Many previously successful sports teams are currently failing due to an unwillingness to consider a longer view or embrace an innovation before it\’s already become old hat. Does this sound like the mortgage industry? Many mortgage managers are stuck in a similar rut when it comes to training employees on improving sales techniques, recruiting younger people to the business and requiring managers to be effective coaches. It seems our industry’s answer to all our challenges is always the short-term solution: “Let’s hire re-treads and hope that pricing and products will keep them a-float.”
A long-term view would address poor performers with a structured approach and invest in training a younger sales force that can sell to today’s more knowledgeable prospects. (For details on our Performance Improvement Results program, a structured individualized training approach to improve originators’ performance, view the PDF).
Unless originators can prospect, sales organizations are in trouble. In my view, to be successful in sales going forward, sales people need to get in much earlier — even before prospects are considering purchasing a house. Today’s prospects demand sales professionals who can be a valuable resource and collaborate to help them achieve their objectives. This is a tall order if the sales person is an order-taker.
Does your sales team have the fresh perspective to be successful today?