Bliss Sawyer's Marketing Blog

Gung Ho!

If you are finding it a struggle to keep your team motivated and focused on succeeding (or even yourself!) then this is a great book to read and reread.  Gung Ho! is written by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, creators of Raving Fans and is specifically designed to help you "Increase productivity, profits, and your own prosperity".  As well as "Turn on the people in your organization."

Many in our industry are frustrated with all the changes, overworked trying to find quality loans and then stressed get the deals put together in a decent amount of time.  This combination has resulted in a rapid decrease in job satisfaction and an increase in stress levels.   I see the antidote as doing what you can to get your office moving with motivation and rekindling the desire to work hard for success.

Gung Ho! is told in story format and is full of wonderfully powerful ideas.  Even if this is just for you as an individual originator... don't miss the opportunity to get your business running on high energy and high profits.  There are still loans to be done.  And you deserve to be the one doing them.  Take your business in your own hands and strive to compete at the highest level possible.

Laugh & Get Rich

I had the great opportunity to be on the same stage as Darren LaCroix last week.  A great speaker, Darren is also the author of Laugh & Get Rich, a fabulous book on How to Profit from Humor in any Business.  I read it in two days.  Would have finished it in one, but had to get my kids cheerios for dinner.  Again.

I've always said it isn't the numbers that motivate borrowers to make application with a certain originator, it's the emotion behind the numbers and the connection they feel.  LaCroix summed it up nicely when he said:  "We don't live in a rational world and we don't deal with rational people.  It's emotions that move decisions."

If work is fun... you perform better at your job.  If you make it fun for your referral partners, clients and prospects to work with you, the business will just naturally follow.  This book will give you some great ideas to build stronger relationships, differentiate yourself from the competition (who doesn't want to do that!) and SELL MORE.  Hmmm.... seems to me like everyone needs this book.

We spend a tremendous amount of time working.  Hours and hours and hours.  More than we spend with our loved ones and more than we spend biking.  Or golfing.  Or any of the other things we like to do.  So I wonder why more people don't have fun at work.  Maybe they just don't want to be rich.

Does your professional presence sell you?

In this competitive world, even the smallest things can help (or hinder) your success.  With this in mind, I went in search of a book that would offer insight into this important area.  5 Steps to Professional Presence does a great job at breaking down the pieces of a professional image and reputation.

We all know the basics, but this book goes deeper to give you what you need to build your business and relationships to a more profitable level.  If you would like to work on your professional presence (and I'm pretty sure most people should) this is a great resource.

Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Green Book of Getting Your Way

Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Green Book of Getting Your Way is another great read in his series of marketing and sales books.  Influencing others is vital to your skills as a loan officer.  Since most in our industry have similar rates and fees, what convinces clients to choose you over the competition is a combination of knowledge, likability and the art of persuasion.

This book shows you how to speak, write, present, persuade, influence, and sell your point of view to others.  My favorite sections are those on presenting.  So many loan officers struggle with getting their message across in a professional and motivating way.  This may be your first conversation with a potential borrower or a full presentation in front of a large group.  You already know that succeeding in these situations will increase your paycheck.

If you are looking to improve your sales skill, this is a great book to read.  It won't take long and might just help you get where you want to be.  This book is an absolute must-read if you have any plans to offer seminars or presenations this year.

Happy reading!

The Fred Factor

After I wrote my last post Make it Special I decided to re-read one of my favorite books  The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn.  This is a  short and sweet book about "How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary."

Here are four of the principles and my thoughts...

Principle 1:  Everyone makes a difference.  I've noticed that high producing loan officers have raving fans in their staff, clients and referral partners.  I think this is simply because they continually make a difference by kind acts, extra efforts and high standards.

Principle 2:  Success is built on relationships.  High producing loan officers care.  They strive to deepen relationships with their words and actions.  An amazing thing then happens... loans just seem to fall into place.  Worry first about the relationships, production second.

Principle 3:  You must continually create value for others, and it doesn't have to cost a penny.  Now this doesn't mean you don't spend money on marketing.  It means you can also find ways to give value and benefit without all the glitter and gold.  My mom calls it 'going the extra mile'.  It's what you are supposed to do.  Kind of like the whole golden rule thing.

Principle 4:  You can reinvent yourself regularly.  If you are NOT reinventing yourself and your business this year, it's going to be a tough road.  A small paycheck road.  A "maybe WalMart is hiring" road.  The cool thing about reinventing yourself - you will find motivation and momentum in this.  It works every time.

Favorite quote from the Fred Factor:  The truth is that we compete against our own potential every day.  And most of us fall short of what we are capable of doing or being.

Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching!

Jeffrey Gitomer's newest book Little Platinum Book of CHA-CHING! is a fantastic read.  Based on principals from John Patterson, founder of The National Cash Register, these amazing strategies that are ever bit as relevant today as they were in the late 1800's.

I found this book to be interesting and motivating.  One great quote: "What you read usually determines how you think. If you decide to read about success, the odds are you will become successful."   Hmmmm.... maybe you should buy yourself a Christmas present.  Then spend time reading, taking notes and moving your business forward with the great (and simple!) ideas spelled out in this book.

It certainly can't hurt, and this just might help you start 2008 with a bang.  Happy reading!

The Ultimate Sales Machine

I spend quite a bit of time in airport bookstores... and once in a while find a great book.  I hadn't heard of Chet Holmes before this book, but I'm a fan now!  This is a fantastic resource for anyone in sales. 

I make notes as I read books... here are a few of the gems I took away from the Ultimate Sales Machine.

"Consistency in your approach results in a tremendous conversion rate of prospects to buying clients."  This is especially true as you market to Realtors and other referral partners.  Do something once or twice and there will be few results.  Do something consistently for an extended period of time and you WILL see results.

"A company, even a one-person army, that thinks and acts like a big company is going to grow faster, smarter, and better."  I have often said that originators that view themselves as self-employed (no matter who signs the paycheck) will have greater success.  You are the owner of your own business... dream big!

"If you are friends with your clients, it is very hard for another salesperson to take them away from you."  Our industry is going through such turmoil, people want to work with someone they trust.  The fancy commercials and too-good-to-be-true ads will not attract the clients they once did.  Consumers are going to make decisions based on their current relationships and referrals from friends and family.  Position yourself as their friend, and you will win the business.

The Ultimate Sales Machine is a great addition to your library.  Read it, mark it up and use it to improve your sales.

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!

High Trust Selling - It's a classic!

Make more money in less time with less stress.  That's pretty much every originators dream.  I just finished reading Todd Duncan's classic book, High Trust Selling and loved it!  Todd's background in sales comes from the mortgage industry, so even though this book is written for all sales positions, it hits right on the money for loan officers.

This book lays out the steps to building a high producing business that doesn't require you to sacrifice your life and family.  I'm a huge advocate of getting more done in less time and felt the ideas in this book are classic strategies guaranteed to work in any business.  Favorite quote:  "Long term success happens when high trust exists."

Another great addition to your library. Plan to give a copy away to one of your referral partners.  The gift of a book is powerful.

Blink

I recently finished reading Malcom Gladwell's new book Blink.  I loved his previous book, The Tipping Point and couldn't wait to read this one ...I wasn't disapointed.  Basically, this is a book about trusting our intuition.  "The power of thinking without thinking."

Right after reading Blink, I had one of my coaching clients say an interesting thing to me.  He said, "one of the things I'm going to change in my life is to start trusting my instinct.  When I haven't done that, I always regret it."  I, too have had times when my first thought was ignored and later realized I should have followed through with my original impression.

This book is an interesting read with many examples and studies to prove that our first thoughts and impressions are usually correct and lead us in the right direction.  Reading this books opens your mind to a new way of thinking that just may help you personally and professionally.  You will have the ability to make better decisions in less time.