networking

Jul 16
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Creative Agenda Ideas for Networking Groups

By | Mortgage Business Tips | No Comments

Pull some of these creative, purposeful and fun ideas into that tired Agenda and get your networking group re-inspired and motivated to grow the group.networkingagenda

Adopt a Book-What’s one thing that has really resonated with you so far in what you’ve read of this book…how do you think you can apply the lesson in your business life?

Declare your Goal-Everyone states one, specific goal, no matter how tiny or big to tackle for that particular week, then report the next week in one minute or less about success or challenge of implementing that one goal and how they can solve or breakthrough any challenges they may have experienced.

Win for the Week-What one thing made you feel good about your business this week-State out loud in one minute or less.

Tool Time-Everyone shares one time savings tip, marketing tool or gizmo, website tool, iphone app, social media tool, anything that you felt was cool for your business that you learned about (This could be something that occurs the 3rd meeting of every month)

Marketing Mastery-Once a month someone is selected to showcase something they did that month to market themselves, bring in examples, show on their laptop, talk about how they implemented it, what was easy, what posed a challenge.

Change of Venue-Once a month, vote on a different venue to hold the meeting-museum, park, library, coffee house, restaurant, pastry shop, someone else’s office. A change of scene can spark creativity.

Oct 19
0

Four Great Activities to Meet New Realtors

By | Mortgage Business Tips | No Comments

You’ve likely heard it a million times…”You’ve got to build a relationship!” But, where do you start? How do you even get that first chance to start a relationship with a Realtor you’ve never met or done business with before?

Here are four great ways to get in front of Realtors, that are all easy, budget-friendly and offer the most direct path to success:

Play Leap-Frog-Ask each of your closest Realtor partners to introduce you to two of their peers, perhaps a new Realtor at their office or a Realtor who’s been grumbling about their current Lender or someone who they feel would be an excellent personality match to you.

And, don’t stress yourself out with all of the “what ifs”…What if my Realtors don’t respond? What if the other Realtor doesn’t want to meet with me? What if…?

Just do the first step, which is simply to ask the question.

Beginning the relationship building process is always easiest and fastest when initiated by a trusted peer who is already singing your praises-Social proof has a HUGE impact on gaining more, yes’s to your requests for networking meetings.

Tap into your Refi Database-Here’s an easy one that most folks don’t think about. Send out a mass email to your past refi clients, those for whom you did NOT process their original home loan, and ask them for an introduction to their favorite Realtor. Be transparent in your approach. Most people understand that Realtors are your natural partners, but they certainly do have to be reminded that your continued success depends on all types of referrals, not just to other direct consumers, but to possible Referral Partners, too.

Customers have a lot of power and pull. Think about it, if one of your own past customers emailed you and suggested that you really should reach out and connect with an Insurance Agent they adored, you certainly would not disappoint, would you? Neither will their Realtors!

Tag Along-Commit to tagging along with a Title Rep or other Industry Professional to Broker Opens, “Going on Tour,” and/or popping into Open Houses a few times a month. This approach works especially well for folks who don’t have a database to tap into or who are on the shyer side or simply feel rusty at getting out and in front of Realtors. Leaning on another Professional to break the ice can certainly help you to stretch out of your comfort zones. The trick to this approach is to tag-along regularly and even change-up who you tag-along with in order to mix up the chemistry.

Social Snooping-Research Realtors in your area via LinkedIn or Facebook. Reach out and suggest a networking/coffee date to brainstorm and share business growth strategies. Another great on-line snooping resource is www.ActiveRain.com, a Realtor-specific forum.  In fact, in some areas of the country, there are live Active Rain meet-up groups and generally you will be the ONLY Mortgage Professional in attendance! Truth is, very similar to how the general public has embraced online dating methods, Professionals of all types are getting much more comfortable with meeting potential referral partners initially encountered via social media avenues, like LinkedIn and Facebook.

When reaching out to Realtors via these avenues, it’s always a good idea to snoop into their profile to uncover a particular niche, passion or general interest that the two of you share and use that common thread within your message.

Sep 14
0

How to Keep your Mastermind/Networking Group Attendees Coming Back for More…

By | Mortgage Business Tips | No Comments

Mastermind groups are formed by professionals for a number of reasons. The three top reasons being:

  1. To generate new ideas and share best practices in an effort to increase revenue and create efficiencies in each member’s businesses.
  2. To establish a space for accountability, goal setting and encouragement amongst entrepreneurs who are not necessarily reporting up to or being pushed by a Manager. (They are the captain of their own ship)
  3. To network and cultivate possible referral relationships with other professionals.

Professionals generally enter into mastermind groups with great enthusiasm and high expectations. However, after six months to a year of meeting, many groups find that the excitement has a tendency to wane and unfortunately, the attendance then follows suit.

Here are 7 helpful tips to help keep your Mastermind group engaged, consistently attended and growing…

Tip #1-Make sure you have a variety of professionals attending who share similar pains. I’ve talked to Mortgage Professionals who have formed mastermind groups made up solely of Realtors or Financial Planners. This may seem like utopia for YOU, but the group will eventually suffer and may even begin to feel that your attempt to put together a mastermind group was purely self serving. Fresh perspectives, unique approaches & creative business models are more easily derived from groups that include different types of professionals. Of course, only include professionals who share in your pains (i.e. generating leads, branding one’s self, team, marketing, effective sales scripts, budgeting, etc.)

Tip #2-Include creative “shake-ups.” Make one of your Mastermind sessions an event that the entire group attends, like a seminar or presentation on sales techniques or social media, a chamber mixer or www.meetup.com event.  Assign chapter readings and group discussion from popular business or self help books, like Think and Grow Rich, The Success Principles, The Tipping Point, or Taming Your Gremlin. Use one session to train on a particular product, system or new technology the group is interested in. Spend one session watching a Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield or Wayne Dyer DVD.

Tip #3-Establish a rotating guest speaker list. Assign each mastermind group member a month that they are responsible for inviting a guest speaker. The guest speaker could be a physical fitness expert, a life or business coach, a social media guru, a holistic healer, a local top salesman, a Manager sharing his/her team leadership secrets, a branding expert, a local blogging superstar, etc.

Tip #4-Share the knowledge. Post your agenda, guest speakers’ names, take-aways and “aha” moments and newfound knowledge from your mastermind groups on your blog, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. Encourage everyone in the mastermind group to do the same.

Tip #5-Don’t be a venue hog. Find other locations, other than YOUR office, to hold your mastermind sessions and change it up from time to time. I had a client hold one at a local park with great success. You can also go to your local library, favorite coffee house, wine bar or bistro, community center or recreation center, pastry shop or even one of your group member’s residences.

Tip #6-Introduce the 20 Questions game. When utilizing “group think” to help solve a member’s current issue, dilemma, roadblock, bottleneck, conflict, etc., have each member ask that person questions about their current situation, not to exceed 20 questions.  No one is to suggest or tell the person what to do, nor make statements or share their opinion. They are simply to ask questions to help the one individual experience a breakthrough and to do so without comparing, assuming one person has the solution, or inadvertently creating tension or conflict in the group.

Tip #7-Survey the group. Never assume that your members are satisfied with the current format, agenda, guest speakers, direction and/or vision of the mastermind group. You know what they say about “assuming.” The best way to keep your mastermind group alive and kicking is to be open to changing things up, trying new things and most importantly, listening to the V.O.M. (voice of the mastermind)

The power of the mastermind comes from each member’s unique experiences, knowledge and willingness to share. As the leader of the mastermind, you owe it to yourself and the group to be picky about whom you choose to invite as a member. Set the bar high!  Find individuals who are smarter, more creative, more innovative and more financially savvy than you are.

It’s like Jack Canfield once said, “You are the average of the five people, outside of your family, that you hang out with the most.” Take the time to find the “right” members and choose to raise your average.