The Day in the Life of a Successful Originator

by Shannon Hicks
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| August 6, 2024

Years ago a close friend told me “Shannon- action defers anxiety”. It gave me pause. I closely examined my daily activities to see if they aligned with my goals. What I found was I needed to make some substantial changes. No wonder I was anxious. Many of my activities left important objectives unaddressed or incomplete.

Not surprising since most ‘salespeople’ spend 70% of their time on non-sales activities.

So how do we go about creating an ideal work day? First, I began with a framework. What is an ideal day that pushes me toward meeting my goals? With this in mind, I began to create a daily routine.
What is one routine that may work for reverse mortgage originators? Here are a few ideas for your consideration. Time-block the routines you’ve chosen on your calendar.

Your Early Morning Routine

Your Early Morning RoutineYour morning mindset sets the tone for the rest of your day. Here are some ideas to create your ideal morning routine.

Get up 30 minutes earlier than you have been. You’re buying yourself some time.
Carve out 15-20 minutes for journaling, inspirational reading, or meditation.
Exercise 4-5 days a week at an intensity that will keep your heart rate elevated at an aerobic or fat-burning rate.
Don’t check your phone or computer for the first 30 minutes of the day.
Check your daily schedule. What’s coming up? Are you prepared?
Check your email and respond to urgent messages.

Your Mid-Morning Routine

9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Your success is directly tied to the number of people you connect with daily. Whether it’s a phone call, zoom meeting, or a text message use this time for outbound sales and networking efforts.

Turn off your email. You don’t need distractions during this time.
Call potential borrowers from your CRM (Client Relationship Manager).
Check-in with existing applicants and update them on the status of their loans as needed.
Schedule a meeting with area professionals you’ve been working with.
Dial or have meetings for one hour and then take a 10-minute break.

Your Late-Morning-Routine

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Return phone calls.
Check your email after you’ve completed your outbound calls or meetings and reply as needed.

Take a Break!
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Take a lunch away from your desk if possible.
Find a non-work related activity such as walking, reading, or listening to music.

Your Afternoon Routine

1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

This is an ideal time for out-of-office engagements, meetings with potential or existing referring professionals and tying up loose ends.

Check on the status of your submitted loans. Are there conditions you need to work with the borrower to clear up? Do you need additional documentation? Now is the time to tackle these outstanding issues.
Call those potential borrowers you can never reach in the mornings. Perhaps they’re not home or available until later in the day. Always note the time and date of every attempted phone call in your CRM so you know when’s the best time to reach them.
Check for the latest reverse mortgage news on HECMWorld.com or Housing Wire’s Reverse Mortgage Daily.

Your Late-Afternoon Routine

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Now is the time to wrap up loose ends and plan for the following day.

Check and respond to emails.
Select the list of homeowners or area professionals you want to contact tomorrow. (You can use a custom list such as Sales Engine’s ‘stacks’ which filter contacts based on a variety of criteria such as status, last contacted, etc.)
Review tomorrow’s schedule.
Add any activities you completed to your calendar that weren’t previously scheduled. This is your time diary and helps you track where your time was spent.

Closing Thoughts.

The more we can structure our day the easier it is to complete the activities we may otherwise ignore or push off until a later date (if ever). These ideas are just a starting point to begin creating your ideal schedule.

Shannon Hicks

Editor in Chief: HECMWorld.com

As a prominent commentator and Editor in Chief at HECMWorld.com, Shannon Hicks has played a pivotal role in reshaping the conversation around reverse mortgages. His unique perspectives and deep understanding of the industry have not only educated countless readers but has also contributed to introducing practical strategies utilizing housing wealth with a reverse mortgage.

Shannon’s journey into the world of reverse mortgages began in 2002 as an originator and his prior work in the financial services industry. Shannon has been covering reverse mortgage news stories since 2008 when he launched the podcast HECMWorld Weekly. Later, in 2010 he began producing the weekly video series The Industry Leader Update and Friday’s Food for Thought.

Readers wishing to submit stories or interview requests can reach our team at: info@hecmworld.com.