You already know this, but you’re in a very competitive business. So, you may want to give these loan officer sales tips a try.
Your customers are taking a huge risk by choosing you out of all lenders to snag the loan that’ll help them purchase their (very expensive) house.
That’s why you should make sure to use every opportunity to create a personalized and valuable sales process that will secure their trust and their business.
Stand apart from the crowd, generate a continuous stream of leads, and engage your prospects faster – whatever your next goal might be, here’s some advice on how to close more mortgage loans.
1. Be Ready to Deliver Your Elevator Pitch. Always!
/ˈeləˌvādər piCH/: a quick description of an idea, product, or company that explains the concept in a way that any listener can understand in a short time.
Your next client can come from anywhere at any time – will you be ready to welcome them with a killer elevator pitch?
But not just your plain, uninspired elevator pitch that will have your potential clients rolling their eyes.
You need a strong value proposition that’s simple, memorable, punchy, and most importantly, to the point. It should take well under 30 seconds and no more than two sentences, to be more precise.
As for the structure, stick to the following and talk about the challenge(s) they face, what you do to help them, and how they will benefit from your help.
To strengthen your mortgage sales process, craft your pitch with these elements in mind.
Tell a story 📖
People love stories, and this tactic allows you to humanize your pitch and make it more relatable.
Telling how many deals you closed last year is just a statistic and doesn’t mean much to your potential clients, not to mention that it comes across as bragging.
On the other hand, offering a context and sharing some details about your happy clients is something that will create a backdrop and add an emotional component to your elevator pitch.
Mention a young family you helped purchase their dream home with 100% mortgage financing. Or a hard-working single mom who was finally able to become a homeowner after years of renting thanks to an awesome interest rate.
It’s obvious that such stories are much more impactful than a generic stat-filled pitch.
Be enthusiastic 🚀
Zest is contagious. So, by showing how passionate about your job you are, your potential clients will perceive you as authentic and willing to help them.
It’s a good idea to tell them why you love your job and what excites you about it. Given that you practically make your clients’ dreams come true by helping them get financing and purchase a home.
Make it about them 🤝
Instead of blowing your own horn and talking about yourself, focus on your clients and their wellbeing. That’s a surefire way to capture their attention and show them you have their best interest at heart.
Also, drop the industry lingo if you want your potential clients to actually understand what you’re talking about and how exactly you can help them. Your message has to be clear and conveyed in your audience’s language.
That’s how you’ll be able to engage the listener and immerse them in the conversation.
Don’t try to close ❌
Yes, it might sound a bit counterintuitive, but you should never try to close during your elevator pitch. Its point is in drumming up some interest in your offer and creating a business opportunity by connecting with a potential client.
So, your goal at this stage is to spark your prospects’ curiosity.
Tweak it as you go ⚙️
A successful elevator pitch sounds natural. And coming off as smooth takes practice and tweaking.
After you deliver your pitch in front of real prospects a couple of times, you’ll notice that it’s still rough around the edges and that it needs to be refined.
Besides, no pitch is one-size-fits-all, which means you’ll have to come up with several different messages for diverse audiences. For example, you won’t pitch to a first-time home buyer in the same manner as someone who’s trying to build and expand their property portfolio.
Practice, practice, practice 🏃
Honing your message takes time. Although you’ll get an idea of how it works after delivering it to a real prospect, you should practice the delivery with your co-workers and friends.
Since an elevator pitch is a powerful method for generating new business opportunities, these role-play and mock sales conversations can help you build your self-confidence and learn how to ad-lib.
2. Market + Mindset
Mortgages aren’t lemonade stands – it’s not the kind of product you can sell anywhere or to anyone.
You have to understand exactly who your market is to close more loans, which means you also have to get into the customer’s mindset.
Before you offer a solution, pay attention to specific details: their behaviors, needs, timelines, concerns, dealbreakers, past experiences with mortgage loans, and more.
Use that intel to zero in on the best options to present.
Customers want to be able to see themselves using your products, right? The better you understand your market segmentation, the more you can tailor your sales activities to each customer’s needs and expectations.
3. Act Quickly
You don’t have all day – or even the next minute, so don’t be a slowpoke.
Once buyers lay eyes on their dream, the only thing that keeps them from moving in right this instant is a mortgage loan. Ahem, fine, it’s more than that; just go with it.
Every minute counts, so remember: Being a successful mortgage loan officer requires speed. Quick responses and short approval time will win over your customers every single time.
And since we’re in the 21st century, there’s an even easier way to reach your customers at lightning speed.
With video as a sales automation tool, you’ll be able to reach out to your prospects using pre-recorded video messages that address FAQs and instructions.
It’s best to automate the communication and schedule these videos to be sent to clients at a particular point during the loan process.
4. Reblog, Comment, Share, Connect
Slacking on social media?
Big mistake.
As overwhelming as it can be, social media is a super-effective way to gain new customers + stand out as a loan officer.
Here are four social media tips for loan officers to build trust, acquire more leads, and drive more engagement.
Be an industry expert
Show off your expertise through videos, blogs, infographics, and more to inform your network across platforms.
After all, who wants to enter a major and stressful commitment with someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about?
Create a paid social strategy
Organic growth is necessary and helps you understand your customer base, paid social gives you more insights into their needs and interests, plus you’ll gain more quality leads.
Create paid social campaigns alongside organic ones for more effective results.
Pair up with marketing
A tight sales and marketing team = a more successful brand.
As you connect with more customers and grow your audience, collaborate with the marketing team to create sales-based content that’s tailored for your following – and because they’re experts, they’ll know just how to fill up that pipeline.
Don’t forget about personal engagement
Develop personal connections as you go to keep your brand active and relevant.
Whenever someone comments on or shares your posts, follow up and slide in their DMs. Little touchpoints add up; before you know it, you’ve got a new customer.
As any loan officer will tell you that robust referral networks are essential.
Encourage your customers to follow your page or leave a recommendation.
One-to-one, word-of-mouth referrals are great.
Public endorsements and social engagement are even better.
5. Quitters don’t close
Remember the part about this being a major and stressful commitment? That means you should adjust your expectations.
The mortgage sales process is a long one, so don’t try to rush your prospect and close the deal too early. That’s the perfect recipe to spook them and lose their business.
Many loan officers ditch the prospect and give up after two meetings, but stats say it takes an average of five meetings with a business owner or buyer to land the sale.
In the meantime? Get busy making your mortgage sales process more valuable.
6. Get consultative
When you act like your prospect’s advocate, their guard goes down, and the trust goes up.
And that’s exactly what you get when executing a consultative selling approach. It’s a tactic that helps you position yourself as an expert guide instead of a pushy salesperson.
Between us friends, the traditional mortgage sales process isn’t super intuitive. It’s more focused on closing the deal by any means rather than taking the time to learn your customer’s budget, preferences, lifestyle, and anything else that helps you provide the most value.
What if you go with a less threatening approach? That’ll get you a John Hancock where it counts.
Here’s the breakdown of the consultative selling approach for loan officers:
- Research – You have to understand how they found out about you, not just what mortgage product they want.
- Ask – Only ask open-ended questions that lead your prospect to volunteer more information about themselves that describes their needs.
- Listen – Actively listen with intent and focus on ensuring you understand your prospects correctly.
- Teach – Don’t just focus on selling the product. Look for opportunities to help customers address any challenges in the way of their goals.
- Qualify – You don’t work with just anyone, right? This is where you assess whether the prospect is your ideal customer.
- Seal the deal – Qualified? ✔️ Rapport? ✔️ Presented the best option for their needs? ✔️ Bring it on.
7. Don’t Hesitate to Ask
While it’s true that you should avoid being pushy at all costs, there’s nothing wrong with asking for the sale. Quite the contrary, to sell, you have to be direct and ask.
But only after you’ve added value and built a meaningful connection with your prospects. In other words, you first need to give something and show your potential client that you care about them.
So, generously share your knowledge and expertise, be there for them, and establish yourself as a trusted consultant when it comes to loans and mortgages. Once you gain their trust, asking them whether they’re interested in a loan is a logical step. To ensure all your financial agreements are precise and legally binding, utilize comprehensive loan agreement template, tailored to safeguard your transactions and streamline your paperwork.
VanillaSoft comes with a priority-based lead management feature that will present the best new leads and follow-up activities automatically.
This means you’ll be served with the potential clients that are most likely to say yes and convert when you call them. In other words, you won’t have to waste your time pitching prospects that are still cold and risk losing them.
Conclusion
These simple tips go a long way when it comes to closing a mortgage loan. Understanding your audience, using their language, focusing on their pain points, and offering them a solution is what you should focus on. Now, I don’t have to write a whole new section to tell you to always follow up, do I?
