To determine the true answer to that question, you FIRST need to ask yourself, “WHY are my business goals so important for me to see through to completion, anyway?”

It could be that you no longer want to spend 60 hours a week stuck behind a desk in your office. Maybe, you’re sick of pounding the pavement, asking real estate agents for their referrals. Or perhaps, finding the fun and rekindling your passion for your chosen career is at the root of your goals for 2019.

If you are unclear about your Why, or if your Why is driven not by your needs and passions, but by someone else’s idea of how you should conduct your business (or your life), you’ll discover that you simply won’t have the will to enact the steps to see your goals through to the finish line.

No why-No will = No results!

Your, “Why” is the grander destination you envision for your life and business, which fuels your, “Will” to take the necessary, daily steps to get you there.

Remember when developing your goals for your 2019 business plan, to run your goal ideas past your, “why meter” first. Make sure you have an excited feeling in your gut about the project, system, marketing strategy, etc., that you plan on implementing.

If your, “why meter” runs hot and the goals are in alignment with your current capacity and business growth vision, then SUCCESS WILL BE YOURS!

To get you kick-started, download my Vision Exercise and gain more clarity about your personal, “Why”

Business Plan Development Rule #1-Start with the Numbers

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numbercrunchingI can tell you from a Business Coach’s perspective that forecasting one’s sales numbers and setting clear income goals is an exercise most often overlooked by solo-entrepreneurs and is exactly WHY it is the 1st step in my own, proprietary business plan development process with my clients.

If you don’t set your earnings goal, and you don’t break it down to numbers you can
track on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, how are you holding yourself accountable to the grander visions of your business?

How do you gauge when you need to put the pedal to the metal, or when you can give yourself some deserved time off? You can’t! Hence, the feeling of overwhelm, and eventual burnout.

When determining your income goal this year, avoid being too conservative or getting mentally stuck in the here and now. Remember, you are embarking on a new adventure of building your business. Opportunities will spring from the goals in your business plan that you simply cannot predict right now. So go ahead, astonish yourself and set the bar a bit higher.

For example, if you made $82,500 last year and you’re thinking that there’s a good chance you can make $100,000 this year, push yourself a bit beyond what you think you know to be, “realistic.” Tack on another 10% to cover all the unforeseen possibilities that your new business focus will generate. The number you choose should feel like a stretch but still motivate you.

Have you ever heard the saying, “The numbers never lie?” Well, there couldn’t be a truer statement when it comes to your mortgage business.

Knowing your numbers and tracking results is the ultimate way to treat your business like you mean business! So charge into 2019 like the C.E.O. you truly are and eliminate all excuses to attaining your grander visions of your life and career.

Wanna Hire a LOA? Better Read this, First!

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hiringThe great news I have to report today is that more and more of my mortgage coaching clients are being given the opportunity from their companies to hire Loan Officer Assistants a whole lot sooner and with a lot less volume than what has been the industry norm. Hip-Hip-Hurray for this positive change!

But here’s the rub, not every mortgage professional who’s ready to hire their first assistant has had the experience of managing another human being, holding someone else accountable and engaged, not to mention, actually motivated to excel on the job.

So I wanted to cover one very critical component in successfully on-boarding your new Loan Officer Assistant, that is largely overlooked by those with little to no management experience.

Starting off on the right foot with your new hire means setting the tone, the pace and proper expectations on the very first day. How do we achieve this?…Come prepared with a 30-Day Training Schedule!

The 30-Day Training Schedule that you prepare should include, at the minimum, blocks of time in which to cover the following items:

Expectations: Job roles, tasks and responsibilities, turn-around times, Professionalism, Attitude, Work hours, Breaks, Time off, Sick time, Vacation requests, Team meetings, Employee reviews;

Systems: CRM, Database, Marketing portholes, LOS, Loan flow/Work flow, Office equipment, Proper phone etiquette, Communication channels, Calendar,  Website addresses, Passwords, Other online tools regularly used in their position;

Shadow Work: Allow your LOA to listen to you on sales calls, accompany you at sales appointments, referral partner meetings, networking & during presentations. Schedule time for you LOA to shadow other key team members, too;

Goals: Mission or vision statement, Business Goals, Business Plan, Brand, Marketing plan, Team dynamics, Incentives, Bonuses, Morale boosters; Additional training opportunities;

One final tip: Keep track of what has been covered with your new employee each week, and then on Friday meet with him/her for 30-minutes to review the week’s lessons, answer their questions, ask questions to ensure comprehension and reset the tone for the next week.

Remember, nothing is a bigger turn-off to a great, new employee than to see their boss scrambling, frustrated, disorganized and short on time. By providing your new Assistant with a daily training plan during their first 30-days of employment, not only will you be better able to deal with your own competing responsibilities, but you’ll set a tone for success and more quickly gain the value from investing in a Loan Officer Assistant.

Three Success Ingredients Found in Top Producers’ Business Plans

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gettpclass4

How do Top Producers plan for managing lead and referral sources, customer experience plans, and automated marketing methods to stay in touch?

Top producing Loan Officers have learned that developing a Business Plan is NOT a, “someday maybe” but rather a critical component to ensuring their success year after year.

Sign up for Coach Victoria’s class to learn the three, “success ingredients” found in top producers’ business plans, PLUS the tools found in ACT software that can support and automatically activate these strategies.

If you are a mortgage professional, or manage a team of mortgage professionals, this webinar will provide you with the tools to immediately kick-start a winning business plan!

SIGN UP HERE for your free limited time access to the webinar.

 

What Creates Dysfunction in Teams?

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team dysfunctionWhether your team consists of 10 people or if your team is made-up of yourself and one Assistant, being aware of what will make your particular team effective and productive vs. dysfunctional is important to the overall success of your business.

Here are the five signs of a dysfunctional team, which includes behaviors that you, as the Team Leader, may be exhibiting as well:

  1. No Commitment-Lack of buy-in. Tendency to agree during meetings, but refuse to follow-through on actions items. Appears ambiguous about company initiatives, projects, and changes. Over-analyzing. Misses deadlines.
  2. Accountability-phobia-Low standards. Will not confront team members on counterproductive behaviors or actions. Lack of setting deadlines. Lack of follow-up and follow-through. No clear expectations. Easily distracted. Lack of growth.
  3. Inattention to Results: Status and Ego. Put their individual needs above the collective goals of the team. Unaware of production numbers. Lack of tracking. No communication regarding individual team member’s effectiveness and/or team accomplishments.
  4. Lack of Trust-Difficulty in sharing ideas or admitting to errors. Unwillingness to be vulnerable and open. Hesitates to offer help outside of their job description. Dislikes team meetings.
  5. Avoidance of Conflict-Pretending as if all is in harmony. No engagement in passionate debate. Lack of constructive criticism or suggestions. Veiled discussions and guarded comments. Meetings are unproductive and boring.

In order to begin, “righting the ship” so to speak, the first place to start is with a good ‘ole self-evaluation.

Becoming aware of and actively working on your own set of weaknesses and being transparent with your team about your journey on the road to self-improvement is a sign of a great, leader-in-the-making and will inspire your team members to follow suit. As the old saying goes, “It all starts from the top!”

Achieve More with an Accountability Partner

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accountabilityBeing the captain of your own ship comes with a lot of great perks like setting your own work schedule and being in charge of how much money you can make.

The downside to not having a boss breathing down your neck is that there can be a tendency to fudge a little, even slack off at times when it comes to your goals and business growth.

Contrary to what many believe, allowing accountability into your life does not mean you’re weak, lack experience or suffer from some form of attention deficit disorder. Rather, engaging with an accountability partner, mentor or a Coach will greatly increase your focus, keep you motivated and will provide you with alternate perspectives and creative solutions to help you achieve more in a shorter amount of time.

Look for the following qualities in your Accountability Partner:

  • Positive attitude
  • Interested/Invested in your success
  • Candid
  • Goal-oriented
  • Creative

Realtors too Busy to Meet? Here are 3 Awesome Alternative Ways to Stay in Front of Them!

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topofmindawarenessIf you didn’t manage to schedule all of your face to face meetings with your Realtors during the Fall and Winter season and you’re trying to cram them all in now, you may be experiencing some frustrations due to the simple fact that NOW, more listings are cropping up and most of your Realtors are too busy to meet.

If you think the solution is to up your email drip campaign frequencies to remain, “top of mind” I can assure you, you’re in for more frustration as the open-rate is likely going to plummet, which should not be taken as a sign that your Realtors have strayed, BUT the non-responsiveness can deflate your ego and confidence and who really needs that?

So, my advice is not to fall prey to this knee-jerk reaction and begin blowing-up your Realtors’ email inboxes, but instead get creative about how you’re going to remain a strong presence rather than a nuisance throughout your Realtors’ busy season.

Here are three fabulous ways to get your Realtors’ attention WITHOUT the possibility of an opt-out!

  1. Yelp your Help-More and more Realtors are utilizing Yelp’s services to capture client testimonials, expand their brand and gain leads. Visit their Yelp profile and provide them with a testimonial. You can also peruse all of their current testimonials and click on one of the three web buttons available labeled, “Useful,” “Funny,” or “Cool.” Of course, your Realtors will be alerted to these activities and you become instantly, “top of mind.”
  2. Get in the Game-Offer to co-sit your Realtors’ Open Houses to help answer financial questions should any arise, help put out signs, bring waters, or balloons or other helpful goodies, pass out open house flyers to the neighbors and invite them to visit the Open House, pick up the slack when your Realtor becomes overwhelmed by visitors, encourage visitors to sign the sign-in sheet or simply make small talk and collect useful intel to share later with your Realtors. Even if you only have an hour to spare, even if you can only do 1-2 a month, nothing builds stronger bonds than being a true team player.
  3. “Like” ‘em A LOT-Become your Realtors’ biggest fan on Facebook. Many Realtors use Facebook to promote their listings, showcase their expertise and their open houses with video, advertise home buyer seminars and post pictures of happy home buyers. Support their efforts by posting positive comments. “Like,” “Love” or “Wow” their posts. Share their informative and educational tips and if their page allows, post pictures of neighborhood characteristics, nearby schools or shops, bike paths, parks, etc. that would help support the listings that they are promoting on their page. P.S. You don’t have to be a freelance photographer, simply use Google Image to locate these pictures.

An Exercise in Striking Out Fear

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What if you were told by an ancient oracle that you would become the wealthiest, healthiest and happiest person in the world, but you first had to fail at least 10,000 times before achieving these states?

Would you allow failure into your life, then? Might you be eager to attempt all that you fear the most in order to live the life that you envision?

What if I told you that ancient oracle actually lives within you, not outside of you, and that the mantras you repeat in your mind every day wield enough power to make whatever it is that you are focusing on an absolute reality?

The following are words from incredibly inspiring people who realized that failure is not to be feared but simply accepted as a stepping stone to greatness:

“Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much napoleonhill

temporary defeat and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a

man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is quit. And that is exactly

what the majority of men and women do.” – Napoleon Hill

briantracey“Everyone faces difficulties every step of the way. The difference

between high achievers and low achievers is simply that high achievers

utilize adversity and struggles for growth, while low achievers allow

difficulties and adversity to overwhelm them and leave them discouraged

and dejected.” –Brian Tracy

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”RobertFKennedy

-Robert F. Kennedy

What do you feel that you have failed at in your life up to this point? Looking back on the situation now, can you discover at least one success that was born from what seemed like a loss at the time?

What characteristics did you display? What did you learn and how did you grow from this experience?

Take about 15 minutes to really think about this. Meditate on how you felt at the time in the face of what you believed was a failure and then move your thoughts to how you feel right now. Can you see that this was simply a stepping stone in your life?

Take out a journal and write down everything that you have been fearing to fail. Your list might look something like this:

  1. I am fearful of speaking in front of a large audience.
  2. I am fearful of developing referral relationships.
  3. I am fearful of not appearing knowledgeable in my industry.

Once you feel that you have released every fear from your mind, go back and strike out the fear and write one small step that you could be excited about taking that would bring you closer to moving beyond the fear. For example:

I am fearful of speaking in front of a large audience. I am excited to take my presentation home and invite two friends over to be my audience.

Commit each month to achieving these small steps and then journaling to discover what each stepping stone on your path looks like for the next month and the next. Before you know it, this accumulation of small victories will bring you to your ultimate goal.

Flawed Expectations

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expectationsThe following is a list of what I call, “flawed expectations” that are sure to cause my readers to flinch and shake their heads either in agreement or full blown denial.

My hope is that for those Mortgage Professionals who suddenly realize that they may be holding on to one or more of these flawed expectations, that this post will serve as a welcome, “aha” moment that will spur positive change and increased opportunities.

  1. When you expect to generate “X” number of leads each week but your focus and actions are not centered on sales-generating type endeavors every week.
  2. When you expect leads from new referral relationships after one meeting and a couple of follow-up calls.
  3. When you expect to get more done in a day but have no daily plan.
  4. When you expect to maintain a consistent pipeline but work inconsistent work hours.
  5. When you expect to grow your business with the help of an Assistant but have no systems in place.
  6. When you expect referrals for a job well done but never ask for them.
  7. When you expect loyalty from your Realtors but you don’t answer the phone.
  8. When you expect attendees at your event but call no one for RSVPs.
  9. When you expect your team to give their daily goals 110% while you give yours 50%.
  10. When you expect to double your income but don’t invest in your business.