The Info Treasure Trove

Well here they are… 10 mortgage loan officer training tips to improve efficiency and increase revenue. These tips have made me hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and I’m confident they will do the same for you:

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #1:
Only use a few lenders
Depending on your niche, all you really need is a few good lenders. With a portfolio of about five lenders, you can handle all credit grades and even special programs like stated, no doc and 100% financing.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #2:
Read your lender’s guidelines to build an intimate knowledge of their products and procedures - THIS IS A MUST!!! (And easy to do if you only use a few lenders.) Don’t rely on lender reps to tell you about their guidelines. They are human and can make mistakes just like the rest of us.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #3:
Send gifts to your appraiser, title agents, and underwriters to gain favor. This is a great way to build relationships with the people you rely on to do business. Look for a reason to send these people a thank you card along with a gift. This is another good reason to use only a few good lenders.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #4:
Define your market
What loans will you do and what loans will you not touch? You can and will cause yourself undue heartache if you agree to take a loan that is outside of your market. For instance, I refused to even look at a loan unless the borrowers had a credit score of 580 or higher. If an applicant has a credit score less than 580, I referred them to my loan officer partner and split the commissions.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #5:
Specialize
Find a niche. Specialists always make more than generalists. Everyone does purchase loans on single family houses. What if you became the expert in your area on financing investment properties, construction loans, or VA loans? With some work and dedication you could become the mortgage lending “guru” for your niche and monopolize your marketplace.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #6:
Location, location, location
If you can: Keep a frig in your office, place a copier close to your assistant’s desk, and have your computer printer right next to your desk. This will save loads of time walking around the office. It will also keep your assistants focused. Sometimes it’s hard to walk through an office without falling into several casual conversations that can lower your team’s production.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #7:
Get all documentation up front
I believe in getting every piece of documentation I could possibly need right up front. That way if a problem arises you have a greater chance of being able to fix the problem on your own without bothering the borrowers.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #8:
Only the necessities
Just because you collect extra documentation, doesn’t mean you have to use it. Don’t submit extra paperwork to your processor or to underwriting. It could open a can of worms you don’t want opened. Only turn in exactly what’s need to fund the loan - nothing more or less.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #9:
Sandwich technique
At some point you’ll need to contact a borrower during the loan process and ask for more information. When this situation arises, try using the sandwich technique:

Re-establish rapport
Make your request: “Oh by the way I need___. When can you fax it to me?”
Continue rapport building dialog.
Say goodbye and politely get off the phone.

If you have a difficult borrower, this works like a charm to diminish their anxiety level.

Mortgage Loan Officer Training Tip #10:
Testimonials
Get testimonials from everyone. They are great marketing tools for your business. Use them to target your client’s CPA, HR manager at work, real estate agent and financial planner to establish a referral relationship.

There you have it. Incorporate these ideas into your mortgage business and see how they impact your bottom line.

By the way, if you would like to get another 13 mortgage loan officer training tips that can instantly boost your income by $5,000 per month, visit:

www.Mortgage-Leads-Generator.com/a/13tips.htm

Please feel free to reprint this article as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.

Hartley Pinn has recently created the “Mortgage Leads Generator”
Training Course to teach mortgage loan officers 10 proven strategies
for generating more than 71 mortgage leads per day.

Why do people write long copy? It is not because their
readers read it all! People write long stories for the same
reason that restaurants that serve big portions get
customers lining up at their doors. They are creating the
illusion that their meal is cost effective. A long story
suggests that there is a lot to say.

The American society teaches that more is better and you are
not going to single handedly change that. Instead, go with
the flow — use the illusion and write long emails, long
articles, and long sales letters…BUT before you do, make
sure there are six questions that are answered in the first
ten seconds of your copy.

The questions are: What? Who? When? Where? How? Why?

“What” always needs to come first in every story. “What”
must also be part of the headline, subheadline or graphic
and needs to dominate your marketing piece. It needs to be
simple, fresh, and catchy (not tricky). It must convey what
the reader will get for continuing.

“Who” identifies your business. It must tell the reader who
is telling the story and it must do so at least twice in
your marketing piece. If you use your logo as your “who,” it
must fuse with the “what” element of the ad. “Who” means
more than a name or a logo. Some logos seem to speak to the
designer, but mean nothing to the reader.

If your logo doesn’t automatically deliver meaning, then
only use it to build your brand. Remember, however, that
branding is a time and dollar intensive effort.

“Who” can be conveyed through pictures. A good picture of
you, your employees, your office, or your events create a
personal connection with your reader. If you offer
workshops or seminars, use those pictures. People are more
likely to believe a photo than a piece of artwork.
If you have been in business for a while, say so “since
1982″ counts.

Longevity builds points in the trust category. Be sure to
identify with your name and weave that information
throughout the entire piece. By the time you are done, your
piece should be so closely identified with you that it would
be impossible for someone to pirate your words or logo and
put them into their marketing piece.

“When” is usually simple to add. It needs to go further down
in the marketing piece. Novices place “when” in the topic.
If the readers find your information important, they will
create the space to attend. If you say it too soon, before
it is important to your readers, they may say “no.” After
your prospects learn what is happening and who is doing it,
the next question is “when.” At that point, you give days,
dates and time. If it is a big event, use the year in the
date. All too often, retailers leave their hours out their
ads.

“Where” may seen easier than “when.” Maybe you are
thinking that you just add your address. Not so. Use your
imagination for a moment: you are having a party and want a
friend to come. You give directions, draw a map, and provide
him or her with all the right and left turns.

If your marketing piece requires your customers to find a
location, give them complete information. (If you are
sending an e-mail, give them a link to an on-line map). Add
helpful details like: “look for the blue awning” or “we’re
across from ‘x’ restaurant.” Be sure to include information
about parking. You do not want someone to get frustrated
about parking and go home.

“Why” is often overlooked from the prospect’s viewpoint. .
Many otherwise good marketing pieces fail at the “why.”
“Why” addresses the importance of the event or the
uniqueness of the product.

Don’t forget that your prospect is looking for a good reason
to toss your information. People have more information today
than they can handle. You need a persuasive “buy now” reason
in the “why” part. The answers need to tell them why they
need to hear/learn about this now.

There are only two powerful “buy now” elements that trigger
action: (1) scarcity, and/or, (2) a limited time to act.
Either you are going to run out of product or you are doing
something for a compressed time.

Before an event there needs to be two or three weeks with
limited (scarcity) offers along the way. Item pricing will
not pull an event along, but a good general selection story
will. A story like “further reductions” works, but only if
it is true. Your prospect will know if you are “fudging” the
truth, even if your customers don’t.

Your employees, who are your first line of contact with
customers, will certainly know. Remember the “going out of
business” signs that show up several times a year? Maintain
your integrity and your customers will stay your customers.

“How” are your payment or credit terms. Tell your customers
about them only after you have sold them on your product or
event. Don’t yell “one year interest free” or “no payments
until July of 2004″ until they are excited about what you
are offering. Present your special terms after they have
decided they want it.

In summary, long copy is a good choice after you fulfill the
10-second requirement of the six W’s. This way you allow
both “I want to know a lot” and “give it to me fast and
straight” to get what they need.

About the Author

Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing &
Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet
writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters
and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com
blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

1. Spend money on targeted advertising instead of
mass media advertising. You don’t want to waste
your ad dollars on people who aren’t interested.

2. Increase your profits by concentrating on small
details. Improving small things like text size, color,
or graphics can really make a positive difference.

3. Keep your offers flexible. If you offer a set price
for your product, you could offer the people that
can’t afford it an optional payment plan.

4. Offer your knowledge or consulting as a bonus
product. You could offer a free 15 or 30 minute
consultation. This will add value to your product.

5. Personalize all your e-mail messages so they get
read. Include the recipient’s name in the subject line.
This will grab peoples attention quickly.

6. Keep your web site consistent. You don’t want
to keep things on your web site that are unrelated
to the theme of your web site.

7. Attract more subscribers to your free e-zine by
giving them free bonuses like e-books, software,
online services and other incentives.

8. Sell advertising space in your e-zine and on your
web site. This will create an extra income stream
for your business.

9. Make your web site ready for the public. Have
an “About Us” page and clear descriptions of what
actions you want your visitors to take.

10. Don’t just start advertising everywhere, plan out
your marketing. Locate places and publications that
your target audience would congregate around.

About the author:

Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.

I’ve spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers about how they choose a freelancer for a job. Whether they were reviewing job applications or considering project bids, they all had one thing in common. As every one of them started to look at the applications, they had their skeptic’s hat on.

How a Project Manager Thinks

Here are a few quotes from project managers and employers to show you exactly how they think.

1. Jaime, Editor - “The First Elimination”

My process of judging proposals is one of elimination. The first step is about a general impression. If it’s vague and unconvincing - eliminate. If it’s fluffed up but with no substance - eliminate. If it has real details and seems credibale - keep. Many times this process only leaves one person. That’s how easy it is to get a job - be credible and convincing.

2. Jacob, Project Manager - “I only believe what I see for myself.”

I read every proposal while questioning what I’m being told. Some people make things up. Most people exaggerate. Many people think they’re better than they really are. I’ve been working with contractors for a long time and I’ve found that the only way you can judge a person is by what they do.

3. Randy, Project Owner - “Don’t Tell Me, Show Me”

Don’t try and impress me with ramblings. Lots of positive words strung together does nothing for me. You know, “I am keen, reliable, prompt, easygoing, articulate, generous, kind, competitive, athletic…” I have no reason to believe you’re any of those things. If you want me to pick you for the project, you have to do more than just tell me. You have to prove it to me.

How to Beat the Skeptic

It’s not about what you say, it’s about how you say it. Three small changes will make all the difference to your credibility and will get you more work more often.

1. Use Real Evidence

It’s always better to sell yourself with a real example.

Not so good - “I am reliable.”

Much better - “You will never be left wondering how the project is going because I will provide timely updates to keep you informed.”

2. Use Your Results

Telling project managers about your past results is also a good way to sell yourself.

Not so good - “I write effective web site copy.”

Much better - “With my new and improved content, my last client increased their sales by 120% in the first month.”

The second statement clearly communicates the quality and effectiveness of the work. And at the same time, it’s likely to excite the project manager into thinking that the same result could occur for them.

3. Be Specific

If you can use facts and figures to make your point, do so.

Not so good - “Most of my business is repeat, showing that my clients are happy with the service I provide.”

Much better - “96% of new clients have returned to use my services again.”

Not so good - “I have completed various similar projects.”

Much better - “I have completed 19 similar projects in the last year.”

Make these three simple changes to your bids and job applications and you’ll win more clients, jobs, and projects.

I was in the car leasing business, a fresh college grad, but someone with four solid years of phone experience behind me, and I reached out to sell my first deal.

Within a few hours, I got my first hot prospect on the line. He said he’d like TWO new cars, both in Green, and both with very powerful engines.

“No problem!” I replied.

He said, “Well, I have to sell the car I’m in, first.”

“We’ll buy it!” I countered.

“You have yourself a deal.”

I sent out the leases, by mail, and sure enough, to the surprise but delight of my manager, he signed them, we bought his trade, and we were done.

That was my ready-fire-aim approach to breaking into the business, but compare this to an error I made, that I vowed I’ll never make again.

Another small business owner said he was shopping for TWO Cadillacs and I told him I’d jump on the case, and asked when he wanted me to follow-up.

“A week from now,” he said, and I wrote in into my calendar.

Sure enough, on the appointed date I called and he said:

“Gee, I just bought them yesterday at the dealership. Guess you’re a little late!”

So, from that moment forward, I have always shaved a day or two off the call back date, resolving that it’s always better to be a day early, than a day late!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

by Neal Walters. Chanukah 2008 is now here. The gift giving aspect of Chanukah is much more popular in the United States, than in other parts of the world. Or perhaps, you are starting to think about New Year’s resolutions? Learning Hebrew can be either a gift fo Chanukah, or a New Year’s goal. Hebrew..!? Yes, Hebrew! I have spoken to many people, men and women, who have become very rusty in their Hebrew. For some, the last time they read anything in Hebrew was for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah: in some cases, going back 40 or 50 years ” Oy! Its time for a refresher course ” AndI have the programs for you HebrewResources.com offers several products, which work well for adults and children. The first program in their series is “At Home with Hebrew”. It teaches how to read and recognize all the Hebrew letters and vowels, along some basic vocabulary (both modern and biblical). Hebrew Kindergarten is not just for kids. Its for anybody who wants to learn more advanced Hebrew grammar; this program assumes you know the basics, but it will make you comfortable reading Hebrew without vowel points and speaking and thinking in the language. Recently, HebrewResources released its newest product “Shirei Ha-Shabbat (Songs of the Sabbath). This set includes a hip audio-CD with professionally sung music accompanied by guitar and band that covers many of the basic prayers. Then, the software program in the package teaches the more traditional synagogue tunes for the same Sabbath prayers. This package is a great way to get a person back into the Hebrew of the Siddur. The cantor chosen for “Songs of the Sabbath” is really amazing. You can click buttons on the computer to hear the parts of the prayers, either word-by-word, or line-by-line, or you can hear the entire song at once. When we think of giving Hanukah gifts, we often think of children. Many adults want their children to learn the Jewish language, even if their skills aren’t so great. These products can be used by either children or adults, but how much better to do it together, and make it a family experience? Today, it’s amazing how many Christians are also learning the basics of Hebrew. Many find the Bible coming more alive with a simple knowledge of Hebrew and Jewish practices. Many times, the King James Version or modern translations hide some of the simple truths found there. Whether you celebrate Chanukah or Christmas, consider giving the “gift of Hebrew”. Any of the above tutorials can keep a student busy for months, so they are truly gifts that give all year round. Even if you miss the winter holidays, you can start Hebrew as a New Years resolution, or any time of the year. See video demonstrations of the above mentioned products at our Learn Hebrew website. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

I’ve begun to realize that I don’t do enough of the right kinds of research before contacting a publication. Here are some things I’ve learned to think about and do before pitching, which have made a difference in getting work.

Who do they love?

“It’s all about relationships.” Ever heard that? Publications are about people or things that are important to people in some way. You could say that a publication’s content is a gift to its readers, from the editor, the publisher, and you if you’re lucky enough to get in. To the degree that articles are about people, this is another group that is prized, by the magazine and its readers.

If you get to know these groups, you can learn how to write about the one group and their interests, to the other group and theirs.

For example, trade publications and newsletters that represent organizations love to see ideas that include interviews with its membership. Find out who those folks are and where their input might fit snugly into your proposed article or feature. Contact them, get some quotes and include them in your pitches.

For other publications (lifestyle, entertainment and mainstream consumer interests), figure out who its readers are most likely to idolize in some way, and include a quote from their favorite “stars”. Or, pitch an article about them. Tap the Reader Feedback Loop

Drilling down, you can check reader interests and opinions of current articles and subjects by reading reader feedback sections. Feedback sections appear at the end of online articles and often front of book in print magazines. These can tell you what readers like, dislike, and what they want to see more of from the publication in the future. Base pitches on this input, especially if it fits the magazine’s editorial concept. Go a step further and contact the reader (if an e-mail address has been left). Bringing readers in like that sometimes makes an impression on editors. What else?

Prognosis Please? Analyze current articles for common themes, approaches, priorities, common anything, and make sure a whisper (or a scream) of that commonality shows up in your presentation when you make contact.

Not 20 Questions, Just Six

When asking the journalist’s questions - who, what, when, where, why and how - first see what defines the most common answers in the publication’s articles. Is the who usually a scientist, a man on the street interview, a business owner, or who? Do the same with the other five questions.

Who’s Paying the Bills? Make sure you’re familiar with the publication’s advertisers and compare their products with your audience’s reading habits and interests. Find out who is selling what, to whom and how? Discover what kind of writing brings those potential customers between the pages? Soon you’ll know which topics are yummy to cantaloupe connoisseurs, or what the hottest subject matter is for people who prefer to wear parkas while standing on snow covered mountains.

Do You Get the Concept?

The editorial concept is usually short and easy to find. In a sentence or two it tells you just what the given periodical is all about. Make sure your ideas hit the mark with the editorial concept. Look for it; find out what it is. Squeeze concept words and closely related words and ideas in this corner here or that corner there of your query.

Stylin’

Editorial style - just how does the whole word entrée come together - recipe, ingredients and all? If you don’t write like most of the stories you see in the publication and aren’t sure you can, stop - read them, practice writing pieces just like them (just for yourself for practice) before you make your approach. If the practice pieces are good, you might use them as samples, especially if you have trouble getting in without them.

Writing a lot of articles these days? You may have heard it is a great way to drive traffic to your site. But unless you are following these key points your work may be in vain. Before you submit another article read this over to make sure your article submission is successful.

When including links to your web site within your article, make sure those links are working! Each directory you submit to may handle it differently. Some will convert them automatically to a live link, others you will need to add the html to the link to make it live. When your article gets republished the link may not be live, defeating the purpose of trying to increase your back links. If someone can’t click on it and go to your web site, what advantage is it to be writing and submitting articles? You should always add your web address in you bio or “about author” starting with http:// That way even if the link is not live, someone interested in going to your site could always copy and paste it into their browser. Always preview your article to check to see if it is formatted the way you want it to look and check your links! Revise it as needed.

The importance of choosing the correct category. If your article is about marketing, why would you want it in poetry? It is critical to your article success that you choose the correct category for several reasons. It will group your article together with similar articles. This helps the search engines find “relevant” content. It helps users who are looking for new content to find your article. It can speed up the submission process by helping the directory owners. Some article directories have rss feeds for each category. Subscribers and rss feed directories will be notified when that category is updated, thereby increasing your article exposure.

Take advantage of all each article directory has to offer. Each one is different but they may offer some valuable features that you may not be aware of. Always create a clear, concise summary. Add keywords if available. In your profile, you may be able to create several links to your websites. These are links that will stay with the article directory and be spidered by search engines. You could easily add 50-100 static links pointing to your website this way.

If you need new ideas for writing articles, check out each directory for their most popular articles. This will give you a good idea on what people are looking for. Continue to submit to as many article directories as you can. There is success in numbers.

Happy article writing!

In the modern world very many people prefer buying their swimwear online; shopping online is an effortless and fitting way to shop in the tranquil of your own house.

It’s fundamental to ensure whilst procuring swimwear online that it fits you perfectly. When you get swimwear on the Internet always be sure that the shop offers a valuable quality sizing diagram that presents all of the sizes you need. With the help of a sizing diagram one can make sure to purchase a swimsuit or bikini that fits rightly, thus reducing the need to exchange for another size. The Majority of the swimwear shops do not provide an exchange of goods so it’s usually always better to opt for a shop where exchanges are permitted. Many online shops will allow the returns of swimwear if the tags and the original wrapping are also returned along with it. Find eye-catching and sexy swimwear at great prices from designers such as StarBlu, Verde Veronica, Sunflair, Lola Luna, Seafolly and Continental Textiles.

Swimwear is an inevitable aspect of the summer; however a huge majority of full-figured females feel fearful at the notion of shopping for swimsuits and bikinis that fit right. These women even think about wearing caftans by the swimming pool or at the beach rather than looking unpleasant. Designers and shopkeepers have indentified the fashion issues of the larger woman, and are at last featuring a wide selection of stylish bathing suit designs in XL sizes, and one of the best places to discover such swimwear is to buy swimwear on the Web.

If you are looking for safer online shopping you may want to consider a virtual credit card. It takes away a lot of the risk of personal information and credit card numbers falling into the hands of thieves.

A virtual credit card offers you the option of shopping online with a disposable credit card number that are single-use credit card numbers, which expire within one or two months.

The security benefit of using a virtual credit card for online shopping is your normal bank account is not affected if an online scam artist happens to get your account number.

There’s no value to hackers because you use a different, random card number every time you shop online. A virtual credit card number is only good on the Web site where you made your purchase.

With identity theft and email phising scams rising at an alarming level it’s a good way to keep your sensitive information private. Even if a scammer does somehow acquire your virtual credit card number, the disposable credit card number expires quickly so it’s not an ideal target for them.

The major credit card companies all offer prepaid virtual credit cards and the amount is limited to how much you apply to the card. You are protected just like a regular credit card if they are lost or stolen.

MasterCard calls them MasterCard gift cards and Visa calls them virtual Visa gift cards. You can use them anywhere MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

There are some instances when paying with a virtual credit card won’t work. You can’t pick up theater tickets; confirm airline, hotel or rental car reservations with a virtual credit card. These credit card numbers don’t exist off the Web so they don’t work for these things.

But if you are using the disposable credit card numbers for buying products online the security benefits are well worth it. If you are looking for safer online shopping consider a virtual credit card.

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