One of the worst things you can EVER say as a Loan Officer is "I don't have enough time." That is probably the one thing that will turn your borrower off so fast, neither one of you will know what hit you.
Now granted, there are some things that have unrealistic deadlines where the "I don't have enough time" thing makes sense, that's not the issue. The issue at hand is a false time constraint you put on yourself, such as "I don't have time to make the phone calls"; "I don't have time to meet with you on Saturday"; "I don't have time to go to the closing." Does that make sense?
If you tell someone you don't have enough time to do something that is PART OF YOUR JOB, then you really do look bad. Think of it this way, has someone you're dealing with on a professional level ever told you they don't have time? How did you feel about it? Think about this, if you were at your accountant's office and she said "I don't have time to do your taxes," how would that make you feel? Do you think that maybe, just maybe, your borrowers may have the same reaction to you?
As a Loan Officer, you're supposed to be busy. You're supposed to be able to handle several deals at once while giving each deal the impression that they are the only one you're dealing with.
The general public knows professionals are busy, but to say "I don't have time" does nothing but make you look bad, which is something nobody wants. If you eliminate that statement from your speech, you might be suprised at the results.
Here's something else to really think about, if you're closing 5 deals a month and "don't have enough time," how in the world will you ever get to close 10 deals a month? Wouldn't more deals mean less time? Something to think about.
Mahwah, NJ
NJ Mortgage & Marketing Professional
Hi Andrew - As always, an excellent post. When a Loan Officers tells a client that they "don't have time for them," what they are really saying is that "Whatever it is that you need from me is not worth my time at this moment." As a salesperson, there are few things that are more of a negative reflection on you than the perception that your time is more important than that of your client. Sure Loan Officers are busy. We all are - including our clients. And that is the way it is supposed to be. If we weren't busy and if our clients didn't need us, we would quickly be out of a job. Few things frustrate me more than LOs who either put their needs before that of their clients or those who, because of an inability to manage their time properly, mistake being busy for being disorganized. Also, and I know this from personal experience, when we are not as busy (such as in a down market) we yearn to be so. So LOs should continuously try to squeeze as much into a day as possible through better time management, because one never knows when a slow-down might occur.
Feb 27, 2008 06:12 AM
Naoma Doriguzzi - Virginia Beach, VA
770.498.7333 - Atlanta, GA
Learn to leverage technology to get more done.
Andrew - great post, especially this part: If you tell someone you don't have enough time to do something that is PART OF YOUR JOB, then you really do look bad. I can't imagine an originator telling someone "I don't have time." It must mean that, for some reason, they really don't want the business?
Mar 01, 2008 12:42 AM
Ask The Underwriter - Atlanta, GA
Blog: Ask The Underwriter
I'm taking notes! Great post, there are certain phrases I try to stay away from.....and time is a conversation I hate to have. There is never enough hours in the day.
Mar 12, 2008 09:11 PM
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