mortgage coaching

Oct 03
0

How to Tell When It’s Time to Hire a Coach

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VictoriaFifieldHeadshot2019Not everyone is ready or in the right frame of mind to truly benefit from engaging with a partner whose whole purpose, drive, expertise and mission in life is to help you achieve exactly what you really, really want!

Seems odd to think that someone might not be ready or willing to receive everything that they really, really want, right? However, to get those things that we set our sights on, that seem challenging at the least and impossible at the worst, we have to be willing to change and possibly, change a whole lot!

Obviously, there is something keeping us from getting what we want and if nothing needed to change, well…we’d already be living the life we envision or in possession of the things we covet, right?

Change is the most difficult experience to embrace and enact. Hence the reason why there are a million different varieties of coaching: business coaching, life coaching, executive coaching, relationship coaching, creativity coaching, wellness coaching and the niches go on and on…

But at the very core of each coaching discipline, you find one person or persons helping another person or persons to change in some capacity.

Here are four questions to ask yourself prior to reaching out to a Coach:

  1. Do you know what you want to change?
  2. Are you passionate about what you want to change?
  3. Are you willing to do things differently in order to bring about change?
  4. Is the change you seek, something worth failing to achieve at, over and over again until the change happens?

If you can answer Yes to all four questions, then you’re ready to investigate coaching.

If you answered No to any of the questions, then the return on investment you hope to gain from a coaching relationship will likely take A LOT LONGER to achieve as you and your Coach whittle away at deeper issues that may be better suited to discuss with a licensed therapist or clinical psychiatrist skilled at deeper-rooted challenges.

If this is something you suspect you might need, it’s important to ask the Coaches you interview if they have those credentials.

Please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying here, just because you don’t get everything done on your to-do list in a day and you feel fear at the thought of calling on prospects sometimes or speaking in front of a group, or you get down in the dumps because the industry can be challenging, does not mean you need a shrink necessarily.

My point is simply that there’s a difference between everyday challenges vs. chronic stalemates and there are the right professionals for each situation so just make sure you align yourself with the proper expert for your situation.

Every Coach has their own unique methods to assisting their clients to achieve MORE from their business and/or personal lives.

In my particular mortgage-specific, business coaching platform, I help my clients to…

  1. turn wishes into goals and goals into calendar-driven action plans
  2. consider alternate perspectives/stretch out of one’s comfort zones
  3. embrace already-proven business growth strategies that fit your personality type
  4. hone-in on your strong points as a sales person and leverage those strong points
  5. incorporate your passions/interests into your business
  6. balance competing priorities between home and work
  7. remain focused on high pay-off activities
  8. determine business growth strategies that fit your current capacity
  9. use solution-based thinking as you approach challenges and make decisions.
  10. identify and eliminate “time-sucking & energy-draining” activities, tasks, people and mindsets from your daily experiences.

To aid you in uncovering the best Coach match for YOU, please download my Coach Interview Questionnaire Knowing the right questions to ask will save you time, money and oodles of frustration and disappointment.

Jun 21
0

Top 10 Things Ultra Producers Do No Matter What the Market Does

By | Mortgage Business Tips, mortgage coaching | No Comments

Top 10 StrategiesAsk any Realtor or Loan Originator and they will tell you, 2022 has had its slew of challenges. Most will say their sales are down and so too are their spirits. However, there is a massive difference in HOW individual professionals tackle a challenging sales environment and either continue to thrive or wane under the weight of a market upheaval. 

Want to come out on top even when you feel the chips are down? Step into the shoes of today’s ultra producers and leap into the top 10 things they do, no matter what the market does…

1. They call on their stable of connections (e.g. referral partners, past customers, peers, networking acquaintances, vendors and service providers they utilize, friends & family members).

2. They add to their stable of connections by showing up (e.g. business networking events, industry-specific events, educational events, Community outreach/volunteer activities, sales rallies/sales seminars, social gatherings.)

3. They set time aside daily to prospect.

4. They act on opportunities now, rather than later and are always, first, to follow up!

5. They plan to succeed by having goals that are written down and/or a business plan that is revisited frequently.

6. They track their numbers and adjust accordingly (e.g. lead to close conversion ratio, units & volume, marketing expenses and R.O.I, other business expenses, time spent on high-value activities).

7. They combat negative messaging with positive messaging of their own via conversations, social media engagement, email, text, and video.

8. They share ideas with their peers, and they ask for ideas from their peers.

9. They choose to feel determined rather than desperate.

10. They invest in themselves by way of education, coaches/trainers/mentors and technology.

Oct 31
0

Consumer Habits Have Changed So Too Must your Business Plan

By | Mortgage Business Tips, mortgage coaching | No Comments

Business is good, right? The phones are ringing, people are buying homes. You’ve got more refinances than you can shake a stick at and things don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. But like any great run, at some point, the sprint will turn into a jog and the jog will turn into a slow walk and the last thing you want to have happen is to allow your business to suddenly stall and cramp-up!

While Mortgage Professionals have been enjoying the influx of business, things have changed overnight that will affect HOW they go about earning new business from referral partners and direct consumers in the immediate future.

Here’s what’s changed:

  1. The number of people engaging in new technologies has sky-rocketed due to the simple fact that they were FORCED to in order to earn a living, remain healthy, learn and be educated and maintain relationships with loved ones.
  1. Consumer sensitivity and sensibility can be likened to a hairpin trigger and because of this, marketing, advertising, scripting, messaging is being scrutinized & scrubbed of any language and imagery that may offend.
  1. The amount of time people are spending on social media has doubled, if not tripled during the Pandemic, creating more opportunity than ever before to expand one’s brand and marketing footprint exponentially.

What was once a “go-to” business earner for you may now be null and void. Where you’ve been marketing yourself may no longer have as many visitors and viewers. What was once deemed, “an offer of value” to your consumers may now appear trite or worse yet, offensive.

 

“People shop and learn in a whole new way compared to just a few years ago, so marketers need to adapt or risk extinction.”

–Brian Halligan, founder & CEO of HubSpot

What does this all mean? OPPORTUNITY!

Keeping  these changes in consumer attitudes and habits in mind while developing your 2021 Business Plan, will put you well ahead of the curve, create huge separation between you and your competition and ensure you keep your pipelines percolating with new business throughout the new year.

First, I highly recommend reading the following article which is rich with statistics regarding social media, digital and Internet trends and can greatly aid you in determining how and where to market. Global Social Media Research Summary July 2020

Next, here’s a great list of various business growth methods & modes, as well as, marketing items you may want to revisit, revamp/re-tune, or re-imagine when building your 2021 Business Plan:

Learn to enjoy the discomfort of CHANGE!

Remember, your business is always changing, so being flexible, accepting change and tapping into your creative genius is simply part of being a successful entrepreneur. You’ve done it before and you can do it again!

“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.”-George Santayana

May 30
0

Do You Manage Loan Officers in Need of a Boost?

By | Mortgage Business Tips | No Comments
helpupHave a few of your loan officers fallen off the track in terms of their sales, engagement and activity? Try pulling them back on course by offering to act as a power production facilitator. Every sales person needs a boost now and again. Be the type of leader willing to provide structure, ideas, the space and time to help others to help themselves.
Here’s an example of how to immediately kick-start and facilitate a successful Power Production Group:
Invite your select loan officers-Send out a recurring meeting invite to meet twice a month for a period of 6 months. Express in your email invite that you feel they are on the cusp of greatness and you want to help push them over that edge and unearth solutions for what may be holding them back from hitting their goals.
Communicate expectations- Each loan officer who agrees to participate in the Power Production Group will NOT focus on excuses, frustrations & complaints, but rather they will focus on solutions, accountability, sharing, possibility and opportunity.
Ask for commitment-Agree to become a part of this group ONLY if you can commit to the meetings, leave your frustrations/excuses at the door and be open and willing to exchange ideas and try something new.
Share your agenda-The agenda should include, but does not have to be limited to the following: brainstorming networking strategies, sales strategies, building referral relationships and marketing ideas, follow-up strategies & scripts, hands-on training for tools & technology, time management best practices and organizational tips, product & industry knowledge.
Apr 08
1

Are you a Loan Officer Suffering from, “Just Enough Business?”

By | Mortgage Business Tips | No Comments

willtosucceedIf there is one thing I ask my seasoned loan officers to change right out of the gates when they first engage in coaching with me, it’s their, “willingness level.”

You may want more business. You may want more Realtor partners. You may want more direct consumer leads, BUT, the most important question to ask yourself is, “What am I willing to do to get more of what I want?”

Your willingness level will always dictate how much opportunity you can expect. And, to be clear, one’s willingness level is not measured in words, it’s measured in action.

Here are a couple of examples of what I tend to hear from seasoned mortgage professionals struggling with a lack of will…

“I did all that networking stuff before and it never works.”

OR

“Yes, I know I’m supposed to be calling my past customers, but I don’t want to feel like I’m begging anyone for business.”

The examples above are rife with assumption-Assuming there’s no new networking opportunities, no new way to glean business from networking events and that their past experience with networking won’t be any different, today. Assuming their customers don’t want to hear from them and don’t want to help them.

All of these assumptions are simply knee jerk reactions to protecting the core issue, which of course whittles down to that nasty, four-letter “F” word…FEAR!

Everyone feels a certain measure of fear when faced with situations that makes them feel vulnerable or requires them to commit to a game plan for the long haul.

At some point, many (not all) mortgage professionals become complacent, too comfy and stop stretching themselves. They want more business, but they’re not in enough financial, “pain” to be willing to get out of their comfort zones to make more happen.

If they’ve got, “enough” in their pipeline, then they’re mildly happy. When the pipeline dips again and they don’t feel like there is quite enough, then they get frustrated, spend money and time here and there on different, “shiny gems” hoping for a quick fix.

99% of the time the, “shiny gem” doesn’t pan-out, the money spent doesn’t lead to the leads they hoped for and the one networking gig they begrudgingly show up to, is a bust.

Then, ‘thank God’, a few good leads suddenly come in from one or two of their old, stand-by referral partners and ‘gratefully’ they immediately turn ALL of their attention to those leads and the cycle of, “just enough business” is set into motion all over again.

If this sounds even mildly familiar, read on…

If one accepts that there are no short-cuts to growing their mortgage business and much of what it took to get going in this business in the first place is still required today in order to grow, then all that’s left to consider is…Are you willing to feel the fear and do it anyway?

Here’s what works to grow the business, always has and always will. The GREAT news is that there’s a variety of creative approaches when engaging in the following activities and I should know, I have an entire roster of mortgage professionals I coach who are tackling these business builders in different ways:

  • Various networking (social, business, charity, etc.) and continued follow-up, WORKS!
  • Staying in touch in a personal way (live calls, video, client appreciation events, social media) with our past customers, WORKS!
  • Making sure we are calling on our Realtors and seeing them face to face (socially and professionally), WORKS!
  • Asking for referrals, WORKS!

Stop assuming-Find the will-Get committed-Feel the fear and DO IT ANYWAY!

If you need help getting committed to your business growth goals and getting out of the rut you’re currently in, reach out to me and Ask for a Complimentary Business Coaching Session!

Mar 18
1

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.

Jan 23
3

Let’s Take a Closer Look at How BIG Change REALLY Happens…

By | Mortgage Business Tips | No Comments

takealookLooking for big change, a shift, a break, a “Hell Yeah” or a “Halleluja” to come your way this year?

It’s not unusual to launch into a New Year hoping for these things to occur in our business lives. A lot of us will spend a good amount of time researching new marketing spins, the latest trends in social media and systems that we hope will make the BIG difference.

Not that these endeavors aren’t worth the time, BUT the biggest change that must occur in your business this year in order to rise up from your current plateau, will stem from the inside, not from something you purchase or determine to implement.

You want big change in your business? You must change, first!

Here’s what you may be faced with changing:

Your attitude-Do people call you for advice? Do people share their good news, victories and celebrations with you? Do you share ideas openly? Do you listen more than you talk? Do people refer you? Do people smile at you? What type of people (other than your family) do you spend the majority of your time with…what’s their attitude?

Your excuses-Is it your lack of time that keeps you from getting things done? Is it the fact that you don’t have an Assistant that keeps you from doing more? Is lack of money the reason you’re not growing? Are you not the right shape, not from the right area, didn’t graduate from the right school or too old/too young to get more business? Are your kids, spouse, friends, co-workers, Management and the dog at the root of why you can’t work on your goals?

Your willingness-Do you stop short of stepping outside your comfort zone? Do you shy away from tackling new opportunities? Have you learned anything new lately? Do you give, first? Do you refrain from asking for referrals? When is the last time you did something that you were very afraid of trying?

Your expectations-Do people take advantage of your time? Are everyone else’s procrastinations taken on as your emergencies? Do you over promise and under deliver? Do you hold your team accountable? Do you regularly communicate your expectations to your team, customers, referral partners, vendors, etc.?

Your discipline-Do you squander time? Do you have a plan? Do you complete your tasks? Do you show up when you say you’re going to show up? Do you plan out your day ahead of time? Do you stick to your goals? Do your stick to routines? Do you stay up too late, eat poorly, drink too much, lack exercise or live in the past?

Each person’s interpretation of the questions above will no doubt be different. Take a moment to jot down your thoughts about yourself in relation to these 5 game changers then ask someone who you trust and knows you well to write down their observations of you and compare notes. (Critical tip: thank your willing participant, do not compare notes together, do not defend yourself or question their comments the next time you see them).

“Your Reality Is a Reflection of What You Believe You Deserve”-Tova Payne