Showing Gratitude Will Make You a Better Loan Officer

It’s almost never taught in any training I’ve encountered, but the positive impact that showing gratitude can bring your business can’t be understated. It’s such an easy thing to do — expressing appreciation — and the more you incorporate it into your interactions, the better results you’ll see. The key is to operate with gratitude as a regular practice and a go-to mindset. Here are a few of the areas where showing gratitude will improve your relationships and make you a better loan officer:

Your Prospects

Unless you live in a very rural area, your prospects are generally aware that they have many loan officers to choose from. You only have a short time to make an impression that sets you apart from the competition, and expressing your gratitude for your prospects’ time (and being generous with your own time) might be all it takes to make you the clear choice to work with. Your prospects need to know that you value them as individuals, not just see them as another client in a conveyor belt of transactions. Operating from a mindset of gratitude can also make prospecting a more rewarding activity, too — it can feel more natural, and you’ll likely encounter less resistance getting the information you need and establishing rapport.

Your Clients

Once your prospects become clients, gratitude becomes even more important. They’ve chosen you from their long list of options, and it’s crucial that you let them know you appreciate their business. This will help to build genuine relationships very quickly, and it reinforces your commitment to finding them the best loan for their specific situation. Following up after the closing never goes unnoticed, and if you’ve delivered an exemplary client experience (and showed the requisite gratitude), your clients are going to want to tell their friends and family about you.

Your Colleagues

Loan officers are essentially running their own businesses, but they never work alone. A successful closing requires the coordination and collaboration of several different people and departments (more on maximizing collaboration, here). Showing gratitude makes for open communication and efficient exchanges with all your colleague interactions. Instead of your team ever (mistakenly) feeling underappreciated, nagged, or overlooked, expressing appreciation will help to ensure that all your team members feel valued; and it will undoubtedly make the loan process smoother and more pleasant for everyone —?including your clients.

Your Network

People notice gratitude. When you’re grateful for your connections and the things they share, whether it’s a post on social-media or a referral, that sentiment makes an impression. Being sure to extend your thanks goes a long way. It helps to solidify your reputation and brand, and it makes it easier to build on your connections to broaden your network.

You

Finally, showing gratitude is just as beneficial for you as it is for others. It can keep stress levels low and promote positive thinking. Particularly in the current market, having some strategies in place to stay optimistic can be invaluable to working at your best, and the personal boost you get from being more grateful can fuel many areas of your business.

If you like what you’re reading, you can get my weekly articles for loan officers right to your email inbox. Subscribe today at MD-LoanOfficer.com.