Dave: Actually, while you should say something about yourself and your company, this is probably the least important aspect of your talk. Remember, agents periodically have loan officers come to their meetings. And they typically get the same message: "I am a great loan officer. I work for a great company. We give great service. We have great programs. Can I have a loan?" They have heard it so many times that they are not interested in hearing the same thing again. The key to great marketing is to be different. The key to delivering value is to talk about what is of interest to them, not what is of interest to you.
For example, real estate agents don't sell mortgages, they sell houses. Home loans should be introduced only in the context that it would help them sell more homes. For example, your "lowest rate in town" may be attractive, but it does not help them sell more homes. What type of service could you deliver that would help them sell more homes? You could create a flyer or brochure that covers your background and your company. Don't waste their time covering it in detail. As a matter of fact, don't even say you are good. Instead, you should have someone else say it for you.
That does not mean that a brief market update would not be relevant. But remember, while the markets are important, they are as interested in making more money as you are. They do that by selling more homes. So how are you going to help them sell more homes? For one, support for open houses--from cohosting them to actually getting the word out for them (marketing support).
Holding first time home buyer seminars is a way to bring in purchase prospects. Coming up with specific seminars takes that idea to the next level—for example, a seller seminar. Training programs that focus on sales or marketing skills is another way to help these agents. That does not mean that agents, especially new agents, do not need basic training on loan programs and qualification skills.
Perhaps you could deliver a program that focuses on making the process smoother by better preparing their clients. You could conduct this program with a settlement agent. Even attending settlements will help agents as well as their clients. That extra level of service makes them look good and is a great feature to let agents know about in a sales meeting.
Dave Hershman is Senior VP of Sales of Weichert Financial and the top author in the mortgage industry. Dave has published seven books, as well as hundreds of articles and is the founder of the OriginationPro Marketing System and Mortgage School – the online choice for expert mortgage learning and marketing content. His site is www.OriginationPro.com and he can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
