Business Organization for the Mortgage Broker - A $0.75 Productivity Tool
I am always on the lookout for tips mortgage professionals can use to simply and organize their business. The more affordable these tools are, the better.
Here's a business productivity tool I use, and it only costs 75 cents - it's the post-it note.
Yes, I admit it. The idea that a post-it note can help you be more organized seems odd. In most time management and goal setting classes, we are encouraged to stop using post-it notes as to-do lists, and instead organize our to-do-lists in one place. I wholeheartedly agree with that advice.
I use post-it notes in other ways.
To create processes and systems.
When I am working on documenting or systematizing a particular part of my business, I find that writing the steps on post-it notes makes the process easier and more efficient. I don't have to focus on which step comes first, etc., all I do is write each step on a post-it note. I post the notes on a clean surface (ex., a whiteboard). Once I'm done, I can organize the notes, discard the ones that don't fit, and then enter the steps into my computer. Using post-it notes easily cuts the time I spend documenting processes in half.
Here are 2 ways I've used post-it notes to create systems.
To create the step-by-step system to use to help my mortgage clients improve their search engine optimization results.
For my annual business brain dump. When I launched my business over 8 years ago, I participated in an excellent, in-depth entrepreneurial training program. This program included a "brain dump" exercise, where we were supposed to write down every thing involved in running a business. This exercise had a two-fold purpose: (1) to come up with an accurate estimate of how much time you need to spend in and on your business and (b) to start thinking of tasks you can outsource.
To tag my notebooks.
I use a hybrid system of Outlook tasks and a spiral bound notebook. All of my to-do items go into tasks, and my daily notes go into my spiral bound notebook. Each notebook, then, is a record of my activities during a particular time period. Occasionally, I'll jot something in my notebook when I don't have the time to type it into my computer.
So, give this mortgage productivity tool a good look.
JC Kiadii, Mortgage Virtual Assistance and Internet Marketing Services . 770-469-7385. Are you reaching out to the 87% of new buyers who start their search online? Our team provides results-driven mortgage Internet marketing services. Visit our website and sign up for the More Closings email newsletter to receive the report 6 Steps to More Referrals.
In addition to customizing email newsletter templates, setting up
auto-responders, developing ezine content, and building subscriber
lists, I also check open rates to recognize email response patterns.
One of my most surprising findings is that the best
time to launch your email marketing program is during a holiday season.
It can be any holiday - Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, or the
Christmas and New Year's season.
Do not use the holiday themed
email newsletter to market your services
- instead, send a simple holiday greeting and include a link to your
website. Why? People are inundated by, and therefore resistant
to, marketing messages. People cannot seem to resist opening an email
with a holiday themed subject line such as "Happy Thanksgiving."
The high open rates allow you to introduce your new mortgage email
marketing newsletter to a receptive audience. That way, your audience
won't be surprised when they get future email newsletters advertising
your services.
JC Kiadii, Mortgage Virtual Assistance and
Internet Marketing Services .
770-469-7385. Are you
reaching out to the 87% of new buyers who start their search online?
Our team provides results-driven
mortgage Internet marketing services.
Visit our website and sign up for the More Closings
email newsletter to receive the report 6
Steps to More Referrals.
Excel 2007 Comprehensive Class - 5 Sessions - 17.5 hours.
A comprehensive MS Excel 2007 course, covering Excel functions, formatting, PivotTables, PivotCharts and more. Ideally suited for job seekers. This course covers objectives included in the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) Exam 77-602.
What
Students Say: Learning
how to
use Excel spreadsheets has enabled me to record
and interpret
data in a MUCH FASTER and more efficient way.
I had been
putting off how to use Excel, and Jackie greatly relieved my anxiety by
showing me the ropes of Excel and making
it easy for me to
learn.
This course is eligible for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits.
Why attend this Atlanta Quickbooks training class?
These quickbooks classes are taught by a tech-savvy acccountant with 15 years' experience. You not only learn the technical side of QuickBooks, you also learn fundamental accounting practices.
Small class sizes (limited to 8 students), so you get the benefit of personalized attention.
Computer-based training. Each student gets their own workstation, so it makes it easy to follow along with the class.
Affordably priced classes to fit in your budget. This course is $100 less than most classes in the area.
All Quickbooks classes are conducted at an Inuit approved training centerconveniently located near Lavista Road and I285 in Atlanta.
All classes use Intuit approved curriculum, and your Quickbooks class tuition includes Intuit approved textbooks.
Quickbooks classes are held on evenings and weekends, perfect for someone with a busy schedule.
Quickbooks Certification Exam at 50% off the price.
It seems as if we are on a never-ending quest to accomplish more in less time. Email, smart-phones, to-do lists -- each tool we acquire has to be learned and managed, which in turn leaves us with even less time.
Whenever I find a tip or tool that works, I share it in case you can use it also.
For several years, this tool has helped me be more productive, and the great part is - it costs less than $3!
Here are a couple of ways I use the kitchen timer:
To focus on tasks that need to be completed ASAP. There's just something about knowing that alarm is about to go off that makes you more efficient. I set the timer when it's time to file paperwork, for example, work as fast as I can, and get that lovely feeling of accomplishment when its done.
To increase my speed. Although I can come up with good work when I'm inspired, alas, I am the world's slowest writer. Considering the fact that I maintain 2 blogs, 2 ezines, and write for other websites, this is not good. So, after revieiwing my topic, I set the timer for 15 or 30 minutes and work as fast as until the timer goes off.
JC Kiadii, Mortgage Virtual Assistance and Internet Marketing Services . 770-469-7385. Are you reaching out to the 87% of new buyers who start their search online? Our team provides results-driven mortgage Internet marketing services. Visit our website and sign up for the More Closings email newsletter to receive the report 6 Steps to More Referrals.
Welcome
to this installment of the Word of the Week. This week's word is an
eight-letter word that starts with an s. According to dictionary.com,
the word means "cheerfully optimistic, hopeful or
confident."
It is easy to be sanguine when things are going well, but it takes an
inner core of strength, of faith to be sanguine as you face what can
only be described as terrifying choices and challenges. A sanguine
person believes that no matter
what happens, it's for the best. A sanguine person doesn't fuss or
fret. A sanguine person handles pain and loss with grace.
JC Kiadii, Mortgage Virtual Assistance and
Internet Marketing Services .
770-469-7385. Are you reaching
out to the 87% of new buyers who start their search online?
Our team provides results-driven
mortgage Internet marketing services.
Visit our website and sign up for the More Closings
email newsletter to receive the report 6
Steps to More Referrals.
Close
to 20 years ago, a group of us formed a Toastmaster's chapter
at our company.
One of the key elements
of Toastmasters is that everyone had to have a job. My favorite was
grammarian, where I delighted
in coming up with obscure, multi-syllabic
words to amuse my rest of the group. All week, I'd have people
throughout the building yelling out the word (ex.,
obstreperous) whenever they saw me. What can I say, we were silly.
In honor of my brief tenure as grammarian, I introduce to you a new
blog feature: Jackie's word of the week.
"incapable
of being tired out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring."
I simply love this word, and it is certainly appropriate for these
challenging times. Here are 3 reasons why "indefatigable" is a favorite.
Being
indefatigable unleashes a reserve of strength you never knew you had. While
talking to one of my power partners a few months ago, I found myself
explaining that I wasn't going to worry about obstacles. Instead, I was
going to channel the hard headed child I used to be and just keep on
going. I. will. not. stop.
Just saying those words transformed me.
Reflecting on that sentiment keeps me encouraged and focused.
Being
indefatigable neutralizes the haters.
According to urbandictionary.com, a hater is "A
person that simply
cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy
they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person."
We all have our
share of hates, the wet blankets of the world who delight in trying
their best to stamp out joy.
There is nothing like moving ahead, no
matter what, that discourages haters and makes them move on to bother
someone else. Once or twice I have had to look a hater in the eye and
sweetly say "I just won't stop. As long as the Lord wakes me up in good
health and in my right mind, I just won't stop." I encourage you to try
this - if for no other reason than to see the expression on that
person's face.
Being
indefatigable leads to success.
Sooner or later, if you won't quit, you will achieve success. You may
not achieve success in your chosen goal, but the habit of
stick-to-itness will reap results, sometimes in an area you never
imagined.
Music
for the indefatigable (the links take you to the youtube videos).
JC
Kiadii, Mortgage Virtual Assistance and
Internet Marketing
Services . 770-469-7385. Are
you reaching out to the 87% of
new buyers who start their search online?
Our team provides results-driven
mortgage Internet marketing services.
Visit our website and sign up
for the More Closings
email newsletter to receive the report 6
Steps to More Referrals.
Looking for a topical, timely topic for your mortgage blog?
Here's an idea.
Tomorrow, October 15, 2009 is the ABA's Get Smart About Credit day. Although designed for students, you can tie-in to this day by creating a blog post (or series) on credit management.
JC
Kiadii, Mortgage Virtual Assistance and
Internet Marketing
Services . 770-469-7385. Are
you reaching out to the 87% of
new buyers who start their search online?
Our team provides results-driven
mortgage Internet marketing services.
Visit our website and sign up
for the More Closings
email newsletter to receive the report 6
Steps to More Referrals.
This course is eligible for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits.
Why attend this Atlanta Quickbooks training class?
These quickbooks classes are taught by a tech-savvy acccountant with 15 years' experience. You not only learn the technical side of QuickBooks, you also learn fundamental accounting practices.
Small class sizes (limited to 8 students), so you get the benefit of personalized attention.
Computer-based training. Each student gets their own workstation, so it makes it easy to follow along with the class.
Affordably priced classes to fit in your budget. This course is $100 less than most classes in the area.
All Quickbooks classes are conducted at an Inuit approved training centerconveniently located near Lavista Road and I285 in Atlanta.
All classes use Intuit approved curriculum, and your Quickbooks class tuition includes Intuit approved textbooks.
Quickbooks classes are held on evenings and weekends, perfect for someone with a busy schedule.
Quickbooks Certification Exam at 50% off the price.
All courses will be held at the Atlanta Fulton County Library
West End Branch 525 Peeples St SW Atlanta, GA 30310-1823 (404) 752-8741
QUESTIONS?? Please call the library (404) 752-8741
October 5 - 6:00 pm - Affordable, Effective Online Marketing
Online marketing is an extremely effective way to reach a wide audience. Many online marketing methods are affordable, and do not require a website. Learn proven ways to market your business or organization online. No cost, registration required: http://online-marketing-we.eventbrite.com
October 19 - 6:00 pm - What you should know before you establish a website:
This seminar covers essential information business owners should have before they hire a web designer or build their own website. Topics covered include: 6 steps to a successful website, 3 requirements for a persuasive website, the questions you should ask a web designer and more. No cost, registration required: http://websites-we.eventbrite.com/
November 2 - 6:00 pm - What's new with Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 has a completely different interface from previous versions. Attend this seminar to learn how to share your files with Office 2003 users, how to navigate the ribbon, and more. This seminar will explore new features in Word, Excel, and Outlook 2007. No cost, registration required: http://office-2007-we.eventbrite.com
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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