Faced with the grim reality of rising interest rates and lower production, mortgage firms are cutting sales staff in an effort to stay profitable. Unfortunately, this strategy reinforces mortgage banking’s reputation as a boom or bust business that has difficulty adjusting to a changing interest rate environment. This isn’t a new issue. External events […]
Employee underperformance is by far one of the hardest issues for mortgage managers to contend with. Managers who hire a poor sales performer are faced with the reality that they did not properly evaluate a sales candidate during the interview process and made a bad hiring decision. Hiring mistakes often occur when managers rush […]
When I’m conducting sales reviews, less experienced originators will often lament that they really connected with a prospect but that their pitch didn’t translate into a sale. “What went wrong?” they ask. The reality is that just because a prospect and a seller have a good conversation is no guarantee that the sale will happen […]
We’ve all been there. Whether it’s purchasing a vehicle, negotiating a pricey home repair or yes, shopping for a home loan, at some point in time, you will find yourself in the middle of an endless sales pitch. Rambling on is the number one turn-off for home loan prospects and LOs must guard against it […]
In my sales training programs, one important exercise I’ve used is “50 Reasons Why People Should Buy from You.” When I ask LOs why prospects should do business with them, most students cannot come up with more than a handful of reasons — let alone 50. Once LOs move beyond the standard answers such as […]
In our current market environment, I am often asked what strategies and tips LOs need to know to hit volume goals in 2022. In my opinion, originators who want to achieve long-term success should strive to serve their customers as professional financial advisors. Top producers often use this strategy to earn repeat business but be […]
Fact: Every day, senior managers must contend with mortgage originators who are not generating enough volume. In many cases, sales training can improve performance and move the needle on sales results – IF the training has the right components. In the past two decades, I’ve successfully trained countless originators and in my opinion, these are […]
In my recent survey of the top challenges facing mortgage managers in 2022, getting LOs to prospect for Realtor referral sources was a primary concern. Building mutually beneficial relationships with referral sources is mandatory if LOs want to reach year-end volume goals. But, establishing referral relationships and convincing a Realtor to partner with you takes […]
When faced with reduced loan volume, there are a number of business strategies lenders can take to navigate the tougher times ahead. But, rarely do I see management teams deciding to manage better and hold employees accountable for their performance. Many managers believe this strategy takes too long to execute and worry that it might […]
If you’ve been in mortgage banking for any length of time, you’ve hired at least one salesperson who aced the interview and met production benchmarks – on paper – but failed to perform past the onboarding process. During my management career, I certainly hired my fair share of candidates who talked a good game and […]