With so many clients and tasks to juggle each day, it’s no doubt that many busy loan officers are looking for ways to improve their efficiency. From prospecting to interacting with current clients, there are many hidden places where valuable time can be lost. Instead of letting the hours slip through the cracks, try out a few of these tips to improve your efficiency:
Create an efficient lead-generation process
For many LOs, their lead-generation process can be a major source of wasted time. If you haven’t given much thought to improving this area, now is the time. Start tracking each stage of your lead-generation strategy to see where the inefficiency lies. Look to your marketing. How effective have your online campaigns been? Do some posts get great engagement while others get none? In addition to the content of your marketing, look at how you’re going about it. Have you automated, delegated, or outsourced parts of the process, or are you doing it all manually on your own? Wherever the weakness is in your process, by identifying it and working to improve it, you can strengthen your productivity.
Prepare for meetings ahead of time
Never underestimate the power of being prepared. LOs that are serious about having productive meetings and interactions know how important it is be proactive and prepare accordingly. Researching what your prospects are looking for before meeting with them will help make the meeting more fruitful. When it comes to your clients, looking into which loan programs may interest them and having printed handouts will not only make you appear more helpful and credible, but it will also make the meeting more efficient. LOs giving presentations or meeting with partners should also prepare as much as possible beforehand. By valuing your time and the time of whoever you’re meeting with, you can start having shorter meetings that are more productive than the longer ones you may have had in the past.
Be responsive and available to clients
In this digital age, many things have changed in the mortgage industry. This digital accessibility creates some key advantages for loan officers. By utilizing a digital messaging system with clients, whether through an app, email, or text, loan officers can easily answer questions without pausing for a longer phone call. Allowing online document sharing between you and your clients will help save both of you time and speed up the closing process. The more available and accessible you are to clients, the happier they’ll be and the smoother the loan closing process can go. When you interact more efficiently, you’ll be able to accommodate more clients without decreasing the quality of your work.
Outline and track each step of the process
Mapping out the necessary steps of the closing process is great for loan officers, but it’s even more beneficial when they share it with their clients. LOs should make an outline of all of the action items and general steps needed for the closing to go smoothly. When you’re keeping track of each step that needs completing, you can stay on top of your own responsibilities and those of your clients. More importantly, it keeps clients informed, showing them what they need to do to keep the processing moving. Using an app or emailing clients with their next action step can be helpful to keep everyone on the same page. Sharing a checklist of what needs to be accomplished is a smart way to keep everything moving efficiently for both you and your clients.
Anticipate difficult questions
Your clients, especially first-time buyers, will have a lot of questions along the way. As their loan originator, they’re looking to you for the answers. If you prepare yourself as much as possible, you’ll keep the process moving along efficiently. Having an FAQ page on your website is a great place to start. This can help prospects and clients find answers to the more common questions you hear. By making space in every meeting for clients to ask questions, you’ll prevent misunderstandings or confusion from slowing you down in the future.
There are only so many hours in a day, (and only so many of those that you can spend in the office). If you want to grow your business, work with more clients, and stay in control of your time, boosting your efficiency is key. By making simple shifts — automating and delegating certain activities, dedicating more time to meeting prep, utilizing digital communication, tracking the loan process, and preparing for questions, you can use your time more effectively and grow your business more steadily.
