Posted by admin on March 30th, 2010
If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker looking to score some more customers the easy way, here are a few good ideas for a marketing strategy.
During the entire process of getting a loan ready for closing, you and your customer are met with more than one reason to celebrate other than at the closing table.
For example, before you can proceed with a loan, your customer must have an appraisal done on their home.
Once that appraisal comes in, both to the liking of you and your customer, send your customer an inexpensive congratulatory gift such as a tin of pretzels, cookies, or candy.
But make sure you send it to their place of employment.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by admin on March 4th, 2010
While reading some very informative material recently, I found myself inspired by a concept that enables a person to soar to higher heights. The concept of adding value to everything you do, when applied to specific areas of a person’s life, can bring that person to be highly sought after by those receiving the added value. The material I was reading focused on business and what this concept will do for the success of a business. Another way of looking at this concept is in the idea of doing more than is expected, or doing more than that which you are compensated to do. When doing this a person will be “weighed” against others who do not. In comparison, the person who adds value to all he/she does will be sought after to the degree that there will be keen competition for his/her service. As a person becomes more and more recognized for doing more than he/she is compensated to do, he/she will begin receiving more and more compensation for their services.
There is an additional benefit that comes to the person who exercises this concept in his/her business; the development of that person’s strength. In nature, do you suppose the strongest trees are those that are protected from the storms and hidden from the sun? This isn’t the case. The one that stands out in the open and bears all of the winds and rain and is shone upon by the blistering sun is the tree that develops the strength to withstand the most violent weather. This also is the case for the person who goes beyond expectation to deliver added value in everything he/she does. This is the person that becomes strong enough to succeed despite the adversities that one is sure to come up against in his/her business. The fact that most people are delivering as little as they can get by with, serves as a great advantage to you when you deliver added value. One who delivers as little as he/she can, may rest assured he/she will receive the same.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by admin on February 14th, 2010
Whenever decision-makers are willing to meet with you, you have reached a favorable juncture of circumstances. If you are then prepared to take advantage of this opportunity by building a level of trust with these individuals, there is a good chance that they will tell you enough about themselves so that you can easily recommend the appropriate package of your products and/or services that will meet their express needs.
Many top sales representatives feel that the sale is as good as closed if they can just obtain an appointment or meeting with a decision-maker. Their feeling is that their prospective customer must need their products or services or they would not be willing to set an appointment in the first place. The following checklist has been developed to help you make the most of a favorable juncture of circumstances and build the trust levels that are vital to your overall sales success:
Smile! No matter what kind of day you are having, if you will smile it will give those people you contact a feeling of acceptance. It will also help you feel better about your day. Tape a smiley-face or the word “smile” on your desk or telephone to remind you of the importance of a smile on your face and in your voice. Top sales professionals use the technique of thinking of a funny story or the latest joke they have heard just before meeting a prospective customer. Thinking about the story or joke almost assures them of having a smile on their face as they meet a decision-maker for the first time. Make sure you are smiling as you call for appointments or are conducting a sales presentation.
Shake your client’s or prospect’s hand. A warm, firm, friendly handshake goes a long way in building a trusting relationship. It tells your clients or prospects that you are a friendly person and that you are glad to see them. If your handshake is limp it can leave a negative impression. It can be equally as bad to grip someone’s hand too hard. Remember you only have one chance to make a great first impression.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by admin on January 21st, 2010
It is often said that it is not who you know that matters, it is who knows you. Well I would like to extend this statement by saying that it is not only who you know and who knows you, but how well do you know them and they you?
In business, networking is the ultimate form of promotion. It can help you to obtain new clients, a new job, or even help you to move up the corporate ladder. It is the process of building relationships. Any time that you attend a meeting, trade show, or a social function, you are networking whether you realize it or not. It is the relationship that you have with people, a prospect or a client that makes the difference between success and failure.
Often we fail to realize the reasons that we have for doing business with an individual or a company. In the case of products that we regularly buy, what helps us to make the buying decision? There are those that will buy a specific brand of product because they trust that brand to be of a high quality or durability. There are others that will make a buying decision based on price, although this is less frequently the case. Often we simply do business because we feel good about it. In fact most purchases or decisions to do business are based on two things. Trust and comfort. Trust is a very intangible emotion or feeling. How do you measure it? How do you develop it?
Read the rest of this entry »