A change of scenery may be just what you need
“Change is as good as a vacation”. Perhaps. With today’s portable digital technology, many of us can enjoy the benefits of working remotely outside of the office.
Get Out & Work Remotely
Productivity Hacks
Little known and overlooked productivity hacks
There is a lot we were never taught in school. Beyond learning how to cook in high school home economics class most of us were never taught how to be productive. Like most professionals my indoctrination into the tenets of productivity was a self-taught effort fraught with countless mistakes, missteps and the satisfaction of finding a system that works.
More important than the mechanics of productivity and time management are the underlying principles of unleashing our productivity. Here are just a few stranger secrets of productivity to consider.
Going meta. Albert Einstein said, “a problem cannot be solved at the same level of thinking in which it was conceived.” Going meta is to go a level above. The term ‘meta’ is gaining popularity in modern culture. Simply put it means to operate one level above. Einstein suggested going meta in the early part of the day.
Avoiding the grey zone. We don’t live in a black and white world. We operate in the reality of the grey, between day and night, love and hate, understanding and confusion, and ultimately being focused and unfocused. In his book, ‘The Power of Full Engagement’, Tony Schwartz defines the grey zone as an unproductive state between where you are not fully focused and also not truly resting. It is unrealistic to expect ourselves to be in the zone during the entire…
Download a transcript of this episode here.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary, and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today
Design Your Life
Simple Steps to Create a Custom Designed Lifestyle
Is the tail wagging the dog? It’s a question worth consideration if we honestly examine our daily life. Are we in control, or have we built our own prison? Welcome to Friday’s Food for Thought, brought to you by Open Mortgage, where better is possible.
I’’m a highly-organized and driven individual but I will admit, I have often placed the figurative shackles on myself with my daily activities, habits and choices I make. There is always so much room for improvement. Do you feel your daily routines are controlling you, slowly grinding you into dust? That’s no fun. Try these ideas to design your daily life into something you enjoy rather than dread.
1. Get organized.
Clutter increases stress…
Motivation Slump? Here’s What to Do
5 Keys to Snap Yourself Out of a Slump
Despite your talent, dedication, or drive every one of us can fall into a slump. Perhaps it’s due to burnout, poor health or personal problems. No one is immune. We often think that successful individuals achieve due to their abilities, education, 
good looks or natural talents. Truth be told while these may help, the only thing that will keep us on target is motivation.
Here are some keys to staying motivated and overcoming a productivity slump.
1. Revisit your mission. Ask yourself why you are working as a reverse mortgage professional? What drew you to this particular line of work? What is your end-game? If your motivations are purely monetary you are unlikely to snap out of a funk, especially when your income is down. Larger motivations of helping seniors, solving problems and working with other professionals toward a common goal are more likely to rekindle your internal motivation.
2. Seek support. If you’re married or have a partner it is imperative that they support what you do. This doesn’t mean we have to share …
Download a transcript of this episode here.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary, and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today
Questions you should be asking
Here’s why some qualified prospects are saying ‘no’
When you meet with a prospective reverse mortgage borrower what do you want? Facts, figures, account balances? Or in addition to the necessary information you must gather, do you want something more revealing?
The truth is even if you find a qualified, or even ideal reverse mortgage candidate who looks great on paper they may choose to put off getting a reverse mortgage. Why would an ideal candidate do such a thing? I’m certain most of you have found yourself asking that question when leaving an appointment. If qualified and possibly motivated borrowers are saying no it could be because you’re not asking the right questions.
With the increasing requirements to gather additional financial information as evidenced in the Financial Assessment we can find ourselves missing the opportunity to ask open-ended questions that uncover motive, state of mind, values and more. Here are just a few potential questions we can add to our sales toolset today.
- What’s going on in your financial life today?
- Have things changed?
- You mentioned that you want to…
Download a transcript of this episode here.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary, and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today
Leave Your Desk & Go Knock on Some Doors
Too many reverse mortgage professionals get comfortable sitting at their desks, way too comfortable. Early in my sales career I learned the importance of getting off of my bottom, leaving my desk and going out to knock on some doors…
How’s Your Foundation?
This last weekend I learned a valuable lesson about the importance of foundations. My wife and I recently purchased a new memory foam bed. Seeking greater stability I decided to make some changes..
Each of us should examine the foundation of our business: our plan, where we spend our time, and how often we get out of the office and effectively engage homeowners and professionals in our region…
How Good is Your Band?
Have you ever watched a band and wondered how to they do it? How do so many instruments and personalities come together for one harmonious sound? For the most part, we enjoy the music at face value.
Truth be told, what you see on stage belies the fact that the band members have worked diligently over countless practices, conflicts and compromises with the reward being a ‘tight’ band, or one that plays well together and in sync.
If you consider your sales team and your company is everyone playing their part in harmony with the other equally important players? Here are some ideas we can borrow from bands that we can apply to our professional efforts and the companies we play a part in.
1. Everyone shows up prepared. Each member should have…
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Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary, and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today
Are You an Addict?
Are you an addict? That is do you have a digital addiction?
*Due to our new scripting approach we do not have a transcript of this episode. We will be providing transcripts once we secure a video to text dialog converter. Thank you for your understanding.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary, and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today
Be Brief. Think in Tweets
Can you think in tweets? Even better can you communicate with others as you would if you sent a twitter post? It’s a skill that warrants examination as our society is increasingly distracted. Even our prospective senior homeowners have increasing demands for their attention from various media.
When Twitter was born in 2006 it was engineered to work with a user’s wireless text messaging service. SMS text messages were limited to 160 characters so the now iconic startup reserved 20 characters for a user name, and the remaining 140 for the post. Twitter’s revolutionary approach to online communication and social networking forced users to communicate their messages in a clear, and concise manner. No fluff, no frills, just the facts ma’am.
Are your e-mails too long? Probably. Have you considered your email communication with prospective borrowers and applicants?
Download a transcript of this episode here.
Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary, and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today
