Our clients are at the heart of our business, so loan officers who intend on growing need to know what borrowers are looking for. This isn’t about radically changing your approach or redesigning your brand from the ground up, it’s about promoting the qualities you likely already have in order to stand out to potential clients. Understanding what consumers are looking for allows us to sell on value instead of price and to build long-term sustainable business in our community. Here are some of the things that borrowers are looking for in a loan officer:
Experience and Expertise
Getting a mortgage is often the largest financial decision (and commitment) in someone’s life, and borrowers want to work with someone they trust to guide them through the process. They want someone experienced with vast knowledge of the lending process who isn’t going to overlook any options or key steps. Highlighting your expertise through your branding, content marketing, and even in the way you communicate is a great way to amplify borrowers’ confidence in your ability to provide them with the help they need.
Awareness and Understanding
Borrowers also want to work with a loan officer who is aware. They want someone who will really listen to their needs and pay close attention to the details of their situation. A one-size-fits-all approach is not going to make the grade. Asking questions and actively listening to the answers any time you’re communicating with prospects and clients is the best way to demonstrate your capacity for understanding. Understanding a borrower’s goals and being passionate about achieving them goes a long way. You can also engage with (and respond to) your online audience the same way by sharing content that speaks to the needs of your borrowers.
Education and Clarity
Do you make it a point to inform and empower your prospects and clients? Borrowers are looking for someone who will patiently teach them what they need to know, not someone who rushes them through to closing as quickly as possible. Borrowers want to feel educated, and they want to work with a professional who is committed to being a resource for them. Again, a great way to do this is through the content you share. When you simplify industry jargon and explain the different options in your marketing and outreach, borrowers get the sense that you’re someone who can be a valuable resource for them. Of course, applying that same methodology to your day-to-day conversations is equally helpful.
Personality and Connection
Finally, borrowers want to make a connection with their loan officer. They’re not looking for a cold, impersonal experience — they want to build a relationship. This helps develop that sense of trust that they place such a high value on. People are naturally more likely to trust someone who they feel is a human and not a robot. Loan officers need to invest in cultivating that relationship with every prospect and client as part of their brand. They can also demonstrate this top-level commitment to their audience by creating an online presence that reflects their personality. Then, when a prospective client encounters you online, they’re able to make that connection immediately.
It’s important to, now and then, take a couple of steps back from our business and assess. Too often, I see loan officers heavily focusing on pricing wars and not presenting what value they bring to their clients. If we want to increase our business — and build long-term success — we need to know what our audience is looking for.
If you’d like to talk more about any of these ideas, or if there’s another issue I can be of assistance with, please reach out. I’m always happy to block off some time to connect.
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