What if the loan officers who are struggling most to grow their business are asking the wrong question — and one loan officer from Fargo, North Dakota figured out the right one?

In this episode, guest host Katie Shive sits down with Kayla Kallander — a top-producing loan officer, LinkedIn powerhouse, and first-time home buyer advocate who's built a referral machine in one of the most overlooked markets in the country.

If you think first-time home buyers are too much work for too little payoff, this episode is going to flip that script entirely.

Here's what we get into:

"Prescription Without Diagnosis Is Malpractice" — Why Kayla refuses to quote a rate before she knows the full picture, and how this one mindset shift positions her as a trusted advisor instead of a commodity.

The Realtor "Three Card" Problem — What Kayla says to realtors who still give out multiple lender cards, and the exact script she uses to get exclusive referrals.

Social Media Without a Marketing Team — She's active on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok — with just a VA and a Canva account. She breaks down exactly how she does it and why stories are where the real magic happens.

Why LinkedIn is the Most Underrated Platform for Loan Officers — How one LinkedIn post led to a group of financial advisors sending her 30% of her annual business — from a state she'd never even worked in.

The Real Cost of Rate Shopping — The client who called comparing rates from a Minnesota credit union and what Kayla said that turned it around on the spot.

The Magic of First-Time Buyers — Why the clients most loan officers avoid are the ones building Kayla's most loyal referral base.

The Viral Carousel Post — How a contrarian Saturday morning post about interest rates triggered more DMs, new followers, and a cross-state referral relationship than anything she'd posted before.

Plus — how she's using AI (specifically Claude) with a custom brand book to write content that actually sounds like her, not a robot.

Whether you're a veteran loan officer looking to reignite your pipeline or a newer LO trying to figure out where to start, this conversation is loaded with real, repeatable strategies that are working right now.

Listen. Take notes. Then go post something.

Show Notes / Resources Mentioned:

• Connect with Kayla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-kallander/

• Connect with Kayla on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaylakallandermortgage/

• First Home IQ: https://www.firsthomeiq.com/

• LenderCrate: https://lendercrate.com/

• Coffee and Contracts: https://coffeecontracts.com/

• Claude AI: https://claude.ai/

Connect with Katie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieshive/

What does it actually look like when a top-producing loan officer stops dabbling with AI and fully embeds it into every layer of his mortgage business?

In this episode of Mortgage Marketing Radio, guest host Katie Shive sits down with Abdel Khawatmi — Area Manager and founder of Got Mortgages with PRMG — to break down the exact system behind 121 units, $40M in personal production, and 210% net revenue growth year over year.

This is not a conversation about generating social media captions with ChatGPT. This is a ground-level look at how a working originator rebuilt his operations, client experience, and team structure around AI — and what that means for every loan officer trying to compete right now.

What you'll learn:

• Why Abdel cut his offshore team from 7 to 3 — and what AI does instead

• How he uses ChatGPT to calculate Schedule C & E income, build SOPs, and draft compliant letters of explanation

• Why he’s on the phone with clients MORE since implementing AI — not less

• The hyperlocal event strategy that his referral partners can't stop talking about

• His ROI framework: Relevance, Omnipresence & Intimacy

• The 4-step client experience model that keeps his pipeline full without him being the first touch

• The one thing he tells every loan officer who asks, "where do I start?"

If you are a loan officer grinding in a tough market and wondering how to build a smarter, leaner, more profitable business — this is the episode you have been waiting for.

Connect with Abdel on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdel-khawatmi-79a511144/

Connect with Abdel on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/got_mortgages/

Connect with Katie Shive on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieshive/

What if 10 loans a month — not 30 — was actually the goal?

Sam Abazari has coached over 120 loan officers. His LOs average doubling their business every three months. His top producer closes 30 loans a month. And his branch does $250 million a year.

But his argument? The sweet spot is 10 loans a month, one assistant, 25-35 hours a week, and 200-300 bps margin.

That's the formula for financial freedom, time freedom, and mental bandwidth — all three at once.

In this episode of Mortgage Marketing Radio, Sam fills in for Geoff Zimpfer (who is battling cancer and asked his friends to keep the show going) and delivers a complete, step-by-step operating system for loan officers who want to build a business that works — without working themselves into the ground.

Connect With Sam On LinkedIn:

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

Join Sam’s Skool Community:
https://www.skool.com/level-up-lo/about?ref=699a37257d224cf5b321e24964b6be64

What does it take to close 230 purchase units in your first year as a loan originator?

For Andy Beigel, it started with one obsession: practice.

While every other LO chased refi money in 2020, Andy was cold-calling realtors on Zoom — building a purchase pipeline from scratch. By year-end, he had 230 units. By 2025, he had $93M in personal production and a $250M branch he built from zero in Columbus, Ohio.

In this episode, Andy breaks down:

→ His word-for-word rate objection rebuttal

→ The first 30 seconds of every intake call (scripted — every time)

→ The 2-step realtor conversion process behind his book of business

→ The "positive feedback loop" secret that lets you delegate without losing agents

→ What he looks for in recruits (hint: not experience)

→ How a 22-year-old he hired now closes 125+ units a year. His philosophy: do 100 small things 1% better than everyone else, and you're 100% superior at game time.

Special episode: Guest host Greg Sher of NFM Lending pinch-hits for Geoff Zimpfer, who is battling cancer.

Connect with Andy:

[email protected]

@andybeigel on Instagram

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-sher/

In this episode of Mortgage Marketing Radio, we talk with top-producing mortgage originator and elite coach Amir Syed to reveal the exact blueprint mortgage loan officers need to follow in 2026 to thrive—not just survive.

Whether you're a mortgage loan originator, broker, or LO looking to increase production in a competitive market, Amir breaks down the 3 critical pillars every LO must master right now:

1. Marketing and Personal Branding – How to become “Five-Mile Famous” and generate referrals without begging agents.

2. Sales and Persuasion – Why “the phone isn't a cactus” and how top LOs are diversifying beyond Realtors.

3. Operations and Scaling – The exact hiring process to find your “superstar LOA” and break through your current ceiling.

🔑 Plus:

– The 5 types of intelligence every elite LO is building in 2026
– Why your pre-COVID skills are killing your post-COVID results
– A foolproof hiring framework to scale your mortgage business (including the 3 questions every candidate must answer)

🎯 If you're serious about growing your mortgage business, this is a must-listen playbook for building momentum in Q1 and beyond.

Connect With Amir Syed

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amirsyed/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirsyed/

GO! Coaching: https://www.gocoaching.io/

Forget resolutions. In this solo episode, I’m taking you inside the personal mindset shift I’m making for 2026 — one that’s already reshaping how I lead, work, and live.

Instead of a list of goals, I’ve chosen two powerful words to guide everything I do this year:

👉 Gratitude and Delegate.

These aren’t just nice ideas — they’re essential strategies for cutting through the noise, clarifying priorities, and leading from a place of alignment.

Inside this episode:

1. Why resolutions often fail (especially in the mortgage business)
2. What my recent throat cancer diagnosis revealed about how I spend my time
3. The power of choosing One Word (or Two) to anchor your life and business
4. A 5-question exercise to help you uncover your own guiding word(s)
5. A free GPT tool I created to help you find your word in minutes
6. A deeper reflection on faith, focus, and what really matters

Whether you’re a loan officer, leader, or entrepreneur, this episode will help you pause, reflect, and get intentional about how you show up in 2026.

🎁 FREE RESOURCE:

Need help choosing your One Word?

Use my free GPT-powered tool:

👉 https://tinyurl.com/2026word

P.S. I’m hosting a private workshop where I’ll share what I’ve learned from almost 400 podcast interviews with top mortgage pros — and how they consistently generate high-trust agent referrals without chasing, cold-calling, or begging for coffee meetings.

You’ll get the full referral framework I teach inside the Agent Referral Xcelerator, and if it feels right, you’ll get a chance to join the next cohort.

👉 Join the early interest list here.

CONNECT

📸 Connect on Instagram

💼 Connect on LinkedIn

📹 Subscribe on YouTube

SAY THANKS

💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify

In this powerful episode, Katie Shive reveals how mortgage pros can leverage AI to build visibility, rank in search, and attract real leads online. Katie, a brand strategist and AI marketing coach, breaks down the concept of GEO — Go Everywhere Optimization — and how it’s changing the way consumers find mortgage professionals.

You’ll learn:

1. How to create a "core entity statement" that helps AI recommend you first
2. Why your bio consistency across platforms like LinkedIn and Google is critical
3. The difference between creating content for humans vs. robots
4. How to turn one podcast or blog post into an entire week’s worth of marketing
5. How ChatGPT and other LLMs are now directly referring mortgage professionals to leads and what triggers that

Whether you’re a seasoned LO or just starting to explore AI tools, this episode is a must-watch if you want to be found first and fast in search.

Show Notes:

Subscribe to Katie's Newsletter

Connect with Katie on LinkedIn

Want to double your Realtor referrals without chasing, cold-calling, or paying for leads? See how Travis Newton grew his production by $40 million!

Check Out myAgent Classes Here

Connect With Geoff

A Connect on Instagram

S Connect on LinkedIn

K Subscribe on YouTube

SAY THANKS

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

G Leave a rating on Spotify