The Importance of Persistence for LOs

Persistence is a valuable skill for LOs to develop. We can’t afford to give up on a prospect too soon, and knowing how to be persistent in the right way — without being pushy — is how we convert more prospects to clients, and how we can achieve long-term success in the industry. I’ve written before about how persistence can be the key to sales success, here. But there’s more to it than what I covered in that article, and I wanted to explore some of those things this week. Here are some areas where persistence can be of particular benefit to your business:

With Your Prospects

LOs need to maintain a full pipeline, and persistence can play a big role in that. I see reluctance among my team sometimes to be persistent with prospects, they think they’re being overbearing or pushy; but pushy and persistent are not the same. Persistence does often require reaching out to prospects multiple times, though that doesn’t mean bombarding them with daily calls and a barrage of emails. It’s a strategic approach that requires some honing. When you’ve sharpened the skill, you won’t be making your prospects feel pressured, but instead you’ll be showing them that you’re interested in helping them make the right decision, and that you’re committed to their success. You can’t give up after one (or even two) unreturned calls, if you do, you’re going to leave a lot of business on the table.

With Your Marketing

There’s no endpoint with marketing — it’s an ongoing process that you should be refining all throughout your career. It’s not as simple as setting up a website and a few social-media profiles, getting some reviews to post online, and getting business cards printed; those things are a great foundation, but it will be with persistence that you maximize your marketing potential. You need to be consistently committed to building an audience and engaging with that audience in a meaningful way. That’s how we attract new business. Marketing success takes time, and it requires persistence because you won’t always see the benefits immediately.

With Your Mindset

Persistence has a positive effect on your mindset. It can color how you approach opportunities, and your business overall. A persistent mindset is all about determination, drive, and resilience. We have to be fully committed to reaching our goals, and we have to remain undeterred by the obstacles we face along the way to achieving them. Adopting this attitude will only amplify our progress.

Spend a little time looking at how persistent you are in your marketing, with prospects, and with your mindset; and see where you can make improvements. You’ll be glad you did.

If you like what you’re reading, you can get my weekly articles for loan officers right to your email inbox. Subscribe today at MD-LoanOfficer.com.