Sunday, January 10, 2010

Mortgage Marketing Ideas For Success



Mortgage Marketing Ideas: Getting Back To Basics...



Considering the current state of the economy, mortgage brokers have to work harder than ever before to earn a living. Unlike during housing booms when buyers are flooding the market, these tighter economic times have caused mortgage brokers to have to get more creative to compete for the limited number of buyers in the market for a new home. These mortgage marketing ideas will help you to edge out the competition for new clients.



Create a Useful Website



All mortgage brokers should understand the power of the Internet. Unlike years ago when prospective homeowners thumbed through a telephone book or visited banks in person looking for a lender, these days those in need of a mortgage turn to the Internet to find a lender. This means, if you do not already have an online presence, you are missing out on a number of opportunities.



As an absolute minimum, you should have a website which gives visitors everything they need to contact you.



The website should contain your name, telephone number, address and email address. This gives the visitor every opportunity to get in touch with you. However, this is not nearly enough if you want to really attract new clients. Your website also has to provide something of value to the visitors. This not only gives them a reason to stay on your website but also gives them the impression you are competent and well qualified to help them. Start out by populating your website with content that provides values to the user.



High quality articles with accurate and useful information are a good start. You can also include mortgage calculators, search engines for available homes and ebooks and newsletters available for download.



Attend Networking Events



Networking is one of your best tools as a mortgage broker. Sure having a website is a good idea but you also need to get your face out there. Seek out events likely to draw a large crowd of prospective home buyers and make it a priority to attend these events.



Events hosted by home builders, home expos, home buying workshops and programs sponsored by the Federal Housing Administration are just a few examples of the types of events which may draw home buyers. You may also wish to attend events created for mortgage brokers. This will give you the opportunity to stay on the cutting edge of your industry. It also gives you the opportunity to size up the competition and learn what you can do to beat out the competition.



Provide Excellent Customer Service



Finally, the type of customer service you provide to your current clients can greatly influence the number of new clients you receive.



Providing excellent customer service is always a good mortgage marketing idea. This is because when your current clients are happy with the service you are providing, they are much more likely to recommend you to friends or family members in need of a mortgage. This type of free advertising is critical to your success. Providing this type of service goes beyond just doing a good job. You also have to be personable, make your clients feel like you are getting them the best deals and, most importantly, always go out of your way to let your client know just how hard you are working for them.



For example, you may be able to offer them a particular interest rate based on their credit score, income to debt ratio and credit history. However, instead of just telling your client the interest rate let them know you really fought for them and were able to secure the lowest rate possible.


Generating Sales Leads



Any company that relies on selling a product or service needs strong sales lead generation. A sales lead is a prospective customer. Businesses try to get as much information about their sales leads as possible. They need to find out what makes this person a potential buyer of their product. Many sales-based businesses develop lists of potential customers. They use different tactics to come up with these lists. Some of the most common methods of customer lead generation are referrals, telemarketing, and advertising.



Referrals come from many sources. They can come from other businesses, referral services, or from current customers. Companies in a particular field may refer clients to one another. For example, an auto mechanic that specializes in transmissions may refer customers to another mechanic who mainly deals with electrical problems. It is very uncommon for competing businesses to do this, but companies that offer different products in the same field do it quite often. Some businesses exist solely to provide other companies with lists of prospective clients.



These businesses are called list services, and they can be a great help in customer lead generation. These services compile lists for other businesses to be used for direct mailing, telemarketing, or business-to-business sales. On a more personal level, satisfied customers may tell their friends and family to buy from a particular business. Good word of mouth can be the best sales lead generator.



Telemarketing is another widespread sales lead generation technique. This often involves someone cold calling people to tell them about their products.



Telemarketing has a high rate of failure, as many people do not like receiving unsolicited phone calls. If some people do respond positively, then the telemarketing is a success. Telemarketers benefit greatly if they have a list of referrals to call. This way they are not making purely cold calls, greatly increasing their chances of success.



Advertising is another way to generate leads. Any type of advertising, be it radio, print, or billboard is great for letting potential customers know what products a business offers.



Advertising itself has become a huge business. Some of the most successful companies in the world are advertising firms.



Customer lead generation is one of the most important parts of sales. Salespeople are much more successful if they have an idea of who may be interested in buying their product.






Refinancing Your House? Time is Money With Mortgage Refinance



Timing is everything - at least that's what most folks would have us believe. But the reality of the situation is that it is often impossible to time financial moves to correspond with the financial markets.

With that said, it is important to look at refinancing as a tool to help you reach your financial goals. Consider your mortgage an investment vehicle, much like your 401K savings plan, college savings or other investment account that you have.

Consequently, it is more important to focus on when to refinance in order to meet specific financial goals, not just what the interest rates are at the time.



For instance, perhaps you are only a few years away from retiring but you've spotted your dream home in an area that you plan on moving to once you're done punching the clock. If your home has appreciated significantly over the past few years, considering cashing out the equity in your home now to lock in today's rates, and use the cash to purchase your new home. That way, when you sell your home here and finally do retire, you could payoff your mortgage entirely and have no payment!

You might have children heading off to college in the near future.



Consider taking the equity from your home today to pay for college tomorrow. This will also give you a chance to write off the interest when Junior goes to Harvard, which is more than we can say for student loans.

Finally, many astute investors are purchasing investment properties since real estate has proven to be a wise investment over the years. Tap your existing home to make the down payment, thus assuring positive cash flow on the rental property at a lower interest rate than if your financing an investment property.



While there are countless other scenarios, the important part is to recognize that your mortgage is an integral part of your overall financial goals and should be treated as such. Similarly, your mortgage lender should act like a financial advisor in these situations and lead you in the right direction to ensure financial success. Not just today, but tomorrow too.

To view our list of recommended mortgage refinance companies online, visit this
page: Recommended
Mortgage Refinance Companies Online.



Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan
Guide, an informational website about various types of loans.






Mortgage For Your Monetary Needs



In the earlier days, people tried their best to avoid loans and other dependencies. The trend back then was to save up until they could cover up the expenses of a house on their own and lead a comfortable life. Today the scenario has turned upside down. Many people, mostly young employees with substantial income are impatient and resort to mortgage finances.



It is the convenience of these mortgage schemes that is attracting so many people. Most mortgage lenders offer a variety of options but shrewd people can work their way to find the loopholes.



Normal home mortgage finance schemes are as follows:



The most preferred plan allows small installments to be paid over three decades.

The borrowers are supposed to make fixed payments on monthly basis. A second scheme makes it mandatory to pay about 180 monthly installments to pay back the money. There is also another mortgage plan for home loans where you have adjustable rates. The initial interest rate is quite low. Later, the lenders may increase the amount based on market standards.



All such schemes definitely sound lucrative. But it is better if we go through various schemes before selecting a suitable mortgage plan. For home loans, people must study the prevailing rates in the market before signing the papers. Mortgage lenders naturally want to make profits and may try to confuse you. It is always preferable to do your homework about the several options available.



Many informative articles are available on the internet to guide people about mortgage schemes and regulations.



Most mortgage lenders like Florida mortgage and Texas mortgage groups offer loans up to 80%. It is advisable to take care of the down payment yourself. This is because the entire sum is not provided by mortgage lenders. They always pay only a certain share of the expenses. There are agents who tell you the approximate value after studying the property.



You also have balloon mortgage systems where they decide a specific life for the loan.



For this period, the borrower pays small interests. At the end, there is one huge payment to complete the loan. Some people hesitate to go for this because of the heavy payment at the end. Balloon loans, 2 stage loans, modifiable rates and fixed payments are the various mortgage plans available for borrowers.



Mortgage lenders give better options if you can make large down payment or if you have good credit.