Bliss Sawyer's Marketing Blog

Doug Smith and Bliss Sawyer Newsletter - only $36!

This has to be the best deal in the industry... No sales pitch.  No fluff.  Just nuts and bolts to get your business rolling and fatten up those paychecks. 

Doug Smith and I saw a need for an affordable product that would continually bring you tips, new ideas and downloads.  The Competitive Edge Newsletter is just that.... Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, you receive a new edition with great content to give you a boost.

Take a look at our first edition FREE!

BONUS! Purchase today and receive recorded seminars from both Doug and Bliss.  Doug brings you “Relationship Selling: How Top Producers Succeed with Top Referral Clients” and Bliss offers “Breaking the $40 Million Dollar Barrier.”  Two great additions to your library.   FREE – when you order today!

What should you do?

I recently received an e-mail from Jeff Kontos with a question I think many loan officers are asking themselves right now.... so I thought I would share.

In light of all the turmoil in our industry right now, do you think it is possible to grow your business or is it more realistic to maintain what you have until this storm is over?

I love your question - and of course, I have a definite opinion! I think now is the time to build your business. There are so many people leaving the industry, companies shutting their doors and general turmoil that you now have an opportunity to cement your position as a credible, trustworthy mortgage professional.

I would use this unique situation to it's fullest potential. More and more consumers are starting to make their decisions based on specific referrals to people and companies rather than just rates and flashy ads. Consider doing some information marketing and create a free report about the current industry turmoil. Something like "5 Things You Absolutely Need to Know Before Getting a Mortgage" Give a few statistics such as how many major lenders have closed their doors (http://ml-implode.com/ is currently at 131) or other things and then help them understand why they need to make sure their lender is reputable, knowledgeable etc. THEN you offer your services. Great way to build your database.

Now is a the time to increase you marketing budget and do a blitz of things to let people know you are still around, not going anywhere and dedicated to helping them. Keep a positive attitude... Yes things are tough, but interest rates are great and it is still a fabulous time to buy a home or refinance. When people feel your passion, the will naturally be attracted to you when they have a mortgage need.

Audio Replay of Recent Conference Call

Back in July, I did a conference call with Doren Aldana titled "How to Make the Shift from just Gathering Marketing Ideas to Actually Implementing Them and Earning BIG Money From Them."  We had an over-sold crowd so there were many who were unable to get on the call.  You can download the call as well as the notes pages.

Enjoy!

Jump Start Your Mortgage Career

Written specifically for mortgage loan officers, Jump Start Your Mortgage Career is a must read along with a great addition to your library.  Ameen Kamadia has taken the basics, added a few more great ideas and compiled a concise, content rich resource. 

At a time when we are seeing many loan officers leave the industry, you have an opportunity to step up and take your place at the top.  It won't be easy and will require a lot of hard work, continual learning and an aggressive "I'm going to win" attitude.  Yes it is absolutely possible, though you can't do it without help (or you would be there already - right?)   Take a look at what all you get for an amazing price of only $39.  In my mind, it's a no-brainer!

The Key to...

Of course, we all dream of finding one magic thing that will pull us up to a place of full pipelines and fat bank accounts, yet realistically we know this business isn't that easy.  I recently heard a statement from my friend Doren Aldana(the Mortgage Marketing Coach) that sums it up about as simply as possible.  "The key to building wealth is building your marketing assets."

What are your marketing assets?  Take a few minutes to list every marketing strategy and effort you currently use (or want to use) to generate business.  Activities you do with or for a Realtor, past clients, networking or consumer direct.  These are your assets, next you are going to analyze where you stand with each item.

Give each task two numbers based on a scale of 1-10.  The first number is how well you are at working that strategy to its fullest potential.  The second number is how much potential there is for that task to generate business.  For example, you may have "database calls" as one of your marketing strategies and rate this a 6 for the first number as your goal is to make 10 calls a week but you are only averaging 6.  Then the second number might be a 9, as the potential for this to produce referrals it great.  This gives you the ability to see the big picture of your marketing efforts.  Now decide where to focus your time and resources. 

If you are like most originators, getting your marketing from idea stage to income generating machine is a challenge.  There are many reasons for this, including lack of time management, focus, quality written pieces, etc.  If this is your struggle, Next Best Thing Coaching is the most cost-effective answer to your problem.  This is 26 week program costs less than $16 a week!  You receive weekly instructions detailing what marketing to do, how to do it and the actual marketing pieces to hit the ground running.  Feel free to contact me at 806-577-3937 with any questions on Next Best Thing Coaching.

Motivational Time

We all have times of greater energy and motivation that drive our business to greater levels of success and achievement.  The struggle (and discouragement) comes when we feel low-energy and lack-luster towards our business goals.  Many loan officers blame the market, interest rates, their boss or their staff.  I’m here to tell you that you have complete control over your state of mind.  Yet, I recognize that it is easier said than done.

Hopefully, you already have a library of motivational cd’s that you can listen to. I highly recommend you listen to some type of self-improvement or motivational materials ½ of your driving time every day.  Even when things are going well.  You will find yourself feeling invigorated and may even become more creative as you open your mind to new ideas.

NightengaleConant or Ebay are both great resources to find Brian Tracy, Zig Ziegler, Todd Duncan, Stephen R. Covey, Tony Robbins or any of the other tremendous authors available.

Mortgage Implode Website

Jeremy Stybel with Atlantis Mortgage recently shared this interesting website with me.  If you are wondering what lenders have shut their doors and rumors on which ones might be, Implode-O-Meter has the most recent 411 on the subject.

According to the site, they are tracking the housing finance breakdown:  a saga of corruption, stupidity, and government complicity.  Along with the list of lenders, this site offers news and commentary related to the housing industry.  Earlier this year, I blogged on how this "implosion" can benefit you.  (see Let the gloom and doom help you and Could we possibly be overreacting?) 

Interestingly enough, this site is being sued by Loan Center of California for information posted on Implode-O-Meter about their company.  An interesting read if you have a few minutes.