Editor's note: Today we are rerunning one of our favorite Sue Haviland columns. We hope you enjoy it.
As mortgage originators, we are constantly trying to build our "list", our database of customers and prospects. It is our lifeblood. So much effort and expense is spent on acquiring that lead and we all too often suffer from a failure to follow up once we have that prospect. Recently I was asked to prepare some comments on how we, as reverse mortgage originators can stay in front of our prospects and increase the likelihood that they will call us first when the time is right. You've heard it said in sales that for each month you don't reach out to your prospects, the chance they will contact you diminishes. It's no different with the senior population. The prospective reverse mortgage client wants to know that you are still around (especially give the current environment) and that their business is still important to you.
Anyone who reads this column with any regularity knows what a fan I am of the newsletter. For example, I offer a free VIAL OF LIFE in my newsletter from time to time. Reverse Mortgage Success members use this regularly in print ads and at senior fairs and expos to build a prospect list. But why not offer it in your newsletter...another opportunity to speak one on one with the prospect. Right about this time every year I place an order for holiday cards.....you guessed it...Thanksgiving cards. I have used the same company for years and this is the time to plan ahead and get that discount. Rather than wait until the hustle and bustle of the holiday season kicks in, I send Thanksgiving cards to all my clients, prospects, and referral partners. Sets you apart from the pack; they remember you.
Have you considered doing a webinar or teleclass for your senior prospects and their families? People appreciate being able to gather information from the comfort of their own home and you could record the teleclass and replay it several times. Better yet, a series of these will keep your prospects interested, and you are seen as the expert, providing useful information and guidance. Remember, more and more seniors are on the internet so don't think they will not be open to this type of communication. Take snippets from the webinar and post them on your social media sites. And use your social media sites to invite prospects to your webinars or teleclasses.
Are you collecting email addresses from your prospects? What a low-cost way to stay in touch. Offer an online version of your monthly or bi-monthly newsletter. The ways to stay in front of your clients and on their mind are many and varied, but can be structured to be extremely effective even on a small budget. Often, your time is the only thing spent, and you'll be impressed with the ROI.
Sue Haviland is a reverse mortgage consultant in Baltimore and the founder of Reverse Mortgage Success, a leader in the training and education for originators around the country in the rapidly growing reverse mortgage arena. Ms. Haviland has worked in the lending industry since 1981. She has been originating reverse mortgages for the last six years and still originates loans every day. She has helped hundreds of families all over the country in the last several years. She also shares her knowledge of this market in presentations before the Women's Council of Realtors, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Professional Mortgage Women, and SRES - Senior Real Estate Specialists, Brian Sacks' Insider Seminars, as well as the public. She is a Certified Senior Advisor and is active in many professional organizations. Sign up for her free seven-part mini-course at
