I was speaking with a friend of mine yesterday about the piece I wrote the other day on my main blog site regarding the other reverse mortgage guy who was trying to convince my client to not meet with me. During the conversation with my friend, who is also in the reverse mortgage business, I came up with, what I thought, was a pretty good analogy. So with that, I offer you this...

ANALOGY ALERT!

I like to golf. Not because I'm good at it, because I'm not. But because it's just a great game, and golf courses are typically beautiful places. Trees, water...and often times, wildlife can all be found during a round of golf. And I suppose I should also mention that I will spend part of my day playing in the sand, as well. <Sigh>

I digress.

The point I was making is that in golf, you may be competing against others to get a better score, but more accurately, your real competition is the course, itself. As much as I may want to beat my golf partners, I really have no control over their game. You see, you don't play defense in golf. I can't go stand in front of the hole while they're putting and swat away a good shot as if I were a goalie. All I can do is play my game as best I can, and that's really about it.

This is my attitude about my business, as well. I am going to do the very best I can in educating people about reverse mortgage, and if it's right for them or their loved ones, terrific. If they feel I'm right for them, terrific. I am not going to stand at their front door and swat away another reverse mortgage professional they may want to talk to. My goal is to educate the people I meet with as best I can. In the process, I do hope that they will consider me knowledgeable and personable. Thankfully, when discussing reverse mortgage, I'm much better at keeping things in the fairway and out of the trees, sand and water.

Like golf courses, no two people are the same. They all contain their own set of challenges. In golf, you may find two holes with the exact same yardage from the tee to the pin. However, there may be many variables which keep them from being identical. One could dog leg left, while another may bend to the right. One may be uphill, the other downhill. One may have water, another may have heavy trees. You get the idea. In reverse mortgage, you may find people in a situation which, on the surface, looks just like something else you've experienced. But when you spend time with them, you realize there are some significant differences and challenges. On the surface, two families I met with last week seem the same. However, their family and financial situations are very different. One has children who are very well off, financially, and very independent. In another case, the parents want to help their child get out of some credit problems. One family's home is in great shape with only some cosmetic issues they want to address. The other's roof has dry rot and is endangering their homeowners insurance coverage.

There is no defense in golf, and no two courses are the same. The same is true in reverse mortgage. Play your game to the best of your ability, keep getting better at it, and you'll find success. The difference is, when you improve in business, the client wins.

How sweet is that?