We're in a covid cocoon right now and many people have made the mistake of putting their business fundamentals on pause. We have one of two choices, we can let this pandemic stop us from growing, or we can work on ourselves, nurture our relationships, strengthen our safety net, and come out of this stronger. 

If we get into concentration and focus now, we are guaranteed to always be in momentum under any market condition. 

What are some of the key areas loan officers have been overlooking because of the pandemic and the busy refi market? Why is it so important to nurture relationships with Realtor partners right now? 

In this episode, mortgage industry author, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur Jen Du Plessis talks about how we can be more intentional about the fundamentals of our business. 

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• How to take ownership for not nurturing your relationships: Many loan officers could have done a better job at keeping in touch with their Realtor business partners this year, and we should own that. When we do reach out, it's okay to admit that. It's more honest and authentic, and people will appreciate it. 
• Why we have to have a database of people we like: The majority of your deals next year are in the loans you've done before, not just for repeat business, but for referrals. That's why we need to stay in touch with our database of past clients. The problem is, we're often held back from getting in touch with our database because of one or two people we don't like. Remove those people from your database so that you want to get in touch with everyone else. 
• How to interrupt bad habits: Creating better habits is the key to growing through the covid crisis. We have to recognize a bad habit and shift by replacing it with a good habit. If we gamify our ability to stick to good habits, we can make positive changes.

Guest Bio:

Jen is an author, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur in the mortgage industry. She is also the principal and Kinetic Spark Consulting. Jennifer began her career in 1983. A veteran of the industry, she has served in multiple high-level management roles, holds a Commercial Lending Certificate, is a Certified Instructor for VAR, and sits on various boards both in and out of the lending industry. Jennifer attended Colorado State University as well as the Denver Institute of Technology with a concentration in Construction Design/Architecture. She has been featured in the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and on Good Morning America, and was recognized in Loan Origination Magazine's Top 200 Loan Originators in the USA in 2012, putting her in the top 1% of all loan originators in the country. She has transitioned from traditional mortgage lending and is continuing to pursue her speaking and coaching passion. 

For more information visit https://www.jenduplessis.com/, text STRATEGY TO 66866 to schedule a consultation, and download 7 Strategies to Transform Your Business Mindset here.

The momentum of the current real estate market has created unprecedented production for mortgage professionals, but this short-term gain cannot be confused with long-term sustainability. 

The LOs that don't have the safety net of a solid business underneath that momentum are not only at risk of a collapse, they are also experiencing significantly higher rates of burnout. 

People simply weren't prepared for the rapid ramp-up of a low-interest market and while the volumes have been great, we can't overlook the negative impacts. Even in an incredible market, we can't ignore the challenges loan officers are facing. 

What are some of the specific things that are leading to the massive burnout we're seeing in our industry? 

How can we mitigate the emotional and psychological effects of this market?

In this episode, mortgage industry author, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur Jen Du Plessis returns to Beyond Mortgage. She talks about common mistakes people are making in this high production market, and how she's coaching people around them.

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• The challenges presented by a really good market:

Loan officers experienced an explosion in production. If you haven't formulated an actual business practice, you'll end up reacting, and not actually concentrating on sustainable business practices. Not only is this leading to burnout, it also means this short-term success will eventually collapse and hurt you in the long run. 

• How to build a more balanced life:

We have a tendency to build the business to make it the strongest part of our lives, then allow for everything else to form around it. We need to invert that and make our health and relationships the center and the strong part, and build the business around those fundamentals. 

• The connection between the virtual workplace and burnout:

Human beings don't just communicate with words, we also communicate non-verbally. When the world shifted into a virtual workspace, we were cut off from a huge portion of what makes us communicate more effectively. To counter this, we should never do a call without video, we should always position ourselves in the center of the screen, and be more animated when we talk.

Guest Bio:

Jen is an author, speaker, consultant, and entrepreneur in the mortgage industry. She is also the principal at Kinetic Spark Consulting. Jennifer began her career in 1983. A veteran of the industry, she has served in multiple high-level management roles, holds a Commercial Lending Certificate, is a Certified Instructor for VAR, and sits on various boards both in and out of the lending industry. Jennifer attended Colorado State University as well as the Denver Institute of Technology with a concentration in Construction Design/Architecture. She has been featured in the Washington Post, the Washington Times, and on Good Morning America, and was recognized in Loan Origination Magazine's Top 200 Loan Originators in the USA in 2012, putting her in the top 1% of all loan originators in the country. She has transitioned from traditional mortgage lending and is continuing to pursue her speaking and coaching passion. 

For more information visit https://www.jenduplessis.com/, text STRATEGY TO 66866 to schedule a consultation, and download 7 Strategies to Transform Your Business Mindset here. 

Many people in our industry experience a tug of war between their businesses and their health and key relationships. 

The problem isn't that the business is too demanding, it's that there's no boundary around the things that matter. When there's no protection around our health and our families, the job will always impose on them.

It's possible to accomplish big things in business without sacrificing family. We have to create the life we want by protecting what we value most, and building our businesses around it. 

That way, there's never a conflict between our families and our businesses.   

What are some of the practical ways we can set boundaries between business and life? How do we keep ourselves in a positive headspace? 

In this episode, award-winning mortgage leader and the President, COO, and Master Coach at 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching, Christine Beckwith returns. She talks about how she's managed to balance her career with health and family. 

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• Why coaching is necessary for new LOs:

Our industry is missing quality training for brand new people. New LOs are lacking the coaching that can help them translate their drive and ambition into successful businesses. New people don't just need to be taught sales, they also have to learn how to build solid businesses. 

• How to balance our businesses with our lives:

Define the things that matter to you in your life, like family and health, and then build protection around them so that the job cannot impose on those areas. Put your health and key relationships on the calendar first, then build the business around them. 

• The power of boundaries: 

Balance doesn't happen by default. We have to prepare for the life we want to live, invest in it, and set boundaries around it. That way if anything starts to take us out of those boundaries, we can quickly come back to what's important. 

Guest Bio:

Christine Beckwith is an award-winning mortgage industry executive sales leader, best-selling author, sought-after public speaker, and the President, COO, and Master Coach at 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching. She's also a news anchor and public columnist. Christine's accolades include 'NAWRB "Best Woman Owned Business in Banking", "Most Powerful Women in Banking 2019", and "Most Connected Mortgage Pro" 2018 & 2019.

For more information visit https://visionyoursuccess.net/

Business planning is a word that gets thrown around at this time of the year. However,  though mortgage professionals talk about it, not everyone follows through. 

Many people in our business have mastered sales and production, but the missing piece is a solid business plan and accountability.  

The people who succeed at both the planning and the follow-through understand what needs to be done. They implement the right habits and stay consistent all-year-round. 

What are the biggest gaps in the approach to business planning? Why is honesty so important if we want to grow? 

In this episode, I'm joined by award-winning mortgage leader and the President, COO, and Master Coach at 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching, Christine Beckwith. She shares her story, how she built her impressive business, and where people go wrong with business plans. 

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode:

• Why so many business plans fail:

People start business plans as New Year's Resolutions, but many of them never see them through. That's because they lack the accountability to sustain the activities that help them achieve their business goals. 

• The importance of brutal honesty:

Part of being a good leader is being brutally honest without being hurtful. If we truly care about people, we have to be honest with them in a caring way. If we're not honest at all, we are actually hurting them. 

• Why we need to be open to honesty:

The people who are willing to receive honesty and constructive criticism do really well in this business. The information they get is the feedback that helps them take the right direction, and avoid wasting time on the wrong paths.

Guest Bio:

Christine Beckwith is an award-winning mortgage industry executive sales leader, best-selling author, sought-after public speaker, and the President, COO, and Master Coach at 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching. She's also a news anchor and public columnist. Christine's accolades include 'NAWRB "Best Woman Owned Business in Banking", "Most Powerful Women in Banking 2019", and "Most Connected Mortgage Pro" 2018 & 2019.

For more information visit https://visionyoursuccess.net/

The combination of covid, lockdowns, and high transaction volumes has made 2020 an intense year for mortgage professionals. While being busy is nothing to complain about, we've had to grapple with big changes this year, and that requires mental fortitude. 

That mental fortitude gives us inner stability in a world full of things we can't control. 

With everyone at home, it can feel like our teams aren't as engaged or as connected as they would be under the same roof. However, even virtually, there are still many ways leaders are rising to the challenge and getting creative about maintaining company culture. 

What are some of the ways we can be more effective as leaders? How can we leverage being virtual to maintain a sense of connection on our teams? How can we focus on what's important during a very busy quarter? 

In this episode, mortgage industry leader and Nova Home Loans Branch Manager, Greg Gale shares how to improve our mental states in uncertain times, and how to boost team culture and engagement in a time of lockdowns and working from home. 

You can control your mornings and your nights. When you get a really good hold of those, it makes you better at having control during the day. -Greg Gale  

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• How to build mental strength: In times like these where a lot of what's going on around us feels out of our control, the only thing we can control is our mental states and routines. If we focus on dialing in our morning and nighttime routine, we give ourselves the mental fortitude to deal with whatever the day throws at us. 
• How to go from reaction to effective response: When we increase our mental fortitude, we can have more control over the space between stimulus and response. If we control this space so that we're responding instead of reacting, we have more freedom, more choice, and we can take better action. 
• Ways to keep our team culture strong in a virtual working world: Even if our teams are working apart right now, we can still maintain culture and connection by using virtual tools. From virtual paint parties to games, huddles, and happy hours, if we're intentional about setting up moments for our teams to come together, we can uphold our culture. 

Guest Bio: 

Greg Gale is a mortgage industry leader, business coach, and VP/Branch Manager of Nova Home Loans. Greg joined the mortgage industry in 2005. Prior to that, he was a personal trainer and martial arts instructor for 17 years. Greg notes that 20 years of martial arts, where persistence, honor, and integrity are the heart of daily practice, was a perfect lead into his role as financial advisor in the mortgage industry. The Gale Team at NOVA Home Loans is a full-service loan origination service, committed to providing innovative mortgage solutions and real estate strategies. In his role as team leader, Greg stresses the importance of integrity, a positive attitude, patience, creativity, and respect for all things. 

This team defines communication as one of the single most important elements in a successful loan transaction. They are committed to returning calls promptly, providing regular status updates, and being available as needed throughout the process. Greg and his team really listen to clients' needs and then seek the best possible solutions, more often than not exceeding their client's expectations. The team's priority is to provide exceptional and memorable service. On a personal note, Greg is absolutely passionate about helping other people and is a regular contributor to the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen Foundation. Greg is also a member of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers and the Arizona Association of Mortgage Brokers. 

Follow @greg_gale_ on Instagram.  

It's rare for someone to have two long and successful careers in any industry, and the people who do it bring a unique experience and perspective to the table. 

Greg Gale went from working as a martial arts instructor for 17 years to running a thriving mortgage business. Along the way, he learned the value of relationships and not missing out on the opportunities presented by what he calls "sliding door moments". 

But his journey wasn't easy. The tragic loss of his mentor was a moment that challenged him and taught him many valuable life lessons that have made him the leader he is today. 

In this episode, Greg shares his story, how he was inspired by martial arts, what pulled him into mortgage, and the lessons he's learned along the way. 

Get in front of the people with the capacity to send you business and build a deep relationship with them. -Greg Gale 

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• The most important activity in our business: When the market becomes busy with refi deals, one of the first things LOs drop the ball on is Realtor relationships. We still need to carve out an hour or more to make the calls to check in with them. Lead generation is the lifeblood of our business, and it has to be a priority and a part of our daily routine. 
• When LOs should get an assistant: Get an assistant based on a projection of your pipeline, not how busy you currently are. Even if our deal flow changes, our relationship nurturing has to stay the same. An assistant allows us to leverage other tasks in our business so we can focus on consistent lead generation and sales calls. 
• How to build a stable mortgage pipeline: Success in this business is about the quality of our relationships, not the quantity. We need to build a solid base of people with the capacity to send us business and maintain deep relationships with them.

Guest Bio:

Greg Gale is a mortgage industry leader, business coach, and VP/Branch Manager of Nova Home Loans. Greg joined the mortgage industry in 2005. Prior to that, he was a personal trainer and martial arts instructor for 17 years. Greg notes that 20 years of martial arts, where persistence, honor, and integrity are the heart of daily practice, was a perfect lead into his role as financial advisor in the mortgage industry. The Gale Team at NOVA Home Loans is a full-service loan origination service, committed to providing innovative mortgage solutions and real estate strategies. In his role as team leader, Greg stresses the importance of integrity, a positive attitude, patience, creativity, and respect for all things. 

This team defines communication as one of the single most important elements in a successful loan transaction. They are committed to returning calls promptly, providing regular status updates, and being available as needed throughout the process. Greg and his team really listen to clients' needs and then seek the best possible solutions, more often than not exceeding their client's expectations. The team's priority is to provide exceptional and memorable service. On a personal note, Greg is absolutely passionate about helping other people and is a regular contributor to the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen Foundation. Greg is also a member of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers and the Arizona Association of Mortgage Brokers. 

Follow @greg_gale_ on Instagram.  

None of us got into this business with the intention of working around the clock. Most of us got into the mortgage space to have more control over our time. However, work-life balance is often easier said than done, and many of us have put business at the center of our lives.

Prioritizing our careers can be great for our egos, but is it ever worth sacrificing other areas of our lives? Will a thriving business make up for an unhappy marriage or poor physical health?

Striking a balance is even more complicated when we're passionate about what we do. Is it possible to provide great service to our clients if we're not on hand to answer their questions 24/7?

In this episode, author, speaker, and coach, Jodee Brydges shares how to build balance so we can experience success in each aspect of our lives. 

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

Why business hours are essential for balance:

With so many of us working from home, it has become easier than ever to fall into the habit of working non-stop. To avoid being on the clock 24/7, we have to create office hours for ourselves with a set start and end time for each day. 

Why we need to set expectations about boundaries upfront:

Once we've set office hours for ourselves, we have to communicate them with both our partners and our clients. This way, no one will be shocked if (and when) we don't answer their calls on a Saturday night. 

How planning ahead helps us find balance:

There will always be work emergencies and fires that need to be put out, but they don't need to take over our days and affect our 'off' time. By planning out our days in advance and making sure the most urgent tasks are always handled first, it's easier to pivot when necessary. 

How to stop getting sidetracked from our schedules:

It's tough sticking to a schedule when we're fielding calls, texts, and emails from clients throughout the day. Switch off all devices when focusing on a deal or looking through paperwork to avoid being distracted, and call them back later.

Guest Bio: With over sixteen years of experience in the lending industry, a bachelor's degree in business finance, and over 19 years in the financial industry, Jodee is truly passionate about making a difference in her client's financial portfolios.

Jodee's vision is to help each client build their financial future by educating them about the best loan available to meet their financial needs as well as the best way to build their financial futures by paying off debt, growing their savings for retirement and developing a plan for paying off their mortgage. By educating clients on the loan process, helping clients understand the products available and how to manage their debt portfolio, and honoring her commitments to her referral partners, Jodee has built her business 100% by referral. Additionally, Jodee continually offers financial education seminars that help her clients, referral partners, and the local community understand the ever changing financial markets and the importance of managing debt.

Being a seasoned specialist with understanding the volatility of the interest rate market, continually educating herself about the financial markets, and using the industry's best mortgage tools, Jodee is truly viewed by her clients as a trusted consultant and is regularly consulted on matters relating to housing and financial strategies.

Additionally, Jodee is the creator of "PointPro" (a turnkey seminar package available to loan originators), a national industry speaker, and has appeared on Robin Fahr's television program "Conversations" and "The Carey Brothers Show' a nationally broadcasted radio program.

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers still seem to be living large and purchasing property wherever possible. Unfortunately, that prosperity might be short-lived because most of it has been funded by credit.

Credit card debt has become an epidemic, with more and more consumers building up debt and not paying it back. The trouble is, by living beyond their means now, they're only setting themselves up for financial destruction later on.

As loan officers, it's our duty to warn our clients about the risks of taking out loans they can't afford to pay back, but how can we approach those difficult conversations? Is it possible to get them on the right financial path if they've already built up a ton of debt?

In this episode, author of Digging Out, Jodee Brydges shares what we should be telling our clients to keep them debt-free. 

Stop your clients from overextending themselves with loans they shouldn't have got in the first place. -Dan Trinidad

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• How to advise consumers hoping to buy vacation rental properties: In the midst of COVID-19 shutdowns, vacation rentals and Airbnbs couldn't operate. If our clients are hoping to pay off their loans by renting out their properties, we have to remind them of this and let them assess if it's worth the risk in the event of another lockdown. 

• Why we need to have uncomfortable conversations with our clients: Discussions about what a client can't afford are never pleasant, but they're necessary. By being open about the risks of overextending themselves, we can help our clients see where they need to pivot.

• The importance of sharing industry knowledge with buyers: As mortgage professionals, we know that at some point there will be a correction in the market and rates will increase. It's up to us to make sure our clients don't panic buy their way to financial destruction.

Guest Bio: With over sixteen years of experience in the lending industry, a bachelor's degree in business finance, and over 19 years in the financial industry, Jodee is truly passionate about making a difference in her client's financial portfolios.

Jodee's vision is to help each client build their financial future by educating them about the best loan available to meet their financial needs as well as the best way to build their financial futures by paying off debt, growing their savings for retirement and developing a plan for paying off their mortgage. By educating clients on the loan process, helping clients understand the products available and how to manage their debt portfolio, and honoring her commitments to her referral partners, Jodee has built her business 100% by referral. Additionally, Jodee continually offers financial education seminars that help her clients, referral partners, and the local community understand the ever changing financial markets and the importance of managing debt.

Being a seasoned specialist with understanding the volatility of the interest rate market, continually educating herself about the financial markets, and using the industry's best mortgage tools, Jodee is truly viewed by her clients as a trusted consultant and is regularly consulted on matters relating to housing and financial strategies.

Additionally, Jodee is the creator of "PointPro" (a turnkey seminar package available to loan originators), a national industry speaker, and has appeared on Robin Fahr's television program "Conversations" and "The Carey Brothers Show' a nationally broadcasted radio program.

As we near the second year of the 2020s, it's time for LOs to set themselves up for a decade of success. What we do now will determine whether we flourish in the business, or if we'll exit the industry for good.

What will be the key differentiator between the superstars of the coming decade, and those who'll barely stay afloat?

Given how many changes we've already seen over the past year, is there any way of anticipating what's next? 

In this episode, Founder of MortgageX, Jason Frazier shares why LOs need to be on the frontlines of change to stay in the business. 

The industry is moving forward, and it's not enough to accept change. You have to be at the forefront of it. -Jason Frazier

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• Which side of the business we should be paying close attention to: The decade began in the midst of a refi boom, but it won't last forever. While it makes sense to take advantage of refi while we can, it shouldn't be the core of our business. Focus instead on purchase business and building relationships with agents. 
• How to stay ahead of our competitors:  We're bound to see new competitors in the industry in the coming years, but no matter how much we try, we'll never be able to anticipate exactly who they'll be. We have to be prepared for anything, and we can do that by staying on top of trends and embracing changes as soon as they come. 
• Why modernization is non-negotiable: In the 2020s, there's no excuse for LOs to not offer digital services. The consumer has high-tech options everywhere else, so if we want to stay in business, we can't expect to be the exception.

Guest Bio:

Jason Frazier is an award-winning marketer and disruptive strategist. With over 20 years of C-level expertise in marketing, strategy, and technology, today he serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at EPM. Passionate about helping others get bigger and better results in the industry, he is also the Founder of Mortgage X and host of Mortgage X Podcast and Mortgage Interrupt Podcast. In addition to this, Jason is a highly sought-after national speaker who has made appearances at, among others,  Inman Connect, Gary Vaynerchuk's Agent 2021, and AIME Broker All-Stars. 

To find out more and to connect with Jason, go to: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/realestatecio 

https://www.facebook.com/FrazierCIO/

The 2020s started off with a bang, and the mortgage industry has had to adapt to massive changes in the span of a year. However, this change has been a long time coming. 

There's been a major reluctance to change in our industry for years, but we can't resist anymore. We've reached the dawn of a high-tech decade, and failing to embrace new systems isn't an option. 

What is the new consumer expecting from us, and how can we adapt our strategies to suit their needs? As we move into our "new normal", has anything stayed the same?

In this episode, Chief Strategy Officer at EPM and Founder of Mortgage X, Jason Frazier shares how to prepare for the coming decade. 

The consumer is changing, and we need to meet them where they are. -Jason Frazier

Three Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• Why we need to stop romanticizing the past: Now is not the time to reminisce about what the industry used to look like. That world doesn't exist anymore and the way we used to operate just isn't relevant in our current reality. It's time to move forward and embrace the change. 
• How to serve the consumer of the new decade: Meet the consumer where they are, or risk falling behind. The consumer of today is expecting a high-tech experience, and it's our job to deliver. 
• How to guarantee big results: Mortgage has always been a relationship business, and that hasn't changed. However, how we work on those relationships has. Get comfortable using tools like Zoom to connect with clients, because they're not going anywhere any time soon. 

Guest Bio:

Jason Frazier is the Chief Strategy Officer at EPM. As the Founder of Mortgage X, he is also the host of the top-rated Mortgage X Podcast and the Mortgage Interrupt Podcast. An award-winning marketer and disruptive strategist with over two decades of C-level expertise in marketing, strategy, and technology, Jason is also a sought after national speaker who has appeared at Inman Connect, Gary Vaynerchuk's Agent 2021, and AIME Broker All-Stars, among countless others.