|
Success with Subprime
by Brian
Sacks
Do you have a question for Mr. Sacks? E-mail
it to brian@loanofficersuccess.com.
Click here
for more articles by Mr. Sacks.
How to Become the Expert Part II
Become Involved in the Industry
Last but not least, to gain the knowledge you need to become the expert, you must
become actively involved in the industry. Become active in your local Board of Realtors- join your mortgage bankers
and mortgage brokers associations - hold titles in these organizations. You have to network and build your web
of information and support.
There's a side benefit to all this: not only do you become more knowledgeable,
but this type of involvement also looks good on your resume. We're back to building a reputation here. Being involved
in these types of organizations keeps you in the loop and identifies you as a mover and shaker.
I guarantee you that putting the energy and time into becoming the
"People care about what you know- but more importantly need to know you care."
"Brianism" |
expert will be one of the hardest things you do on your road to success.
Everybody in this business knows a little bit about everything, and many people are happy with that. They think
that's good enough to get them through most situations. But you know what they say - a little knowledge is a dangerous
thing. I know this from experience.
When I started as a mortgage loan officer, I had worked for a year in real
estate. That was just long enough to give me a little knowledge and make me very dangerous. My delusions of brilliance
were quickly shattered, because the mortgage loan business is a totally different beast from the real estate business,
and you need to operate in a completely different way.
However, that real estate experience gave me the advantage of understanding
the perspective of many of my clients. I encountered the same problems they bring to me, so I know where they're
coming from, and I can now run my business so that we can be effective partners.
All of the agents I work with know that I will not meet with clients on weekends,
but they also know they can page me if they want to pre-qualify some hot buyers. I can quickly and easily handle
the process over the phone and fax them the letter they need to go on about their business. Because I know that
weekends are a busy time for them, I make this accommodation for my clients.
Each Day
Just as important as getting educated is getting organized. You should plan each
day, down to the minute. Cultivating this simple little habit can help ensure that you maximize the efficient use
of your time and that you leave nothing to change.
Remain Flexible
Despite this emphasis on careful planning, I must say that it is also important
to remain flexible so that you can adjust to changing circumstances and take advantage of unexpected opportunities
that arise. Any decision to modify your original plan should be based, however, on how it affects your progress
toward your goals.
Know Yourself
An extension of "know thyself" is to use that knowledge. Plan your day
in accordance with your biorhythms. This ties in to the idea of working as efficiently as possible - working smart
more than working hard. For example, if you know that you are a "morning person," plan activities that
take the most mental alertness for the morning.
The bottom line is that it's tremendously important that, when you sit down with
your calendar to map out the next couple of months, you set aside the time to find a mentor, get the training,
attend the meetings, read the books - all those things that will help you become the expert in your area. You have
to realize that these activities are just as important as taking a loan application. You wouldn't miss a loan application
for
| Any decision to modify your original plan should be based on how it affects your
progress toward your goals. |
anything in the world, because you recognize it clearly as a business opportunity.
Well, all the things you do to become the expert and become known as the expert
are business opportunities, also. They're business waiting to happen. They represent the tilling of the soil, the
planting of the seed, the weeding and watering, the fertilizing - all the essential preliminaries that enable a
healthy plant to grow and blossom. If you don't put these types of things on the calendar and schedule them in,
they'll slip away from you and they won't get done.
Next article will focus on letting everyone know you are the expert.
Click here
for more articles by Mr. Sacks.
Visit Brian Sacks's web site at www.loanofficersuccess.com.
|
