So here’s what normally happens: Your borrower applies for a loan with you. They send in their documents. They get a call from a “stranger” asking them to explain the NSF on the VOD.
And they are asking themselves, “Who is this person and what language are they talking?”
One of the ways to start the lender/borrower relationship on the right track is to introduce your mortgage team — the people who will be processing and closing the loan — and do it in such a way that you don’t use the language called “mortgagese” (like NSF and VOD, which in English is a report of insufficient funds on the verification of deposit form) so borrowers know:
Who they are talking to
Why they will be contacting them
And their direct phone numbers and email
I used this “Who’s Who on Your Mortgage Team” handout for over 15 years, and I swear that this simple introduction and job description handout eliminated at least 50% of my phone calls. I was able to spend time doing what I needed to do most — implementing lead generation marketing and taking loan applications. After all, that’s the only way you make money, right?
At every face-to-face loan application, my clients received a printed flyer with the names, pictures and a general job description of what each staff member does and how to contact them directly.
If they applied online, they received an email (not an attachment) introducing the team. And, when they visit your website, you should consider including your team’s info there.
Here is a list of nine things to keep in mind, especially when writing your own descriptions.
1. The word “you” is used as many times as possible. “You” is the most important word to incorporate in your text. It’s personal without having to mention their name.
2. Use common analogies and stay away from mortgage terms. They won’t understand if you use technical words in the flyer.
3. Include that “we warned that we might need more documents.” While we want everything to go smoothly, it won’t — so prepare your client for that possibility.
4. The loan officer is the last person to be mentioned in this flier. You want them to call your staff first — the LO is the person of last resort.
5. Don’t get too detailed. No need to provide a detailed job description or length of time in the mortgage business. It’s already assumed that you have a competent staff.
6. Always include pictures. A picture of each staff member creates familiarity and community.
7. Include something personal. It’s important that your borrowers know a little bit about your staff on a personal level too, that they are real people, with families, hobbies and interests.
8. Include an extra space to add other people who might be involved. Leave a space to write in the real estate agent’s or builder’s name and phone number. You want the client to refer to this flyer regularly.
9. Include your staff in the writing process. I suggest that you, the loan officer, write the staff descriptions and ask each person to review it for two reasons. The first one is to ensure that the information is correct. But the second, more important reason is that they know what the client is being told and what’s expected of them.
One more thing: if you take loan applications in your office and your staff is available, either ask the staff to come to your office to meet the borrowers personally, or take the borrowers to the staff’s office to meet them individually (if only for a few minutes) so that they get to meet the person face-to-face.
