Here’s what successful originators do each day

Why do some loan originators succeed and others don’t? What sets some apart from the pack? Often it comes down to their habits- how they approach their business each day. 

Here’s a brief summary of the top habits of the most successful mortgage originators. 

They create a brand

Homeowners aren’t buying a loan. They’re buying you.  A good place to start is to identify what makes you unique from other loan officers. Is it your passion to speak? Are you an excellent educator? Whatever it may be start here when building your brand. What will your photo tell your audience? Is it serious and businesslike or do your photos show your personality?

Every email or communication should include your photo. Make that personal connection.

They don’t hide from problems

An appraisal comes in low or there’s a new underwriting condition. It’s at times like this that one may be tempted to hide. Avoiding problems only makes them worse. Address issues immediately or at least on the same day. Prepare for any unpleasant communication having a potential solution in mind. Ironically, some of your borrowers who become your biggest fans are the ones you walked through an issue. 

They use video to explain complex paperwork

Older homeowners are becoming more tech-savvy by the day. With that in mind leveraging today’s current screen casting technology can mean the difference between an overwhelmed prospective borrower and a closed loan. Instead of simply attaching a PDF of their reverse mortgage loan comparison, TALC, or other complex data consider using a screen-casting tool such as Loom. There you can walk them through each page in a simple, easy-to-understand conversational style.

 

They use a CRM…religiously 

Successful originators who diligently built up their prospects and client list in a CRM still reap the benefits today. The good news is any originator can begin now. Every conversation, task, or marketing effort should be tracked in your CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) such as our built-for-reverse CRM Sales Engine.

They build relationships

And speaking of building successful mortgage pros build relationships. When it’s tempting to sit and stare at the phone or do busy work find a way to get out and meet your existing network of professionals or find new ones by joining a local group or asking for an introduction.

They can be found online

You may be inches from getting the application signed and the reverse mortgage process underway until their adult children look you up online. If you cannot be found you could lose the deal as protective children don’t want their parents dealing with a ‘complete unknown’ who cannot be found in a Google search. Successful originators have established a professional and compliant online presence and some (even better) have made a modest investment in SEO (search engine optimization) so they are found online and ranked on the first page of organic search results.  Our Online Dominance program has helped hundreds of reverse mortgage professionals establish a professional online presence that can be found.

In closing, I leave you with a quote from Charles Duhigg, the author of the bestseller The Power of Habit.

“If you believe you can change—if you make it a habit—the change becomes real. This is the real power of habit: the insight that your habits are what you choose them to be. Once that choice occurs—and becomes automatic—it’s not only real, it starts to seem inevitable.”