Yes you probably want to re- read that title since I know it might sound a bit strange. You are probably wondering what the heck this has to do with the mortgage business or originating loans. Stay with me because this may be the best analogy of our industry and what we each do every day.

First I have to confess that I snore loudly so I rarely attend the symphony and worse I truly don’t enjoy sitting in one place of hours listening to music of any type.

Let’s take a look at a symphony and compare it to our business.

A symphony is composed of dozens of people playing various instruments and a Maestro or conductor who leads them all in making beautiful music. The musicians must be proficient in playing their instruments. They don’t necessarily need to know how to play all of the instruments. THey just need to make sure they play their instrument correctly.

The Maestro however must be familiar with all of the instruments and MUST make sure that all of the musicians are playing their instruments in a way that collectively makes a beautiful song come out. If one or two of the musicians miss a note, or if the conductor gives a bad signal, the song will not come out sounding the way it should. Guess who is always blamed? If you guessed the Maestro/Conductor you are correct.

Looks easy doesn’t it? But it’s really not since there are so many personalities involved and so many moving parts.

If you are set up like most mortgage companies you will have one or more of these people touching your files.
1. Set Up Person
2. Processor
3. Underwriter
4. Closer
Maybe you are luck enough to even have a marketing assistant or loan assistant.

Then of course you have all of the external people involved.
The Appraiser
The Title Company
The agents
The certifications- well-septic- pest etc.

BUT YOU MUST REMEMBER YOU ARE A MAESTRO NOT A MUSICIAN.
We all know that we are responsible for all of these people playing beautiful music that results in a smooth and speedy closing. The reality of course is that whether it’s our fault or not, and whether we made the mistake ( played the wrong note or not) it’s always blamed on us.

This reminds me of two funny stories that help illustrate the point.

One day I was in my office and one of my realtors named Ruth called and before even saying Hi- started screaming at me. She was screaming so loud that the other loan officers and processors in my office started gathering around my cubicle wondering what was happening.

A few hours earlier I had told her that we would not make closing since I did not have all of the items I needed and had asked for to get the loan submitted. When she took a breath I told her that I had asked for these items several times but they had not been sent. She continued screaming asking why I still did not have them.

Being quick on my feet I replied “Ruth, I have an idea, I will pick you up in 10 minutes and we will go over their home. They are probably at work so we’ll break in. You can go upstairs and I will go downstairs and I’m sure we can find the paystubs, w2’s and bank statements that we need to get the loan approved.”

FUNNY RIGHT?
I thought so but this pissed her off even more. She was literally furious and started screaming even louder until I finally had to hang up.

The other story is very similar. The buyer was buying new construction and his lock was about to expire in a market where rates were going up quickly. He called me and immediately started screaming and asking me why the home wasn’t ready yet. He demanded that I hold his rate since the home was not ready and demanded to know when it would be completed. He was also screaming loud enough to gather all of my fellow originators and staff who wanted to know what I had done this time to make someone call screaming that loud.

So again being fast on my feet I told him that I would grab my hammer and ladder and that he should grab some nails and screw driver, plyers, and I would pick him up in 10 minutes so we could drive over and immediately finish home so he could settle.

FUNNY RIGHT? Thank goodness, unlike Ruth, this guy actually had a good sense of humor and started laughing and apologizing. He was furious and just needed someone to vent to.

BUT THERE IS A LESSON TO LEARN FROM BOTH OF THESE SITUATIONS and THE WHOLE MAESTRO VS MUSICIAN DISCUSSION.

The first lesson is that you should always be an offensive communicator.

That means that you must meet with your processor at least once a week and review all of your files to make sure that all of the other “musicians” are doing their job properly and on time. You should the report to the client, the listing agents and selling agents to ensure that everyone knows what’s happening and what is still missing.

The second lesson is that you must always keep in mind that you are a MAESTRO and NOT A MUSICIAN.

That means that you have a strong team and that each person is doing their job. You should never ever be setting up, processing or doing any of the other functions that go into getting a loan from application to closing. Your job is to constantly bringing in new business and make sure that your team is playing beautiful music so you can be seen as the ultimate Maestro. ( Please go back and re-read that because all too often I see originators being way too involved in their files at the expense of bring in new deals.

The THIRD LESSON is perhaps the most important of them all.
You MUST Be a master of persuasion and manipulation. No, they are necessarily bad words because each and every day we are either being persuaded and manipulated or we are manipulating and persuading others. This is a topic I have studied and mastered for over 30 years.

WHY?
Because if you are not an expert at persuasion and manipulation then you are being manipulated. You must know how to get other people to do what you want them to do, when you want them to, and still feel good about it.
There are 22 persusasion tactics that I predominately use to generate new deals, get referrals, and get my staff to do what needs to be done. In fact it gives you an UNFAIR ADVANTAGE over all of your competition when you master these skill.

There is also a very simple 27 word sentence I learned and share in the LO UNFAIR ADVANTAGE PROGRAM at
http://lounfairedge.com/1-2/

Always keep in mind that you should always set realistic expectations. Never take responsibility for others mistakes. Make sure you have a great team of musicians and that you are leading them to play beautiful music.
Integrate some of these ideas into your own mortgage business right now and watch your production grow. Feel free to pass on this article to anyone you think would benefit from it.

Dedicated To Increasing Your Production,
Brian Sacks
www.TopOrigiantorSecrets.com

And if you are interested in learning more and getting an UNFAIR ADVANTAGE in your own business and life make sure you check out the LO UNFAIR EDGE at http://lounfairedge.com/1-2/