The Right Mortgage Lead For The Right Loan Officer

If you are a mortgage agent or accommodation administrator on the bazaar for mortgage leads, you accept to aboriginal adjudge which mortgage advance is best for you.



For starters, you accept to aboriginal actuate what your account is. If it is not actual much, you may wish to accumulate an eye out for the mortgage advance companies that accept low minimum deposits forth with some chargeless extra's such as filters.



Here are a few altered mortgage advance blazon scenarios.



There is the absolute time mortgage advance which can be purchased fresh. Typically, these mortgage leads are hot off the columnist and should be no added than a few hours old if you acquirement them.



Also, these types of mortgage leads should be acquired by the mortgage advance aggregation through web sites they own and operate. Otherwise, you may wish to catechism the bloom of the lead.



There are aswell age-old mortgage leads and these types of leads can be purchased in aggregate at a abatement for as low as pennies per mortgage lead.



However, if affairs in bulk, you are arena a numbers game. You should not apprehend a bang douse on every mortgage lead.



For instance, if you buy one hundred leads at fifteen cents per lead, you should not apprehend to yield added than three applications from this, but your acknowledgment on investment will be great!



Basically, the blazon of mortgage advance you wish to buy is up to you as able-bodied as the access you wish to take. But remember, it is important to do your appointment and analysis the mortgage advance aggregation you are considering.



Doing your appointment cannot alone save you money but it can accomplish you money as well.

Does Your Website Have A Squeeze Page?

Every time webmasters and work at home business owners think they have mastered the Internet, the search engines change the rules. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is to make it easier to recognize older sites that are not changing.



The second is to make it easier to offer visitors good search results.



Squeeze pages, or lead capture pages, have been around for a long time, but they are just catching on with webmasters. Most new webmasters are overwhelmed by all the internet marketing information needed to turn a website into a success.



Once the website is finished, then they must learn about blogs and forums. Page Rank and inbound links are another problem that needs to be tackled.



However, many of these internet marketing tools are vital to success, and leaving them too long can result in lost income, and even failure.



Learning the basics is good, but after a month or two, many work at home business owners become tired, and stop surfing looking for new information. Or, they run into so many 'spam' sites that say the same thing, and try to sell the same products, they believe they've learned everything there is to learn.



Those who continue learning are continually frustrated. They wished they had learned the information earlier, and increased their profit margins and ROI, Return On Investment.



Why make a squeeze page now? A squeeze page is a one-paged advertisement that encourages subscribers to join an email list, or clicks on links leading to your products and services. Notice that subtle different between a squeeze page and a buy-now page.



The idea of a squeeze page is to make a quick and eye catching way to grab visitor's attention within the first few seconds.



The page must entice them. Most visitors leave within a few seconds. The squeeze page should make them stop and think twice before hitting the back button, or starting another web search.



The problem is that many people mix up the idea of a squeeze page and a high-pressure sale's page.



A squeeze page is often written in uppercase, bolded, underlined, highlighted and fancy fonts. But, it also offers something instantly. It does not force the reader to surf to the end of the page to learn that they must pay $200 to access the information and benefits.



Online marketing businesses need a sales page. This page is mistakenly promote in traffic exchanges and search engines. These pages explain the program or service, and they do have attention grabbing information, but they are longer in their description.



There are also landing pages. There are articles that offer solutions to problems and lead the visitor deeper into the website.



The sales includes testimonials from happy customers, but they shouldn't include the information from the squeeze pages and landing pages - that is what makes them too long.



The sales page outlines the features, bonuses, and benefits of the product, and a reason to buy-now.



Most people need to see an ad three times before they think of buying. They may purposely ignore the buy-now page, flipping through various landing pages, and squeeze pages, until they realize that they really do need to buy the product or service.



The squeeze page is only meant to capture attention and keep the reader involved. In fact, instead of asking the visitor to buy anything, it may direct them to specific articles, blog posts, or forums in the network that will help them solve a specific problem.



There are software programs that create squeeze pages. The content is free. Just make sure that the finished product sends the message the visitor needs. After all, a web page which makes a mortgage broker look like a used car sale's person will never produced the desired 'decision to buy' clicks

Cherry Pick Internet Mortgage Leads

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker on the market for a good quality internet mortgage lead, keep in mind that cherry picking your leads may be the best way to go.



In short, having the ability to view your lead before you buy it, pretty much can't be beat. This way you know exactly what you are getting before you buy it.



Another thing that you should look for when it comes to internet mortgage leads is the quality of the lead.



By quality I mean, how fresh is the lead? Just because you are given the ability to look at the lead before you buy it does not mean that the lead has not been recycled many times.



Make sure that you do your research. Look for the lead companies that own and operate the lead generation web sites that they use to obtain their leads.



Avoid the lead companies that acquire their leads from third party vendors and sell them at a profit to unassuming loan officers.

You all know the pain of calling a customer after paying for a lead and having them tell you they closed on the deal months ago.



So be sure to find out where exactly the internet mortgage lead company you are considering an investment with obtains their leads.



Talk with someone in customer service and ask specific questions about their leads and return policy.



And remember, if you are not happy with the answers provided to you by customer service, than it is more than likely that you will not be happy with their product.



You work hard for your money so make sure you are getting what you pay for.

Three Ways To Get More Referrals

When you are in the business of sales, a part of the abounding key capacity to your success is accepting referrals from as abounding sources as possible.



Wouldn't it be nice if every morning you absolved into your appointment and had a barometer sitting there cat-and-mouse for you on your desk?



Unfortunately it doesn't plan that way, but actuality are few suggestions that should advice beacon some referrals your way.



1. Barometer Groups



There are abounding barometer groups out there for you to accept from.



The apriorism of a barometer accumulation is aboriginal and foremost to accept and accord referrals.



It works something like this;



Once a anniversary your barometer accumulation meets at a appointed atom for breakfast or lunch, and the affair about lasts for an hour to an hour and a half.



These groups commonly don't acquiesce for any affectionate of battle amid industries, so you will a lot of acceptable be the alone one apery your industry. For instance there is alone one banker, one printer, one accommodation officer, etc.



, etc.



In the alpha you absorb some time communicable up and exchanging business cards. As you are eating, anniversary being is accustomed a minute or two to yield the attic and allocution about themselves and the aggregation that they plan for, and accord the accumulation an abstraction of what a acceptable barometer would be for them.



Personally, I accept been complex with these groups in the accomplished and acquisition them to plan acutely well. One of the added accepted ones is Business Networking International (BNI).



You can acquisition a bounded affiliate on the web.



Look at it from this point of view, if your accumulation has twenty-five humans in it, than accede it a sales force alive for you. Don't forget, you are appropriate to accord referrals also.



2. Chambers of Commerce



Every city, town, or canton has a Alcove of Commerce. They are not harder to find, and they are adequately simple to join. You can calmly acquisition your bounded affiliate on the web or in the chicken pages. They aswell acquaint in bounded business directories and account papers.



The alcove is a actual affable and airy atmosphere. They accommodated already a anniversary usually with a bologna at a bounded restaurant. The aboriginal bisected hour is a arrangement and business agenda exchange, followed by cafeteria with announcements about accessible events, and a bedfellow speaker.



Before hand, tables are provided to affectation your abstract and props, and be on duke to altercate your business.



Chambers aswell authority anniversary contest that you can participate in.



Their contest are commonly captivated in the anatomy of business expositions area you can hire a berth to affectation and advertise your products.



Chambers commonly accept a lot of associates depending aloft the location, so you will apparently acquisition yourself aggressive for business with added humans in your industry.



I abide to be complex with my bounded chamber, and accept begin it to be actual benign to my career. I accept begin these organizations abundant for affair humans as well.



Keep in mind, these organizations appear with actual reasonable anniversary fees', so accomplish abiding it fits your budget.



3.Giving Referrals



Perhaps one of the best means to get referrals is to accord referrals. If you accord anyone a barometer and it works out for them, they will adulation you and bethink you forever. And in turn, forward referrals aback your way.



I accept to say, throughout my career, I begin this to be one actual able way to get referrals. You ability wish to accede teaming up with anyone with a agnate job in your industry.



For instance, if you are a accommodation officer, aggregation up with a realtor, or if you are a home inspector, you ability aggregation up with an appraiser.



These are three actual able means to accumulate those referrals advancing your way. They accept formed for me, and I accept begin them to be a nice way to breach up my week, and body relationships with added business humans in my community. Accord it a shot. You will not be disappointed. Acceptable luck!

Poor Credit Mortgage Leads, To Avoid Or Not To Avoid

These days with the mortgage industry being the way it is, mortgage brokers and loan officers may be finding it tougher and tougher to close deals for people with poor credit.



Although avoiding poor credit mortgage leads all together may not seem like such a bad idea these days for some loan officers, all may not be lost.



If you are willing to reconsider the purchasing of mortgage leads with poor credit, here are a few things to look for.



For starters, look for a mortgage lead company that allows for you to view your mortgage lead before you buy it.



Also, make sure the mortgage leads you buy are fresh mortgage leads. Avoid the recycled mortgage leads because the information will be dated and inaccurate.



Most mortgage lead companies have a comment section on their mortgage leads. The comment section allows for the consumer to get a little more specific so a loan officer such as yourself will have a better understanding of their needs.



By having the ability to view a mortgage lead in its entirety including a comment section, you will be able to get a good handle on the customer's situation, what their needs are and wether or not you believe you have the resources to help them.



For instance, if the customer lists their credit score in the comment section of the mortgage lead, you will have a very clear idea of what you will be working with and if you have lenders available to go to should you buy the mortgage lead.



If the customer posts a comment such as "In foreclosure, the bank is coming tomorrow, need help fast," You will know that it is too late to help this person and to avoid buying the mortgage lead.



In short, viewing a mortgage lead with a comment section can give you the best indication as to wether or not you have the resources available to you to help the person.



As you already know, the LTV plays a huge role when it comes to a financial institutions decision as to wether or not they will fund the loan.



So look for the mortgage leads where the customer has a lot of equity in their home. This will help soften the blow when it comes to poor credit, or at least help their chances of being approved.



Another thing you can do is expand your resources, seek out the wholesale lenders who will still consider working with poor credit.



I realize finding these lenders will be tough, but the more tools you have to work with and the more lenders you have relationships with, the more deals you will close.

Mortgage Lead Tips For The New Loan Officer

If you are a loan officer and you are new to the mortgage business, one thing you may not have much of a supply of is mortgage leads.



Mortgage leads can be obtained in a variety of ways. Through customer referrals, networking groups, family members, friends, etc.



However, for a new loan officer, you may need to kick start your mortgage business, and investing with a mortgage lead company may be the way to go.



You probably haven't heard a lot of great things about mortgage lead companies.



However, there are some good mortgage lead companies out there. And if you take your time and do your homework, you may just find the right mortgage lead company to fit your needs and budget.



Here are a few things to stay away from:



Avoid the mortgage lead companies that recycle their leads. Recycling means they sell them multiple times to multiple loan officers.



So, most likely these mortgage leads have gone through the hands of dozens of loan officers before reaching your desk, so stay away from them.



Stay away from mortgage lead companies that buy their mortgage leads from third party companies than sell them to loan officers and mortgage brokers at a profit.



You will never know how many times those third party companies sold those mortgage leads to other mortgage lead companies.



In the beginning, your cash flow may be a little bit tight, so look for mortgage lead companies that allow for a low minimum deposits to start out with.



Also, look for mortgage lead companies that obtain their mortgage leads through web sites they own and operate. This is always a good indication that the mortgage lead is of good quality.



And look for mortgage lead companies that sell real time mortgage leads, and/or sell them exclusively. When you buy your mortgage leads exclusively you can cut out your competition all together.



Real time mortgage leads are also known as fresh mortgage leads, so they are hot off the press once you purchase them.



With real time mortgage leads your closure ratio will be much greater and the return on your investment will be that much better.



And why shouldn't it be? You work hard for your money.

Internet Mortgage Leads, Finding The Best Mortgage Lead Company For You

If you are a loan officer, you may be considering purchasing internet mortgage leads. But you may be leery of which mortgage lead company to buy them from and the type of mortgage lead you should purchase.



There are many internet mortgage lead companies out there, and they each sell different types of mortgage lead.



Such as, real time mortgage leads, live transfer mortgage leads, recycled mortgage leads, and lets face it, a lot of these mortgage lead companies sell junk.



For this simple fact alone, it is important to take your time and research the internet mortgage lead companies you are considering investing money with.



For starters, read what the mortgage lead company proposes to loan officers on their web sites, especially what their return policy states.



Once you have read and familiarized yourself with their site, call and speak with someone in their customer service or sales department.



Ask about the things you believe are important when it comes to the mortgage leads.



Such as, how they generate the mortgage leads, are they fresh, old, or recycled. What is the cost of the mortgage leads. And ask about their return policy, is it fair and reasonable?



If you are unable to contact anyone in customer service, or you are not getting crystal clear answers to your questions, than move onto the next internet mortgage lead company.



If you are not satisfied with the customer service you are receiving from the mortgage lead company, than you better believe that you will not be satisfied with the mortgage leads.



Remember, your spend a lot of time earning your money, so there should not be a reason in the world why you don't get a return on your investment with the internet mortgage lead company you decide to go with. Best of luck.

Mortgage Lead Companies, Eight Features To Consider

So now the time has come to invest in Mortgage Lead companies, but how do you know which one is the right one for you?



When I was a new loan officer, finding a mortgage lead company was not easy, I can remember logging onto major search engines, typing in the key word "mortgage leads" and being bombarded with links leading me in the direction of mortgage lead companies all claiming to have the best mortgage leads and the best mortgage lead program for me!



But what was the best mortgage lead program for me? That all depended on what I was looking for.



So, taking my time, I began to right down exactly what it was I was looking for, did I want refi's, purchases, or both. Did I want mortgage leads from several states or just one, how much could I afford? Etc., etc.



Before I invested any time or money, I decided I was really going to do my home work, I went to sites of the mortgage lead companies I was considering to read their terms and conditions, I spoke with reps in their sales department and asked many questions, I went to mortgage lead site reviews posted on the web to see what kind of experience other loan officers had with the mortgage lead companies I was considering.



One thing to keep in mind, No mortgage lead company can guarantee you a 100% closure ratio, and they are very up front about that, if that is what you are looking for, you can end your search now.



Still with me? Good!



Here are a few things to consider before committing



1) Pricing



If you are on a tight budget, and have, lets say, $100.00 to spend, you will have to narrow your search to the mortgage lead companies that accept a $100.00 or lower minimum or will meet whatever spending limit you have set for yourself.



Some mortgage lead companies have deposit requirements, not allowing you to deposit less than $500.00, so this would not be the mortgage lead company for you.



2) Lead Generation



Find out where the mortgage lead company is generating their leads from. Some mortgage lead companies recycle their mortgage leads and sell them many times over to many different loan officers. They also buy their mortgage leads in bulk off of other mortgage lead companies and resell them, so make sure you ask this very important question up front.



3) Return Policy



Look for a mortgage lead company with a liberal return policy, the best way to find out this information is through lead site reviews.

If you receive a mortgage lead with incorrect contact information, there is no reason why you should not receive a refund.



4) Quantity vs. Quality



Be careful when you buy in bulk, when you can spend $100.00 and receive 50 leads, chances are the mortgage leads are old and are being recycled, and the closing ratio isn't so good.



If you can spend $100.00 and receive five to ten fresh mortgage leads, you may be better off, and also have a much better closure ratio.

5) Cherry Picking vs. Filters



Cherry picking is a nice feature, and a very popular one, it allows you to go into a site and view a mortgage lead before you purchase it, some sites even let you know how many times it has been sold.



Filters are also very nice features also, they allow you to predetermine what kind of mortgage lead you want, and when a mortgage lead comes in matching your filter criteria, it is sent directly to you via e-mail or fax.



6) Customer service



As in all business', customer service is key, and the way they handle themselves on the phone can be perceived as a good indication as to how their company is run.

If you are struggling to get a hold of someone, or your phone calls are not being returned, they are most likely not worth doing business with.



7) Referral



One of the best ways to find a mortgage lead company, is to have one referred to you by a co-worker, or by someone within you organization who has had success with a mortgage lead company.



Ask around and see what you can come up with.



8) Exclusive vs. Nonexclusive



If you want to receive mortgage leads exclusively, you will pay a steeper price, however this mortgage lead will be sold to you only, doing away with your competition.

Non exclusives mortgage leads are sold on average three to five times, it usually will cut the cost of the mortgage lead in half, but keep in mind, you are now competing with other loan officers.



Remember, you get what you pay for.



One last thing..



By considering these eight features of mortgage lead companies, you are well on your way to choosing the best mortgage lead company for you, and at the right price. But don't stop here, continue to gather as much information as you can before you invest your money. I can't stress enough just how important the mortgage lead review sites are, check them out, it will be worth your time.

Mortgage Lead Sales, Leaving The Right Message

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker, you may have been facing one major challenge in the last few years when it comes to calling your mortgage leads.



That major challenge would be the answering machine that you have no choice but to speak to more often than not.



In this day and age everybody has caller identification and voice mail, so it is very easy for people to screen their phone calls if they don't recognize a phone number or company name that shows up on their caller identification.



I can't say I blame them. I do the same thing from time to time.



For starters, any time you are calling a customer to sell them a mortgage you need to be prepared with details of certain products you have to offer that you believe will fit your customer's needs.



You also need to be prepared just in case the answering machine kicks in, and undoubtedly it will.



If you must leave a message the last thing you want to do is allow for the disappointment of not getting a live person to show up in the inflection of your voice.



Just leaving your name, the company you work for, and a telephone number will never work. This type of message will be deleted nine times out of ten.



What you want to do is this . . .



Be upbeat, smile, it will show up in your voice. Not only give them your name and company details, let them know that you have already researched some company products that you believe will meet their needs and that you have some rates that you believe they would be interested in.



Let them know the importance and urgency of calling you back.



You want to peak their interest, make them curious about what it is you have to offer and I guarantee that they will call you back.



Please understand, the idea is not to leave a long drawn out message that will bore your customer to the point of deleting your message.



The idea is to keep it short and simple, get to the point but make sure you get your message across in clear and easy to understand terms. Avoid mortgage jargon.



So the next time you are making sales calls be sure to keep this in mind.



Leaving the right message is a very important part of today's phone sales.



If you incorporate this simple step into your phone sales, I can guarantee an increase in your applications.

Exclusive Mortgage Leads On The Internet

For loan officers and mortgage brokers looking for exclusive mortgage leads, receiving them over the internet is the way to go these days.



By buying exclusive internet mortgage leads over the internet you will be receiving them on-line and in real time, or fresh.



This means you will be receiving your leads hot off the press. And, because they are exclusive, you will be eliminating your competition.



But before you go and make a move with a mortgage lead company, be sure to do your homework.



You want to be absolutely sure that you are getting your money's worth, so check out your potential prospect's web site thoroughly, than call the lead company and speak with someone in customer service.



If they don't give a number for you to call, than move onto the next lead company. Think of it this way, who are you going to call when you need a refund for a questionable lead?



Ask the person in customer service how they obtain their leads.



This is what you will want to hear.



You will want to hear that they obtain their leads through web sites they own and operate on their own.



This pretty much guarantees the real time quality that you are looking for.



This is what you don't want to hear.



If they tell you that they obtain their leads through third part vendors, than they are recycling leads. Or pretty much selling what is know in the industry as junk.



Keep in mind, you work hard for your money, so take the time to make sure that you will be getting what you pay for.

How To Reduce Your Mortgage Interest Rates

When it comes to buying a home, your mortgage matters just as much as the cost of your home. Interest might seem like a small percent, but when compounded over thirty years, it can literally double the amount you actually pay. If you want to lower your payments and pay less for your house, you should consider the many ways you can lower your interest payments by refinancing.



Taking advantage of a changing housing market is one of the easiest ways to lower your interest payments on your mortgage.



If you have a fixed interest rate and interest rates are dropping, you can refinance to an adjustable rate or a lower fixed rate mortgage. If rates are rising, you can do the opposite and change from an adjustable rate to a fixed rate; this can keep your interest rates from skyrocketing.



You may be able to lower your interest rate by taking advantage of an improved credit history. If your credit rating was low when you first acquired your loan, you may have a high interest rate.



If you've been paying your bills on time, your credit may have improved, in which case you might qualify for a lower rate. There are many credit repair companies that can help you improve your credit. Beware of credit consolidation companies, which actually can further damage your credit!



If you have two loans, a first lien and a second lien on your home, you may want to consider consolidating those two liens into one. Many people get equity lines on their homes, but don't realize that the equity line is adjustable, and often has quite a bit higher interest rate than the first loan.



Refinancing the two loans into one can often save money. Another strategy would be to pay down the equity line as soon as possible.



10-year and 15-year fixed mortgages usually have lower interest rates because the loan is getting paid twice as fast as a 30-year mortgage. The down-side is that the payments will be quite a bit higher.



No matter why you decide to refinance, always be sure to speak with several lenders first, or find out who your friends and colleagues use.



Good referrals are the best way to find a mortgage professional you can trust. Sometimes brokers may give you a quote that is not what you eventually get. Be sure to ask for a good faith estimate and ask to see proof that your loan is locked at the rate you are quoted to ensure it is the rate you actually get.



Beware of low start rate programs. They are usually not the actual interest rate, and may be simply a teaser or a negative amortization program that defers your interest payment until a later date.



This can help lower payments, but not the actual interest rate or amount you'll owe in the end.



Remember, before you take advantage of any refinancing offer, find out if it will actually save you money. On-line mortgage calculators help determine how much you'll pay using your new and old interest rates. Then you can just deduct the points and fees (unless they're included in the new mortgage) and find out how much you'll actually be saving.

Closing the Sale

What is Closing?

I recall the day effortlessly. I'd been busy selling mortgages to customers of an estate agency in the 1980's and we had a new National Sales Director appointed. Now he was a pretty fierce individual. A big man with an equally big voice who had a reputation for reducing sales people to tears if you ever crossed him.

He came to visit us all on a one to one basis to see how we were doing and to get to know us, I guess. But I wasn't looking forward to the meeting.



You see up until that moment, selling mortgages in the estate agency was really easy. I'm certainly not bragging here…I was very young and people just wanted me to arrange their mortgage and policies. They asked me to do the business and I just gave them information and advice and filled in the forms. It was a gravy chain. It was a massive property market with fewer players than there are today.

Then it all stopped. August 1998 it was and the market collapsed and selling mortgages became depressingly difficult.



In our meeting the sales director asked me lots of question about my selling process and could see that the previous year I had arranged hundreds of mortgages for customers. Next he asked me how I closed the sale. I had no idea what he meant and it was obvious. He then asked how I got people to commit. Again I had no answer. "I guess they just did it" was my meek reply. He then stood up and in a forceful gruff voice shouted, "well in this new market you might as well give up selling then" and he stormed out.



Expecting the sack imminently I was pleasantly surprised to see my name on the next sales training enrolment list. Yes, as you can appreciate Paul Archer was whisked off for some sales training where everything became very clear.
In sales you have to close the sale. That's it. Fullstop. Closing is the one skill that every sales person, what ever you're selling, just has to do.

But that's the problem, as I see it. Closing the sale has become synonymous with slick sales'ey types. Sharp suits and sharp closing techniques.



The books and tapes cry out for you to "close the sale", "overcome objections", "win the sale", "ask for the order"…and it all gets a little too much for the average sales person.

So I'd like to give you my take on closing the sale. A method which you'll not notice that you're actually closing the sale according to the tapes and sales books out there. A method in which the customer doesn't know they're being closed and no fancy technique is being used. It's clean, tidy, easy to do and incredibly customer focussed.



And that is what rapport selling is all about.

It's like eating soup…

Eating Soup

For lunch my wife and I had her home made turkey soup. Yes, you're right, Christmas wasn't long ago and the carcass has been boiling on the stove all day. My wife's turkey soup is famous because it feeds my whole family for days and is absolutely delicious.

Eating the soup is like closing sales. There's no way I'd ever dive into the soup, take an enormous spoonful and gulp it down. I'd scoop up a little, blow on it, feel the steam with my top lip, take a sip and only then would I take a decent mouthful.



Closing the sale is the same concept. You wouldn't go charging in would you?

"Would you like to sign the paperwork now, Mrs Brown" you say five minutes into the sale. You'd end up with a handbag around your chops!

No, you'd wait until Mrs Brown was ready to buy your product or service and only then would you ask. You have a much better chance then of getting a yes rather than a refusal. And nobody likes to be refused, which is another reason why plenty of sales people don't ever ask for the sale…they don't like to be rejected.



If you test the soup first to see how hot it is, you'll not burn your tongue. Likewise if you test the customer first, you'll not spoil the deal. So how do you do this?

It's like dating in your early teens. Before you asked the person out for the date of their dreams you checked with their friends to see if they were seeing anyone else and you might even have spoken to their best friends to assess your chances. Only then did you pluck up enough courage to ask them out.
People that didn't follow this rule were either really successful in the dating stakes or had red cheeks from all those slaps!

Now I do know of salespeople who are like this.



They are so hardened to rejection, that they don't really care any more and just ask everyone. The double glazing cold calling merchants are like this. You say "no" so they go onto the next customer…eventually someone is going to say yes.

But I don't like to teach selling that way…I like to enjoy my job and the rapport we build with customers.

It's all about asking questions…

It's all about asking questions

The three types of questions you will want to ask leading up to the close are testing questions to feel the temperature of the soup, trial questions to taste a little of the soup and then closing questions to drink the soup.



Testing questions

Throughout the sales meeting you'll want to see how the customer is feeling about your product or service. Are they warming to you and the product or not?

You can tell all is going well verbally and non-verbally. Verbally the customer is replying to your questions positively.

"How do you feel about those benefits?" "They sound good"

"Does it all make sense so far?" "Yes thank you"

"Have I missed anything you'd like to know about?" "No, everything's been covered."

Non verbally the customer will be leaning forward, attentive towards you, giving you appropriate eye contact.



The opposite here is leaning backwards and various limbs crossed
Try placing documents or brochures in the middle of the table. If they take them, this is a sign of non verbal acceptance

These verbal and non verbal reactions are known as buying signals in the trade. You need to see them happening right in front of you so turn on those observation and listening skills.

Trial Questions

Back to my dating analogy, I remember when I met my wife at a party for the first time. Obviously she wasn't my wife then! "Claire" I said getting terribly tongue tied, "hypothetically speaking, if I was to take you out one evening, would you have any objections?" She accused me of being a lawyer at that moment and I nearly blew it completely.



15 years later we now laugh about my ridiculous trial close. Although not very elegant, it worked. It made her laugh and she said she would say yes. So I did and here I am today happily married and with three children too.

The same process needs to be followed in sales. You've tested the water and now need to be sure the customer is ready to say yes. As before you can do this verbally and non verbally.

Questions are needed here which serve as trial closes. A few questions need asking such as:

"Is this what you had in mind"

"Does this fit your budget?"

"If I can arrange that for you, would you be interested?"

"Are you OK with the whole package?"

In many cases your questions will throw up "no's" or "I'm not sure" or "I'll let you know".



Dealing with customer concerns deserves more time spent which I'll give you later. But the best learning point here is that concerns or issues that are thrown out will tell you how close you are to the final close. If you have too many concerns from your customer, they're not ready to buy so you'll want to go back to more benefits or re-analysing their real needs. Get yourself into reverse gear

Non verbal trial closing is great fun. My favourite is to place the contract or application form or whatever needs signing in the middle of the table for them to take.



A sure sign they want to go ahead.

The other non verbal trial close is silence but you need to combine this with a question. For example:

"If we got this going for you, would you be interested in going ahead right now?"

Next you go siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilent.

Closing Questions

When I've tested the temperature of my wife's soup, taken a sip, I then have no hesitation in taking a really big spoonful and popping this straight into my mouth. Mmm…this tastes really good. I just know it's going to be delicious.



In the same way when selling, if you've tested the customer for a buying signal, trialled some questions with them, then you just know they're going to say yes. You just expect or assume they'll buy.

So phrase your closing questions assuming they'll say yes.

"Let's go ahead then?"

"Shall we fill in the forms straightway then?"

"Shall we get the ball rolling then?"

"Would you like me to fill in the application form for you now?"

"How would you like to pay?"

Remember to go silent just after you've asked the final close question.



Look at them, smile and wait. Easier said than done I know. Silence can be very loud in these situations but you need to keep quiet.

Some salespeople like to have several closing phrases or questions available to them and over the years we've given some strange names to these. The Duke of Wellington Close, the Half Nelson Close, the Alternative Close, the Balance Sheet Close.

Maybe another day we can talk about these if you're interested. I remember seeing a video many years ago. I think it was on the course that my fierce Sale Director sent me on.



The video was ever so old, even then. Everyone had massive shirt collars, mullet haircuts, flowery shirts and horrendous flairs in the trousers.

I recall we went through 15 closing techniques on that video. And we had to learn them all by heart.

Really you don't need these. Remember to follow the three stage process which is very customer friendly and fits the rapport selling model:

• Test

• Trial

• Close by asking to go ahead

…and you won't go far wrong. Good luck in your closing.

Paul is an international speaker, trainer, author and coach based in the UK.



He works with companies across the globe to help them increase their sales results. He specialises in rapport selling and rapport sales coaching and can ignite his audiences large or small. Get your free Sales Excellence Ebook Chapter and MP3 download at http://www.rapportselling.com

Mortgage Leads, Grab Your Customers Attention

If you are a mortgage broker or loan officer and you are currently buying mortgage leads, or you are thinking about buying mortgage leads, here are a few ideas on how to get your customers attention.



Most mortgage lead companies will sell their mortgage leads up to five times, so you can pretty much count on competing with other loan officers.



When calling your customer for the first time, be sure you are armed with the knowledge of some mortgage products you believe would benefit your customer based on the information you received on the mortgage lead.



If a customer tells you they are no longer interested, most likely it is because they are working with another loan officer or mortgage broker.



So, if you have done your homework, you will be able to say something to the effect of "oh, I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Smith, I have some really good mortgage products and rates I'm sure would have benefitted your needs."



I guarantee that your customer will once again be interested in what you have to tell them, and more than willing to listen to what mortgage products you have to offer.



Also, if you have to leave a message on the answering machine, don't just leave your name, number, and the mortgage company you work for. Let them know that you have mortgage products and rates that you know they will be interested in hearing about. This will highly increase the chances of your customer calling you back.



One more thing, if you want to wipe out your competition all together, you may want to consider buying mortgage leads exclusively.

Sub Prime In Real Time

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker looking to purchase mortgage leads by way of the internet, you should seriously take sub prime internet leads into consideration.



It is sad to say, but people with poor credit do not have the luxury of walking into their local bank and obtaining a mortgage. As we all know, banks primarily deal with customers who have perfect credit. And if the customer is fortunate enough, they will be referred to an outside company where sub prime loans are originated.



Because sub prime customers can not depend on their local financial institutions for mortgages, they will turn to the internet in search of a loan officer such as yourself who works with wholesale lenders in the hope of getting a mortgage or their current home refinanced.



If you are not already working with sub prime customers, you should look into doing so and align yourself with the wholesale lenders who work with poor credit and get to know their products well.



As far as the lead companies you decide to invest with are concerned, look for the ones that obtain and sell their leads in real time. With this type of lead you will be dealing with customers who are anxiously awaiting your phone call.



Steer clear of the lead companies that sell dated or recycled leads. I'm sure you are familiar with the frustration of being hung up on, or being told by the customer that they already closed on their deal.



When looking for real time lead companies, be sure to do your research.



Call and ask to speak with someone in the customer service department. And remember, if the service and information are not to your liking, than move on because you can guarantee that the leads will not be to your liking either.

Sub Prime Internet Mortgage Leads

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker looking for sub prime internet mortgage leads. Look for a lead provider that allows for you to view the lead before you buy it.



Also, look for lead providers that gather information that is important to loan officers looking for sub prime leads. For example, when working with sub prime customers, you want to have leads that offer a comment section so that you can get a good idea of what the customers needs are and you can than base your decision to buy the lead based on this information.



Lets say you call a prospect and they tell you that the bank has already begun the foreclosure process. Chances are, this is a dead lead for you.



Now, if you have the opportunity to view the lead before you purchase it and you can see what comments the prospect has made on the lead and they stated that they were heading into foreclosure, you probably never would have bought the lead to begin with if you did not specialize in foreclosures.



Take the time to research the internet lead providers that are out there.



There are many, so take your time.



Here are a few things you can look for.



Where does the internet provider obtain their leads from?



Make sure the lead company that you are considering obtain their own leads. By this I mean, make sure they obtain them through lead generation web sites they own and operate on their own.



Steer clear of the mortgage lead companies that are recycling their leads or are purchasing their leads from third party vendors than selling them to loan officers at a profit.



You don't want to call a customer and have them tell you that you are the tenth person to call them this week.



Also, make sure you speak with someone in customer service. It is always good to know that there is someone to speak with in the event you need some assistance or you are looking for a refund on a bad lead.



And remember, the type of customer service you are provided with should be a clear-cut indication of the quality of the leads you receive.



If the customer service stinks, than most likely the leads will also.

Mortgage Leads, A Great Way To Advertise

One of the key essentials when it comes to making you and your mortgage business successful is advertising.



Unfortunately most of us cannot afford to advertise during the super bowl with commercials, or place digital signs along Times Square.



Beyond the mailers and business cards, there is another way to get your name and product circulating among the masses.



The best part of it is, it will cost you next to nothing, and your customer will be doing all of the work for you.



A personal story .



. .



When I was in the mortgage business, I found out by accident one of the best ways to advertise myself and my business.



I have always found it to be in good practice to show my appreciation to my customers by sending them a token of my appreciation by sending them a thank you gesture of some kind, once the loan was closed.



As time went on, and I began to make a little more money, I had a few extra bucks to spend on my high end customers to show them my appreciation for doing business with me.



Not that I was spending a fortune on my customers, just a few extra dollars on every loan closing, it only seemed fair.



Then something extraordinary happened.



I had a couple who had just settled on their first home. Around the time that they had just moved into their new home, I sent them both a gift basket to their respected places of employment.



When the gift baskets arrived, they were thrilled to death. Of course everyone in their office was curious and wanted to know where the gift basket came from and who sent it, and of course my customers were happy to tell them all about me, and all I had done for them.



This lead to many questions from the on lookers. A few of their co-workers just so happened to be in the market for a mortgage, and they asked if they could have my information, which was happily surrendered.

Think about it, when some at your office receives flowers, balloons, or a gift basket, aren't you curious to know who sent them? Most of us are.



From this one gesture alone, I ended up closing two more loans. And of course, when those two loans closed, I did the same thing with the gift basket, and it had the same effect.



It then dawned on me that I could really make this technique work for me.



Not only did I send my customers gift baskets upon the closing of their loan, I would send one when the loan was approved and when their appraisal came in. This gave me three attempts at getting the attention of their entire office.



Definitely think about doing something along these lines. There is no better, or cheaper way of getting the attention of a whole lot of people at once. Trust me, this technique works, it worked for me, and it can work for you!

Leaving The Perfect Message

When selling your product face to face with a customer, they have no choice but to hear you out completely. Ask yourself this question, If they were listening to you describe your product on their personal voice mail, would they hear you out, or would they delete you?



Never leave someone a message just to leave them a message. Your goal should be to get them to call you back.



In the twenty first century, there are very few telephones that are not being directed to a voice mail service. In fact, many people prefer that you leave a message, so they can get back to you at their own convenience.



Lets face it. We all screen our calls from time to time.



This is why it is so important to have the necessary skills to leave a perfect message. A message that will make your prospective customer want to call you back.



Imagine if you were reading this article, and every other word was "umm" or "ahh," most likely you would not continue reading it. Well, the same applies when you leave a message on someones answering machine, except in this case they hit delete.



Leaving a message on someones answering machine is probably the only time when you will want to leave out all of those sales terms we love to use, such as, "exciting" and "act now.



" It gives the customer the impression that you are a solicitor and they will delete the message almost immediately.



Less is definitely more when it comes to leaving a professional message.



When leaving a message, get right to the point, state your mane, the company you are with, and why you are calling. End the message by leaving your name again, along with a contact phone number, asking them to call you back at a time convenient for them. You also might consider a tag line such as "I look forward to hearing from you soon.



"



When you make the call, smile the entire time you are talking, the customer will hear an up beat inflection in your tone of voice. Just don't be cheerful to the point of being cheezy.



Put together a script before making your calls, go over it several times until it becomes a rhythm and rolls off the tip of your tongue. This will enable you to weed out all of the "ums," "ahs" and breaks in sentences, giving your voice a tone of confidence.



Once you have gone over your script, and have become comfortable with it, practice by leaving messages on your own answering machine.



When you go home, you can listen to them to get an idea of how you sound, you can then critique yourself and make the changes accordingly.



This really is as simple as it sounds, give it a shot, and I guarantee you will see an increase in returned phone calls.

Sub Prime Internet Mortgage Leads

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker looking for sub prime internet mortgage leads. Look for a lead provider that allows for you to view the lead before you buy it.



Also, look for lead providers that gather information that is important to loan officers looking for sub prime leads. For example, when working with sub prime customers, you want to have leads that offer a comment section so that you can get a good idea of what the customers needs are and you can than base your decision to buy the lead based on this information.



Lets say you call a prospect and they tell you that the bank has already begun the foreclosure process. Chances are, this is a dead lead for you.



Now, if you have the opportunity to view the lead before you purchase it and you can see what comments the prospect has made on the lead and they stated that they were heading into foreclosure, you probably never would have bought the lead to begin with if you did not specialize in foreclosures.



Take the time to research the internet lead providers that are out there.



There are many, so take your time.



Here are a few things you can look for.



Where does the internet provider obtain their leads from?



Make sure the lead company that you are considering obtain their own leads. By this I mean, make sure they obtain them through lead generation web sites they own and operate on their own.



Steer clear of the mortgage lead companies that are recycling their leads or are purchasing their leads from third party vendors than selling them to loan officers at a profit.



You don't want to call a customer and have them tell you that you are the tenth person to call them this week.



Also, make sure you speak with someone in customer service. It is always good to know that there is someone to speak with in the event you need some assistance or you are looking for a refund on a bad lead.



And remember, the type of customer service you are provided with should be a clear-cut indication of the quality of the leads you receive.



If the customer service stinks, than most likely the leads will also.

Mortgage Leads, Avoid The Recycled Junk

If you are a mortgage agent or accommodation administrator that is because affairs mortgage leads from an internet provider, accomplish abiding you do your analysis and abstain affairs recycled junk.



Here are a few things to attending for if because affairs internet mortgage leads.



The aboriginal affair you wish to do is get a sales adumbrative on the buzz and acquisition out absolutely how the mortgage advance aggregation is accepting their mortgage leads.



Here is the one and alone affair you will wish to apprehend afore proceeding any further. You will wish to apprehend that the mortgage advance aggregation acquires their mortgage leads through web sites that they own and operate.



Because if they don't, than the mortgage leads are getting acquired about abroad by anyone else. And a lot of acceptable those leads are getting awash to assorted mortgage advance companies. So by the time you get your easily on the advance it has already been awash to a dozen accommodation admiral afore you.



Also, accomplish abiding that what you will be accepting is a 18-carat mortgage advance and not some advice based on a analysis some chump abounding out.



I apperceive from aboriginal duke acquaintance what it is like to alarm a abeyant chump alone to accept them acquaint you that they anticipation they were bushing out a survey.



As you can imagine, I was not happy.



If the mortgage advance aggregation you are because does access their own mortgage leads through their own web sites than you will wish to acquisition out how they are active barter to these sites.



What you will wish to apprehend is that they use advertisements on above seek engines to drive cartage to their advance bearing sites.



Avoid companies that use bribes to access mortgage leads such as alms allowance cards to home food if the chump fills out an on-line application. These barter are added absorbed in the chargeless allowance agenda than they are the mortgages, so beacon clear.



In the end, you plan harder for your money, so acquisition the mortgage advance aggregation that acquires their leads on their own through the adapted channels.

Mortgage Sales, Leads Come In Many Varieties

For loan officers and mortgage brokers we are constantly on the look out for leads. Here are a few ideas to obtain more of them.



By far, your family and friends are your best source of lead referrals. Be sure to make your family and your entire circle of friends aware of the fact that you are working in the mortgage industry and make sure they have a supply of your business cards.



And don't be shy, tell them you expect referrals from them.



Customer referrals are also a good lead source.



So be sure to treat every customer with respect and excellent customer service and you can guarantee they will refer you when someone mentions they are looking to purchase or refinance.



Again, don't be shy, after you close their loan, ask them to refer you if they know someone who is in need of your services.



Networking groups such as your community's Chamber of Commerce or your local lions club usually meet once a week at a designated restaurant for lunch. It would be a good idea to join a few of these groups to get your name out there, and it is also a good way to keep your business cards in circulation.



And, last but not least, mortgage lead companies. This isn't such a bad idea for new loan officers, only because you are new to the business and haven't had an opportunity to build up your book of business to this point. This is a great place to begin.



If you are a seasoned loan officer, mortgage lead companies are a good way to jump start your business during a slow time such as holidays and the summer months.



If you do decide to go with a mortgage lead company, look for the mortgage lead companies that sell their leads in "real time," this way you will be receiving fresh leads, and you will be able to count on their quality.