How Can LOs Strengthen Relationships with Prospects and Clients?

In the mortgage industry, as in any industry, your clients are the reason you’re in business. And because your business is dependent on their satisfaction, loan officers need to make sure they provide a top-notch client experience to form stronger bonds. It’s also worth remembering that each of your clients was once a lead or prospect. So, the way LOs form connections with their prospective clients is equally important in building long-term success in the industry. Here are a few ideas to strengthen relationships with both prospects and clients:

Your Prospects:

Interact Meaningfully

Though you may not ever get the chance to meet some of your prospects face-to-face, the odds are that many of them will interact with you online before meeting you in-person anyway. This means that you need to have a strong, authentic online presence that your prospects can relate to. Particularly with social media, you need to be present, and you need to interact with your network by ‘liking’, commenting, posting, and sharing meaningful and useful content. When your online presence reflects your personality (even a little), it gives people a glimpse of the person behind the business, and it makes you much easier to relate to.

Connect Emotionally

One of the best ways to start building stronger relationships is by creating an emotional connection. It’s quite easy to connect emotionally when you meet prospects in-person by asking questions and expressing genuine interest in what they share with you. If you approach every interaction thinking of your prospect as someone whose problem you need to solve, you can give them effective service, and earn their trust in turn. It’s a bit more complicated online. But you can certainly make an effort to connect on an emotional level there as well. Sharing personal photos of family, hobbies, volunteer work, etc., will also help your prospects get a sense of who you are.

Your Clients:

Personalize the Experience

Seeing each client as a unique individual will go a long way in strengthening your client relationships. While you may have systems and processes in place to automate and streamline the lending process, you can’t let that make your clients feel undervalued. Remember key details your clients share with you and refer back to them when appropriate. Favor phone calls to check in over an email blast or a text message. These simple actions show that you’re attentive and have a genuine interest in their needs. By treating each client like they’re your only client, you’ll deliver a personalized experience that people remember.?

Meet In-Person

Digital communication solutions are necessary and helpful, but nothing beats face-to-face interaction — especially when you’re trying to strengthen your bond with a client. Have in-person meetings whenever possible. Of course, routine tasks can be handled via email or text, but you should balance that with face-to-face interaction.

Follow Up

We can never neglect following up. There’s no value in having a big network if you don’t invest time in them. This means making follow-up calls and sending emails to keep in touch. Make sure that if you’re emailing, you include some personalized and meaningful content. Following up shows that you’re invested, and that you value the relationship.

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Relationships are the foundation of your success as a mortgage professional. Whether through in-person networking or online outreach, the connections you form with prospects frequently determines whether they become your clients or not. From there, your relationships supports your clients’ satisfaction and strengthens your reputation.

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If you’d like to talk more about building stronger relationships, or if I can be of assistance with something else, please get in touch. I’m always happy to set aside some time to connect.