Five ways to differentiate yourself as a reverse mortgage professional.

1– Create a strong personal brand. Your brand determines how you will connect with your audience. What is your brand beyond merely being a reverse mortgage professional? Focus on what makes you different. Perhaps developing a tagline will help condense the essence of your brand. 

Another way to build your brand is to ditch the typical head and shoulders photos. Instead, consider a lifestyle photo that captures your essence. Also, incorporate stories that reinforce who you are and how you serve older homeowners. By the way, that’s someone my age or older.  

2- Up your video game.  If you’re not using videos to communicate with your potential customers and existing clients you’re missing out. Tools like Loom allow you to create a short video explaining anything you want! Also, consider creating video playlists on your own YouTube channel. For example, you could have playlists such as “Reverse Mortgage Questions Answered”, “What About the Kids?”, or “What Financial Professionals Want to Know”.  

3- Provide a Raving Fan experience. Think of the ways you were frustrated when you applied for a mortgage or were making a substantial purchase. What would you do differently? This is a great place to begin. To start you could automate your follow-ups to applicants using automated emails like we have in Reverse Focus’ Sales Engine CRM. You could make Zoom meetings available for those struggling to meet in person.  

4. Focus on Retention. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush it is said. While our reverse mortgage clients are typically making what will be their last mortgage loan you want to retain your position and visibility as the one who helped them transform their life. You don’t have to be shy about asking for referrals if you’ve kept in touch, reviewed loan statements, and answered any questions that may have come up. 

5. Always be Expanding. If you don’t expand you’re certain to see your business slowly and inevitably dry up. Dedicate two to three days a month to build mutually beneficial relationships with financial advisors, realtors, and builders. Don’t come asking for referrals. That’s what takers do. Instead, focus on building rapport and seeing where you can be an asset and not just another asker. Join local networking groups, offer free online training sessions, and get approved to provide continuing education credits for realtors. Create value for those you network with and the referrals will come naturally. 

What would you add to this list? Share your ideas in the comment section below.