What are the Top Priorities of Successful Loan Originators?

If you really want to excel as a loan originator, you need to know where to focus your attention. The most important aspects of your business are going to be a bit different for everyone, but there are some commonalities among the most successful originators that are worth paying attention to. These professionals are strategic with their priorities to ensure they’re directing their focus to the areas that need it most. So, where is that exactly? Here are a some of the top priorities for successful loan officers:

They Invest in Relationships

The top originators all know that relationships form the foundation of their business. Whether it’s with their prospects, current clients, past clients, colleagues, referral partners, or any and every other professional in their network — they understand the importance of these connections. When you truly invest in building and maintaining relationships, you better your chances for success in many ways. Strengthening relationships with prospects works to establish trust, making you the clear choice to partner with. Strengthening relationships with clients gives them a highest-quality experience. Maintaining relationships with past clients leads to referral business… you get the idea. Strong relationships are essential, and the most-productive loan officers prioritize building and strengthening them.

They Improve Their Client-Experience

The client experience you provide directly informs your clients’ level of satisfaction, the likelihood of you receiving referrals from them, and it plays a significant role in building your brand, as well. Top LOs recognize how important this is. You might be having a hectic day with a double-digit to-do list, but when you make time to sit down with a client or take their call, you demonstrate that they’re a priority. Go above and beyond for your clients and make sure that you’re providing the best service, information, and support possible.

They Follow Through

Follow-through is a must, whether you’ve just made a new connection, or you told a client or colleague you’d get them a document by a specific date. Follow-through means putting in the effort to complete tasks, reach goals, and deliver on your promises. The best loan officers always follow through — they define what it is they want to achieve, and put in the consistent work necessary to get there.

They Build Their Brand

Branding work doesn’t always make the priority list for LOs. It doesn’t hold the same level of urgency that other tasks do, and it can slip off their radar. It’s not that they don’t care, but because they haven’t identified it as a priority, they allow other things to push it down (or off) the list. Successful originators know that effective branding requires upkeep and maintenance. They prioritize this work by blocking off time for it in their schedules. Whether it’s writing a blog post, replying to comments, or updating some photos on your social-media pages, your brand needs frequent attention if you want it to expand and grow.

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We’re all going to have slightly different priorities, but relationships, client experience, follow-through, and branding are crucial components to prioritize if you want to achieve the highest level of success in the mortgage industry.

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If you’d like to talk more about prioritizing to benefit your business, or if there’s another matter I can be of assistance with, please reach out. I’m always happy to set aside some time to connect.