Over the course of my career — as a salesperson, a sales manager, a senior executive and now, as a sales trainer — I’ve watched selling undergo dramatic changes. Prospecting is harder, competition is fiercer and closing is never a sure thing. One of the most monumental changes is that the balance of power has […]
Many originators believe that sales success is driven by their lender’s products and technology. A lender’s ability to compete in a commodity market such as mortgages requires these basic elements to be in place. But, what really determines an originator’s success comes down to the individual’s sales capabilities and skills. Whether they’re selling widgets or […]
I often hear from managers asking about training their underperforming originators. With the marketplace shift to purchase money, leadership teams have put underperformers on their radar as they try to address lower volume. When the market was hot last year, underperformers were there but overlooked because refi volume was off-the-charts. Now, with a less […]
The famous line from the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come,” is often quoted in the business world to imply that attracting customers is simply a matter of creating a great product or service and bringing it into the marketplace. However, smart sales professionals understand that having a worthy product […]
Last week, the MBA adjusted its 2022 forecast predicting that refinance lending will account for just 25% of total loan volume vs. the current percentage of 53%. This will be a 28% drop, a significant decline that could put many mortgage lenders on the ropes. While the last two years generated record profit for […]
Many managers believe that improving their originators’ product knowledge is one of the most important investments they can make. The reasoning makes sense given that mortgage loan products are the lynchpin of the mortgage selling process. Qualifying borrowers and slotting them into the appropriate loan is essential for an originator’s success. However, managers tend to […]
In my recent conversations, mortgage executives have repeatedly lamented that their top producers are holding them hostage over resources, money and pricing. Especially troubling is that these high-performance sales professionals invariably tend to jump ship after the lender has conceded to their demands. In most cases, lenders have not even broken even before top producers […]
In the last 24 months, I have conducted more than 60 interviews with senior executives from all sectors of mortgage banking for my top-rated podcast, Mortgage Manager Playbook. With careers in TPO, Retail and Consumer Direct and an average 25 years in the industry, these individuals have done everything from launch phenomenally successful start-ups […]
In a recent investor presentation by Better.com, the digital-first homeownership company deemed the mortgage industry “broken” as “consumers deal with repetitive data requests, high fees and lack of certainty.” If customer satisfaction surveys regarding the home loan process are any indication, Better.com’s assessment is accurate. Better.com’s technology-driven platform offers a glimpse of mortgage lending’s future. […]
With the mortgage industry’s emphasis on technology as the solution for all productivity issues, it seems that hard skills are mandatory when recruiting and developing personnel. Invariably, companies require employees to have computer and analytical skills no matter what their position. Soft skills such as communication and emotional intelligence are perceived by many managers […]