Dave: You tell me that you have worked for several mortgage companies in less than one year. That is a recipe for disaster. No one can be successful in this industry without stability. You might reply to my first statement with: They said they were going to train me, but they didn't. Whose fault is that?

Yours, I am afraid! Let’s just stay on this one topic instead of all the other reasons you may have left your previous companies, however the same concept will apply to the other reasons. How well did you check out their story? Did you ask to review their training program? Did you interview others they had trained so you know how well it was delivered?

Success is not an accident. You will be successful if you do the right things. And that includes checking references for the company you join so you make the right decision. Just as your companies should check your references before they hire you. That does not mean you can’t choose a company that does not train—but you still need to get the training you will need to succeed as there are plenty of independent training options (including OriginationPro). A company that does not train should point you to those.

I am sorry if I am sounding harsh, but this is a personal pet peeve of mine. Those who succeed take the time to find the right home to foster their success. You need to go about things the right way. I do want to address the fact that you are former real estate agent, which I believe is a positive. I believe that previous experience as an agent gives you a big advantage over your competition.

For one, you should know a lot of real estate agents, something you touched upon briefly in your statement. Starting out with this important part of your sphere is significant. This is one reason why I tell loan officers that they should not be selling real estate and doing mortgages. Even agents you know will not refer prospects to you if they think of you as a competitor.

Secondly, you have intimate knowledge of the real estate process and what an agent deals with every day. This should be part of your Unique Selling Proposition. You know what an agent needs from a loan officer, from communication to working as a team. There are so many loan officers out there that do not have a clue as to what agents do day in and day out. You have lived their life and can be empathetic with their predicaments and even help with problem solving beyond the mortgage side.

Finally, being an ex-real estate agent puts you in a better marketing position as compared to your competition. And it also enables you to add more value to real estate agents. Why is this so? First, we must define value. Value is what is important to our targets, and which is also unique. Great service or products are not of value because most loan officers can deliver it. In reality, not all deliver great service, but they all claim to deliver great service.

What is of interest to your agent targets? More business, which is what we are interested in. Assuming you were a successful real estate agent, what if you became a mentor to your agents—especially the newer ones? Only you can deliver this because of your experience. So many real estate agents do not have high-quality mentorship (just like our industry). If you can evolve from being a salesperson in their lives to a mentor, they will come to you for business. The ultimate value proposition.

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..