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Does This Sound Like You?
Last week in one of my coaching sessions a loan officer jeered, "Agents aren't responding to my marketing. The phone isn't ringing with business and my pipeline is drying up."
So I responded with the question, "How many agents did you visit last week?" The phone line went dead silent. The seconds ticked away. Then, finally, a response...a long one.
"Well, let's see. I talked with Charlotte about the Johnson file and that I was still waiting for income verification. And I spoke to Dennis about the investors he was working with two weeks ago. And I sent an email updating Sue about the appraisal having been ordered for the Schmidt's."
So again I asked, "How many agents did you visit last week?" "Do you mean visited, like, in person?" queried the loan officer. I said sure, and then came the flood of excuses.
"Well, I had really planned to get out and make some calls on Monday, but the title company called with a last minute problem on a closing that took nearly all day to fix. And on Tuesday, I had to attend a sales meeting and some account executives stayed longer than expected. Wednesday...uhhhh Wednesday was just a bad day. And Thursday I was in my car, driving to an agent's office when my processor called and I had to return to help her. So I really tried but guess I didn't do so hot."
As you can see, this loan officer had an excuse for each day he should have been visiting agents. It's too often the same excuse I have seen kill a loan officer's career - the excuse of call reluctance.
It's Not a Disease
It's the discomfort a loan officer feels when initiating contact with agents, particulary ones they don't know. Some studies contribute over 50% of failure among sales professionals to call reluctance.
But fortunately, it's not a disease, so it's cureable. Don't depend completely on your marketing messages to get agents referring clients. You might be waiting too long, instead get out and visit agents frequently.
Here are 3 tips to help overcome the inertia:
Network with People You Know - Who do you know who can refer you to agents? Unsure...Call friends, family members, and clients. You'll be pleasantly surprised with how many people know someone who is an agent. It's easier calling an agent who has been referred than making a cold call.
Believe in What You Offer - Which means believing in you. When you build confidence, you develop a sense of worth and project it when meeting with agents. Confidence and high self-esteem are common characteristics of top performers. Loan officers, who own my program - Become an Agent Magnet, report an improvement in self-confidence after reading the material and applying the prescribed methods. The program teaches you how to position yourself as an expert so agents seek your services.
Focus on Friendship - If your goal is to secure more referrals from agents, you must learn that you're in the service business, not the sales business. This means focusing on building friendships, rather than soliciting agents. It's difficult to follow up with an agent when you've solicited repeatedly while achieving no result. Eventually the agent learns to disappear anytime you call or show up because they know you're trying to sell your service.
Call reluctance is the number one killer of opportuntity. Don't let that happen to your business. Instead, get energized and use one of the ideas listed above to avoid it. Once you do, you'll begin feeling better about yourself and enjoying more success in your business.
So remember, you can make money or you can make excuses, but you can't make both.
Don't Make Another Excuse
Stop being frustrated with real estate agents. Learn how to position your service uniquely and distinct. It's easier than you think and you'll produce the results you desire. It's helped hundreds of loan officers learn how to plan and execute a marketing strategy that separates you from competitors and attracts agents to your doorstep.
Each week I try to give as much information as I can, given the space available. But if you're serious about taking your marketing to the next level, you need to take the next step. If you want to...
- develop a powerful marketing message,
- create a perception of expertise that agents clamor for,
- use campaigns that keep your pipeline overflowing,
- build relationships that are loyal for a lifetime,
- establish yourself as a guru in your community,
- get more referrals consistently,
- make marketing less of a struggle and burden...
Then the Become an Agent Magnet Program has what you're looking for - detailed, how-to action plans on growing your business with successful relationships with agents.
Learn more about both here:
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Helpful Resources
Become an Agent Magnet Program - Includes $491 in bonuses and free shipping
Tax Advantages for Home Ownership - Great closing gift that produces instant referrals
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