Madison Mortgage Services Inc.
Company NMLS # 1862796
Equal Housing Opportunity
One thing I learned early in my career is that I want to enjoy the people I work with.
You don't have to be best friends with every Realtor, investor, or client. But I think there's real value in working with people you connect with, people you enjoy talking to, and people who appreciate how you operate.
That makes the business more enjoyable, and it gives you a stronger foundation for a long-term relationship.
But enjoying somebody's company doesn't change your responsibility to them. If a Realtor sends you a client, or a borrower trusts you with a mortgage, you have to take that responsibility seriously.
Answer your phone. Do what you say you're going to do. Execute when it matters.
Find people you enjoy working with, build real trust, and deliver on your commitments. That's how you create relationships that are both personally rewarding and professionally valuable.
@blavmtg
@jahn.mortgage
@mtgbygabe
A little team bonding goes a long way. 💙
Madison Mortgage in full effect! 🙌
#MadisonMortgage #TeamMadison #TeamCulture #MortgageLife #UWMSuccessTrack
Yessss
Licensed in 47 states. United as one team. Building a culture you want to be part of! 💙😎
Who says mortgage companies can’t pass the vibe check? 😉
MadisonMortgage TeamMadison UWMSuccessTrack MortgageCareers CompanyCulture
After a great meeting with a Realtor, my follow-up isn't necessarily about trying to get a deal out of them immediately.
I'll call, text, and check in. I'll ask how things are going and make an effort to keep the relationship moving forward.
For me, the relationship itself matters. I want to work with people I enjoy spending time with, people I have things in common with, and people I genuinely want to see succeed.
You don't need to force a business conversation into every interaction. If you've established a good relationship and consistently demonstrate that you're reliable, opportunities can develop naturally.
Of course, you still have to execute when those opportunities arrive. A good personal connection doesn't replace good business practices.
Build relationships with people you like, stay in touch, and give the relationship room to grow. That's a much stronger foundation than constantly asking when they're going to send you a loan.
When I'm looking for a real estate partner, I'm looking for somebody who is genuinely excited about the business.
The people I tend to connect with are still energized by getting transactions done. They want to grow, improve, and do more business, even when they're already successful.
I relate to that because I'm wired the same way. I want to work with people who are enthusiastic, who take execution seriously, and who are willing to put in the effort to get results.
That doesn't mean everybody has to operate exactly like I do. You need to understand your own personality and the type of partner you work best with.
If you prefer a different style, find Realtors who value that style.
The goal is alignment. Find people who share your approach to business and who want a mortgage partner they can count on.
When you're meeting with a Realtor, two things can separate you from the other lenders trying to win their business.
First, be responsive. Realtors consistently deal with loan officers who don't answer their phones or respond when something important comes up. If you can be the person who communicates clearly and reliably, you're already addressing a real problem.
Second, ask what they actually want from their mortgage partner.
Don't assume you know what matters to them. Find out whether they value pricing, communication, complex scenario support, or something else entirely.
Then determine whether you can deliver what they're looking for.
If you're consistently reaching out to new Realtors every week, those conversations will create opportunities. But the goal isn't simply to get someone to try you once. It's to become the mortgage professional they trust to handle their clients and deliver on their commitments.
Persistence matters more than people realize, and I've seen it make a difference firsthand.
I once connected with a loan officer in Texas who wanted to join our organization. His production wasn't where it needed to be, and I initially wasn't convinced he was the right fit.
But he kept reaching out. I'd leave a message unanswered, and he'd follow up again a couple of days later. He didn't take the lack of an immediate response as a reason to give up.
Eventually, his persistence got my attention. We had someone from our team speak with him, and they saw what I was starting to see: he was hungry, eager, and willing to put in the work.
We gave him an opportunity.
You can't manufacture that kind of drive. If you want something, be persistent enough to show people you mean it.
If I have two minutes with a Realtor, I'm not going to spend that time giving them a sales pitch about my rates or how quickly I can close a loan.
I'd start by telling them something that matters: I'm responsive, I answer my phone, and when you need me, I'll make sure you know I've received your call and when I'll get back to you.
Then I'd ask a simple question: What do you value most in a mortgage professional?
The answer is different for every Realtor. Some want constant communication. Others care most about complex loan scenarios, pricing, or execution.
You need to understand what matters to them before you can determine whether you're the right fit.
Don't walk into the meeting trying to sell yourself. Walk in trying to understand the person sitting across from you.
If you're trying to get a Realtor's attention, stop assuming your opening pitch needs to be about rates, closing speed, or how great your company is.
Every lender is telling them some version of the same thing. After a while, it all sounds identical.
My approach is to be a human being first. Find people you genuinely connect with, understand their business, and figure out whether you have the kind of working relationship that makes sense for both of you.
You won't find the right fit in every conversation. That's exactly why you need to meet multiple people every week.
The goal isn't to convince every Realtor to work with you. It's to find the ones who value what you bring, enjoy working with you, and trust you to execute.
When I was building my business, one of the things that made a real difference was creating two or three new connections every week.
That could mean attending a networking event, having lunch with a Realtor, or visiting open houses on a Saturday or Sunday. You have to be willing to put yourself in situations where relationships can develop.
But don't show up just to ask for business. Look for ways to help the people you're meeting. Understand what they're trying to accomplish and where you can add value to their business.
When you help other people grow, they have a reason to want to see you succeed, too.
That's what makes this business enjoyable. You're building relationships, working together, and helping each other close transactions. Make that a consistent part of your week, and the opportunities will follow.
How many new referral partners should you be meeting every month? It depends on your production goals, but the important thing is to work backward from the numbers.
If you're trying to close ten transactions a month, I'd be looking to meet two or three new potential referral partners every week. That's roughly eight to twelve new conversations a month, giving you enough opportunities to develop meaningful relationships.
Not every meeting will turn into business. Some relationships take months to develop, and others won't be a fit at all.
That's why consistency matters more than a short burst of activity. You might need to prospect aggressively for six months before you see a significant return.
Set a realistic weekly target and stick to it. Business development compounds, but only if you keep showing up.
The people make all the difference.
At Madison Mortgage, we believe great loan officers deserve the support, resources, and opportunities to reach their full potential.
Your success starts with the right team.
#madisonmortgage #loanofficer #mortgagecareers #mortgagerecruiting #realestategoals
Everybody talks about building relationships, but that doesn't make it easy. Developing referral partners takes time, effort, and a genuine willingness to get out there and meet people.
The best loan officers I know enjoy that part of the business. They like networking, meeting new people, and finding ways to help others grow.
But not everybody starts with that skill set.
If you're an exceptional loan executor but struggle with business development, you have to work on that weakness. You can't expect a strong operational game to generate enough loans if you're not creating opportunities.
The reverse is true, too. If you're great at bringing in business but struggle with execution, you need a team that can support you.
Long-term success comes from getting both sides right: developing the business and delivering on it.
The difference between an average loan officer and an exceptional one often comes down to a simple discipline: do what you say you're going to do.
Set the right expectations. Communicate clearly. Then execute.
You can spend all the time in the world developing Realtor relationships, but if you don't deliver when those relationships turn into business, they won't last.
You'll keep meeting new people and adding contacts to your network, but you'll constantly be replacing relationships instead of building lasting ones.
That gets expensive in terms of time and opportunity.
You also need the right operational infrastructure to support the promises you make. Great service isn't just about being responsive. It's about having a process that allows you to deliver consistently.
Your reputation is built on what happens after you get the opportunity.
When a loan officer tells me they have good Realtor relationships but aren't getting enough referrals, my first question is whether they have enough of the right Realtors.
Are those agents actively working with buyers? Are they doing enough transactions to support your production goals? And do you have enough relationships to begin with?
If you're working with five agents and not getting enough business, you may need 15 or 20 productive relationships instead.
But adding relationships is only half the equation. You also have to execute. If you pre-approve a borrower, that approval needs to mean something. If you set a closing expectation, you need to deliver.
Build a larger network of active referral partners, set realistic expectations, and consistently do what you say you're going to do. That's how you build a business that grows over time.