productivity

Apr 10
0

That Elusive Thing Called, “Down Time”

By | Mortgage Business Tips, mortgage coaching | No Comments

stayfocusedFunny thing about finally finding that elusive thing called, “down time”….Once we get some we either A) Choose to do nothing with it. B) Choose to fill it up with non-productive tasks or C) Forget what it was that we swore we were going to accomplish when we did finally get some, in which case A and/or B come into play. So in an effort to encourage the best of the best to use their down-time to catapult their careers, here is a memory jogger list of high pay-off projects to consider…

Get socially savvy-Create Lists in Facebook for your, “Friends” who happen to fall into certain critical categories, such as: Realtors, Past Customers, Prospects, Peers, Teammates and Other Referral Partners so that you can control who sees certain posts and make your posts even more relevant to your specified audiences.

Embrace efficiency-Get your Realtors and other referral partners, past customers, old prospects and new prospects , plus all of those forgotten business cards into your CRM, into your online email marketing portals, into your smart phone and any gift-giving online stores’ address books, such as Amazon, Shutterfly, Send out Cards, etc.

Just do it!-Don’t have a CRM that houses all of your various contacts? NOW is the time to research them on-line and get your most precious business asset (your contact list) organized and receiving branded, pertinent information from you on a regular basis. Remember, just because someone works with you once, doesn’t mean they are going to remember to refer you, use your services again or reach out to you with questions, UNLESS you are top of mind.

Brush-up on your craft-What could you become better at in your career? What experience do you lack? What aren’t you comfortable talking about? What part of your business still has you stumped? What could you read, listen to or take an on-line class about that would give you that edge?

Coordinate creativity-A cluttered outer world clutters our inner world. Do you have files to purge, emails to organize, subscriptions to cancel, files to shred or store? We ALL DO at some level and this is a GREAT time to declutter, reframe, refresh and create space. Remember, creativity is at the crux of all thriving careers and creativity can’t spread its wings if there’s not enough space to take flight.

Now, I’m not saying NOT to take advantage of some of this down time by indulging in non-business growth activities, such as: naps, long walks, game time with the family, binge watching Netflix shows, etc., What I want everyone to take to heart can be summed up in this quote just given to me earlier today by one of my clients and that is….“Champions are made in the off season!”

Oct 24
1

Managing Loan Officers on the Cusp of Greatness

By | Mortgage Business Tips | No Comments

accountabilityDo you have loan officers on your team that you were sure were going to knock it out of the park, but instead do a whole lotta bunting? Do you scratch your head because outwardly they exhibit the right attitude, confidence, knowledge and willingness to take action but their pipelines reflect something else?

Before you get too frustrated and head over to H.R. to discuss an exit strategy for these folks, put on your Coach hat instead and form a Power Production & Accountability Group!

Here’s an example of how to immediately kick-start a successful Power Production & Accountability Group:

  1. 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.
  2. Communicate expectations- Each loan officer who agrees to participate in the Power Production & Accountability Group will NOT focus on excuses, frustrations & complaints, but rather they will focus on solutions, accountability, sharing, possibility and opportunity.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Important tips to ensure the success of your Power Production & Accountability Group:

  1. Everyone shares, everyone participates, including YOU.
  2. Prepare and send out your agenda 2 days prior to each meeting.
  3. Select a “scribe,” someone who is willing to capture all of the ideas shared and send them out to the group via email immediately after the meeting.
  4. ALWAYS have the participants state a goal out loud that they’d like to achieve prior to the next meeting.
  5. Encourage the group to encourage each other in between meetings.
  6. Keep the meeting to a max of 90 minutes!
  7. If your participants are remote, make sure to utilize a tool, like www.gotomeeting.com.