Friday, November 14, 2008

Mortgage Marketing That Gives You a Competitive Edge


Are you at a loss on how your mortgage marketing can get a larger number of real estate agent referrals? You are not the only one. It is getting harder for loan officers to convince real estate agents to refer their buyers, not to mention getting them to recommend you to other agents.


How are some loan officers getting such noticeable results? Their secret is consistent - they have loyalty from a handful of realtors. They always make it sound so easy too. "All you have to do is meet a few good realtors and treat them right." This is tough to do when realtors change lenders as often as they do. So how can you establish this kind of loyalty?



Is your marketing focused on the agent? You may think your mortgage marketing is terrific, but it is probably not focused tightly enough on agents. Your marketing needs to make the very best first impression, and most agents only care how much you can help them solve their problems. If you want agents to send clients your way, you are going to have to refocus on their needs.



Remember that you are in a service business, not a sales business. There is a significant difference between service and sales, and this difference greatly affects how your mortgage marketing should work. You have to understand an agent's problems before you can offer solutions.



If you are offering a promise of high-quality customer service to real estate agents, then there are two reasons why your message may not be getting through. First, real estate agents hear these kinds of messages all the time. When you are exposed to the same message again and again, the natural inclination is to simply ignore the message.



Second, agents have probably heard this promise from loan officers in the past and it wasn't delivered. Agents are getting frustrated with the declining professionalism in the industry today, and are less likely to trust loan officers as a result. You may have every intention of honoring your promises, but are still being ignored due to your competition's behavior.



Great loan officers close loans on time and provide high quality service, and although that's exactly what an agent wants, it is not enough to make you stand out. So how can you get your services across to them? Your service is not a tangible product, but the aim of good mortgage marketing is to make it tangible in their minds. It is always better to show them than to tell them.



If an agent gets to experience your quality of service firsthand, they are more likely to believe your promise of customer service for their clients. If you had a mortgage marketing system that promoted your service at every step of the process, this would make matters much easier. If you can spend more time on the things you do well, you can make more money and stop stressing out about your marketing strategy.



Jeffrey Nelson helps loan officers increase loan originations by getting referrals from real estate agents.



Click here to get a free Video Book. It shows Jeffrey's exclusive marketing solution for getting clients from real estate agents in as little as 30 days.


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