My first manager in mortgages told me the Cockroach story as an example of a great sales moment. I think it s more than just a good story, you be the judge.
My manager is taking an application from a married couple. The loan officer is wearing a suit and tie and the client is blue-collar and in his work uniform. The application was not going well. The client didn't like this young kid in a suit making (in his mind) the decision to lend him money. The loan officer tried everything to bond with this guy but, for 45 minutes he just kept his arms folded and stared at my friend.
All the sudden the LO feels something on his neck. He reaches around to the back of his neck and grabs it. When he opens his hand he realizes it's a cockroach. My friend is from MN and not used to the size of the cockroaches in the south. Before he can think about it he jumps up, throws the cockroach across the room hitting the wall, while at the same time shouting the "F" word.
My buddy thought he had totally lost the deal but, a funny thing happened. The customer actually smiled for the first time. After the "cockroach" moment the application went smoothly. The customer told him that he would have done the same thing if there had been a cockroach on him. Everyone relaxed and loosened up after that.
Although you want to maintain professionalism and I am not advocating swearing for people that are not comfortable with it. However, sometimes being too professional is a turn off. I am married to a union mechanic who wears a blue uniform everyday and I know that he would rather have a loan officer that relates to him, than one who appears to be judging him. The bottom line is...if you are real with your clients they will appreciate it more than fancy talk and a nice office.
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