Strength in Numbers

"There is no value in the number 1 without all the numbers that follow" - Unknown

Regardless of the type of business we practice there is no progress made on an individual level. Most of the us who are LinkedIn advocates use this platform to network digitally, and yes it's you who speaks individually on your own behalf, or on behalf of the company that you represent. Whenever you strip it all down and categorize what's done, you are not the end all be all of your business though. Even if you're a self-employed start up with 1 employee who shares the same first, middle and last name that you do, you aren't the only piece in the puzzle right?

Sales professionals rank in the top 5 of professionals who exhibit "anti-social" behavior characteristics commonly known as "The Dark Triad" machiavellianism, narcissisim, and psychopathy. This normally comes to shock to anybody in sales because we instantly think "How could you say that? I care about my customers!!!" Or "I do everything to make sure my customer's get the best service that they could possibly get". Well if you're in sales and you think this, than yes, you definitely exhibit at least 1 of the three anti-social behaviors mentioned above. In fact, if you're in sales it's a compliment to you, and this is what makes you successful at sales so please take it as a good thing, not a negative one. All things operate on a spectrum, so saying that you exhibit behavior similar to a narcissistic sociopath doesn't mean that you are out to do harm to anybody. The reason that this is the 1st topic is that many sales professionals (NOT ALL) feel as if they are the reason why. They bring in the business. They make the phone calls, and they close the deal. They develop and maintain the relationships, and represent the company image. While these are true to some degree, also take into account that the product being sold wasn't manufactured entirely by the sales person. There is always a team that is working behind the scenes. In a normal sales process there has to be a product to sell. Then there has to be a method of sales to sell the product. Then there has to be a method to collect the payment for the sales. Then there has to be method of accounting for the sales. Finally, there has to be a method of delivering the product or service that was sold. Obviously this wasn't all done by one singular individual right?

The message being made is clear. There is no 1 person that succeeds based on an individual effort. To be successful in any aspect of life; Work, Mind, Body, Spirit, Money, Love, Family, and Social interaction there can be just 1 person that does well on their own however in any example there are always going to be better results if you do it with a team.

In my profession commonly refereed to as "The mortgage business", I believe that we really cannot achieve anything of merit without a strong team. Regardless of my belief it's a hard written rule that a mortgage originator cannot process and underwrite the loan either. For those of you who are reading this that are not in the mortgage industry it works like this;

1) The process starts with the Loan Originator who can be and normally is also the Loan Officer (sometimes they are 2 separate individuals). High producing loan officer's have a team of loan officer assistants that take applications, collect important documentation, and also do data entry for the loan officer.

2) The information collected along with a tri-merge credit report is then analyzed by the loan officer who then takes that information to structure a mortgage loan, and qualifies the potential borrower.

3) If the Loan Officer is successful in obtaining the business from the customer, the loan will then be turned over to a Loan Processor.

4) The Loan Processor will order, request, and collect all necessary information based off of an automated underwriting system that provides specific details needed in order for the loan to be approved by a licensed underwriter.

5) The Mortgage Loan Underwriter then reviews all of the information provided, verifies that it meets the specific approval conditions required by the automated underwriting system, and that it meets the guidelines defined by the investor who is lending the money.

6) The Underwriter then requests from the Loan Processor and Loan Officer anything that is needed to meet the investor guidelines.

7) The Loan Processor and Loan Officer collects the information requested by the Underwriter and sends it back to the Underwriter for final review.

8) The Underwriter verifies that the information requested meets the requirements, and if so, the loan is given a clear to close.

9) The loan is moved over into closing (either to the actual mortgage company, or 3rd party closing attorney) where the loan transaction details are reviewed, the money for the loan is requested, and closing instructions are sent to the title company chosen during the loan process to the title company.

10) The title company then prepares the documentation for the transaction to be signed, collects money from the mortgage company, and balances the final closing disclosure with the mortgage company.

11) The borrower(s) either go to the title company, or meet with a notary to sign the paperwork.

12) The signed paperwork is then returned to the mortgage company, funds are released by the mortgage company to the title company.

13) The title company releases funds to all of the parties being paid for through the loan proceeds (which can, but not always includes the seller of the home).

14) The transaction is then recorded with the county, and the loan process is finished.

Without a team of skilled professionals there is no way that this can be done via 1 single entity. In your profession, I'm confident that there are similar process (more complex or less) that take place on every transaction or procedure.

Inevitably we are stronger, more capable, and able to deliver a higher quality of service or commodity by utilizing the strength of a team rather than relying on 1 individual. This is fundamental in your success individually though, and the more that you utilize a team, the more successful you will be.

I'm proud to be a part of the my team and acknowledge that without their individual efforts I wouldn't be able to do what I do nor would it have the same meaning or be as enjoyable.

For anybody who is reading this and already believes or embraces this inherent knowledge, keep it up and find ways to build or make your team stronger.

For those of you who feel that you're the loan wolf, that you are the Main Attraction, Star of the show, the only person who does anything of value, or that nothing would get done without you around, then this is your call to action!!! Please challenge your own beliefs and see how much more you can accomplish, how many more wins that you can get, and how better you feel when you share the work and the wins with others around you.

"If you want to go fast, Go alone. If you want to go far, Go together" - African Proverb