I think we all know that building our network is a valuable resource. What some of us may not know is how to do that efficiently and effectively. Maybe in the early days of your career you spent more time meeting new people and making connections, but those efforts diminished. Or maybe you just can’t find the time these days. Whatever the case, investing in expanding your network is one of the best ways I’ve found to build my pipeline. Here are a few tips for loan officers to grow their networks:
Your Online Presence
Ensuring you have a strong online presence can make it easier to make connections online. It gives potential contacts a sense of who you are and what you’re about, even if you’ve never met in person. It also shows that you’re active online, and that you’re engaged in what you do.
Initiate Conversations
With so much information available online, it’s easy to find enough commonality—with just about anyone— to spark a conversation. If you wait for someone to come to you, it likely won’t happen. Sending a simple, concise LinkedIn or Facebook message to whoever you’d like to connect with is often enough to act as a springboard into actual communication. Check out their online presence and see if you can reference some of what you find out about them in your message. The more personalized your message feels, the more likely you are to get a response.
Take it Offline
Just having your connection accepted doesn’t mean that relationship will progress any further. If you want to expand your network in a meaningful way, you need to invest in these connections. Once you make that first contact, see if you can set up a time to talk. A short phone call is a great way to solidify the connection and show that you’re interested in building a relationship.
Share
Set aside, for a moment, what you may want from your connection(s) and ask yourself what you have to offer them. When you approach networking with a sense of generosity, it can serve to accelerates the process.
If you’d like to talk about implementing a plan to build your network, I’d be happy to block off some time for a call.
Don Riggs
VP – Retail Market Leader
NMLS 132702
303.249.8274
