I have had more fascinating, heart-felt, wisdom-filled conversations with strangers in the last year than at any other time in my life. Social media certainly has brought us ALL closer together in an intimate and powerful way, which I believe can only make us each more tolerant, patient, understanding and less fearful. (Now for stepping down off my soap box)

I’d like to direct this blog communication to those in the Mortgage Industry who right this moment are worried that they might not be cut-out for this.

I’ve had a few dozen conversations of late where a Mortgage Professional has expressed that this year would be their, “last ditch effort to make it in this industry” or their, “final chance.” In my efforts to dig deeper to understand the psyche & facts supporting this desperate, final charge into 2010, I’ve uncovered the following recurring themes:

External themes:

1. They perceive they have absolutely zero professional referral partnerships.
2. They do not follow-up or further cultivate relationships.
3. They do not belong to any groups, clubs, associations, networking groups, etc.
4. They do not ask for business.

Internal themes:

1. They are constantly comparing themselves and their business to others.
2. Their thoughts are preoccupied with worry, loss and lack of…
3. They do not read, listen to or engage in forms of positive re-focusing.
4. They feel alone, that no one can help them, that they must do it all by themselves.

For those of you who identify with any combination of the before-mentioned, I want to tell you, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED RIGHT THIS MOMENT TO SUCCEED IN THIS INDUSTRY!

Here’s what I know you have:

The ability to change-You’ve done it before. Just think back over the time you have served on this earth. There have been other times of uncertainty, fear, isolation,…loss. You do not suffer those times any longer. At some point you began to laugh again, to create again, to accept a new way of doing things and to even embrace it.

The power to create- Think about all you have brought into creation, the careers, the ideas, the documents, the systems, the possessions, the friends, the children and the innumerous times you’ve re-created YOU? Your drawing board is still here.

The courage to act-What was it like when you first decided to leap into the mortgage arena? Did your business cards, marketing items, customers, knowledge, etc., simply appear out of your intentions? Or were there a series of baby steps and sometimes, gargantuan steps that you took that got your business off the ground? You couldn’t  do things the same old way that you had done them in the past, right? You’ve taken action in the face of many unknowns and uncertainties and you CAN do it again. Now, is no different.

Your well of worth runs deep. All of that glorious creativity and courage to change and take action are still within you, I promise you. You are a being blessed with a miraculous power to live a life exactly how you imagine.

Instead of imagining this year as your, “last ditch effort” imagine it as your year on the road to your greatest victories.

The struggles you perceive today do not define who you are or what you are capable of accomplishing. At some point in 2010, you WILL look back and all that you feared most will simply be a small blip on the radar of life. It will not hold you captive any longer.

Your choices from this moment forward, from day to day, hour to hour are the only things that you have 100% say-so over. Do not assign “bad” “good” “worthy” “unworthy” to those choices, no one else will. Give your mind peace and your heart hope, no one else can give this to you.

Here’s to all of the battle-weary, scared & scarred…Victory is well on its way, just over the next hill, your comrades know you WILL make it.

Being that I’ve been working with mortgage professionals and their business planning efforts for five years now, I can say, without blushing, I have some expert advice to share on this matter.

Sometimes you’ve got to creep-up on the business of business planning

What I mean is, if you tell yourself,

“Self, we’re going to spend all day today devising our business plan for 2010 and we’re gonna do it by ourselves, locked up in our office, with a blank Word doc or giant whiteboard as our business planning canvas.”

Likely what will happen is your “Self” will get cold feet, create reasons and emergencies and must-dos to keep you from what your subconscious sees as an enormous and brain-draining task.

To combat this, try a business planning warm-up exercise. Just stick one toe into the icy cold water to start. Here’s an exercise that I share with my own coaching clients who feel anxious about beginning the process: I CAN Plan Business ACTION Planning Primer

Buddy-up with other like-minded Mortgage Professionals

Going it alone truly does decrease the likelihood that one will finish his/her plan. Remember the old saying, “No one succeeds alone!”

Buddy up with 2 or 3 other goal-oriented, enthusiastic mortgage professionals in your area. Set a date and place, preferably NOT in your office or theirs and keep the agenda simple.

Here are 5 business foundations to consider as you begin to brainstorm your goals as a group:

1. Time Management
2. Marketing & Lead Generation
3. Database Management
4. Building Business Referral Partnerships
5. Tracking/Metrics

Be specific with your goals and simplistic with your process

Creating dynamic, detailed, action-driven goals is the MOST important aspect of your business plan. All of our excitement, hope and renewed energy comes from the act of creation and creativity. Don’t just stop with a goal like:

Develop methods to cultivate my new business referral relationships.

Take it to the next level with actionable items like:

1. Invite 5 of my new business referral partners to meet at my office on a quarterly basis as a Mastermind group.Rotate who will set the agenda and lead the group.
2. Locate and schedule to attend at least 3 business growth seminars, workshops, or presentations per year. Call all of my referral partners to let them know about the event, and for those who agree to go to the event, host a dinner party immediately after to discuss take-aways and each person’s implementation strategy.
3. Invite my new referral partners to join www.LinkedIn.com, and offer to write a recommendation for the ones who accept the invitation.

Always set target action dates for all of the activities you must engage  in, in order to accomplish your goals. Looking at the year ahead can feel daunting. Decide when you’ll start on certain goals by quarter, first. Then take it down to months within the quarter and then finally into the week of that month you have designated as your target action date. Whatever you do, DON’T SKIP THIS STEP. Prioritizing your goals and getting them into your calendar drives a significantly higher percentage of success than passively keeping your goals in a workbook.

There are dozens of seminars, software applications and workbooks with CDs & DVDS on the topic of business planning, all of which can cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars. Much of the content and instruction is complicated and quite frankly, overkill, for what is needed in order to develop an effective plan.

What you need:

1. Very specific, actionable goals WRITTEN DOWN.
2. All goals and specific action steps prioritized into your Outlook, ACT, Franklin Covey or other favorite calendar tool.
3. “Buddies” with whom you can share best practices and brainstorm goals.
4. An accountability partner that you meet with once or twice a month, without fail, for the entire year.

However you attack the business of business planning, just remember, it’s personal and will drive certain emotions and this is precisely WHY many professionals do not engage in the process even though they know they should.

It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious, conflicted or overwhelmed when sitting down to write your goals and action plan. As the old saying goes, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” Your business, your family and most importantly, YOU are worth the effort.

There are plenty of well-documented theories on why the change of seasons directly impacts our state of mind. However, what I believe would be more impactful than reading about the cause is discussing how to capitalize on the effect!

First, let’s illustrate the two avenues people take when they “go mental” during the colder months. There’s the group that searches out creative outlets and there’s the group that stews in their ruminations.

You may recall a brisk December day when you came home to find your significant other curled up in a blanket, staring out into the backyard. You, being the concerned and sensitive partner that you are ask, “Honey, is everything ok?” And your partner, having gone mental, responds without turning to look at you, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about a lot of things…” Unfortunately, the outlet for the “Stew In It” group tends to be the unsuspecting partner.

On the flip side, you may recall a brisk December day when you came home to find your significant other curled up in a blanket at the kitchen table with family photos strewn about, scrapbooking tools at the ready. Or, perhaps your partner had pulled the table saw out from the garage or the paints and paint brushes that had been in the closet since last year. And you, being the interested and curious partner that you are ask, “Honey, what are you up to?” And your partner, having gone mental, responds by looking at you with enthusiasm sparkling in their eyes and says, “I just got this crazy urge to….” (you fill in the blank).

We know instinctively what comes next in both of the above scenarios. So which avenue do you want to pursue?

I believe that allowing ourselves some creative play during this contemplative time of year can ignite and inspire our career and personal aspirations. For most businesses, the winter months dictate a slowing-down period. What better opportunity to release your creative genius and tap into a part of your brain that mostly lies dormant the rest of the year?

So, what can you do right now to draw the best out of this winter “moodscape”?

Like everything else in life, it boils down to choice, which further boils down to conscious effort. Here’s an exercise to get you conscious about your choices. For the best possible outcome, invite your significant other to do this exercise as well.

Select 5 creative activities that you can engage in once a week throughout the winter:

• Journal
• Photography
• Scrap-booking
• Create a skit with your kids
• Pencil sketch
• Play a board game
• Write poetry
• Photography
• Create a skit with your kids
• Paint
• Write a letter to a friend
• Create bead jewelry
• Blueprint your dream home
• Crotchet/knit/sew
• Do a science experiment
• Create a new logo
• Write a song
• Play an instrument
• Create a new chili recipe
• Build a house of cards
• Do a puzzle
• Make & name your own beer
• Create a vision board
• Write a sermon for church
• Sculpt with clay
• Write a family newsletter
• Rearrange your furniture
• Build a blanket fort with your kids
• Bake and decorate a cake

Of course, these are just examples to help get your creative ideas popping. Once you have selected the activities that you will engage in, put them into your calendar and treat them like any appointment you wouldn’t dare miss.

By taking advantage of this seasonal phenomenon and engaging the creative mind, we set off a domino effect that leads to more ingenious problem solving, negotiating, strategic planning and brainstorming in our business lives.

The following famous quotes capture the importance of unleashing one’s creative brilliance.

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

The ability to convert ideas into things is the secret to outward success.
-Henry Ward Beecher

Imagination is more important than knowledge. – Albert Einstein

What if,  instead of giving your boss a 20-page sales plan, you gave her a 30×40 Vision Board instead? How about having your team “Show-n-Tell” their goals during their next performance review? You might be thinking, ‘Has she gone completely mental?’ Yes, yes, I have and though I cannot predict where this creative landscape will take me or you, I know that it will provide solutions, new perspectives and limitless rewards.

I invite you this season to succumb to your creative genius, unleash the possibilities and enjoy going completely mental! I promise that your significant other will thank you for it.

Keep an employee journal to mark performance needs and issues, as well as, customer kudos & other wins. If you’re fairly new to the management gig, know that your Human Resources Director/Manager will require documentation before you can A. let someone go, even if they aren’t hitting their numbers as a loan originator or B. increase commissions, salary or bonuses. Documentation is KING!

Conduct performance reviews with your entire team, not just your processors and assistants, but with your Loan Originators, too. Have them set goals and revisit these goals with them on a monthly basis. Avoid taking on the burden of their ability or inability to sell. Share ideas, best practices, bring in top sales speakers, mentors, coaches, etc., but in the end, the old saying remains true..”You can lead a horse to water…”

Communicate expectations and set clear boundaries. It’s not good enough to simply have a talk with your Loan officer or Processor. You must ensure that they understand what is being asked of them. You must be explicit with what needs to change, improve, etc. State deadlines for those improvements and follow-up to check on progress. Immediately after the meeting with your employee, always follow up with an email restating your expectations and agreements.

Stop giving away all of your attention and energy to the “resistors.” Remember the 20/50/30 rule. 20% of the people are “change-friendly.” You can depend on them to help drive change. 50% are your fence-sitters. They remain neutral. They are not hostile to change, but they aren’t necessarily helping like they should. 30% are the resistors. They are antagonistic toward change and often do everything to derail your efforts. Who do you think is your loudest squeaky wheel? DON’T give ‘em the grease. This will only exacerbate their behavior and the problems. Look to win over the 50%, but give your greatest attention, kudos and support to the 20%.

Over communicate, especially in the wake of organizational or systems changes.

Know when to let go. If you have a team member who is not meeting your company’s expectations and standards or who may be resisting change, behaving in an insubordinate manner and/or generally has a poor attitude, these things don’t mean that the person is “bad.” It simply means they are unhappy and are likely in desperate need of change for their own sake. You’re not helping them or you by letting them slide by. Know that by releasing them, you will be giving them the opportunity to find a place where they CAN be the star that they really wish and hope to be.

Make sure that your praise is fitting to the personality of your employee. Don’t drag an introvert, perhaps you processor, into a conference room full of people and extol their virtues. They are more likely to appreciate a lunch one on one with you or a sincere 10min conversation in your office.

Remember that all eyes are on YOU. Do not share your personal issues. Do not drag your bad temper from this morning’s spat with your spouse into work with you. Do not blame Corporate for all of your team’s problems. Do not compare one employee to another, EVER.

Be a constant source of hope for your team. As a Leader it is your duty to always keep the light on the path to hope, shining. The real truth is that even in the face of dilemmas, roadblocks, chaos, controversies, and challenges, your employees will look for “hope.” If they can’t find it in you, they will inevitably search for a new Leader.

Client: I’d like to grow my purchase business by developing more worthwhile Realtor relationships.

Coach: Great goal! What are you willing to do to make this happen?

Client: I’m willing to do anything! I’m just not sure what I should do.

Coach : Ok, are you open to some suggestions?

Client: Yes.

Coach: How about looking up listings of top producing Realtors in your area and popping in on their open houses to introduce yourself?

Client:Hmmm, I don’t know. It didn’t work for me in the past and I really don’t want to spend a Sunday going into open houses when the Realtors don’t want me there, anyway.

Coach:Ok. How about scheduling yourself to attend some Realtor Association events or Chamber mixers?

Client: No, because there are always other loan officers around trying to get the attention of the Realtors. Too much competition.

Coach: Well, what if you partnered up with your Title Rep. and put together a presentation on recent changes in the industry and resources that Realtors should be aware of to help them stay abreast of these changes?

Client: I just don’t think that will work. Every loan officer out there is trying to get into Realtor offices and most of them aren’t even interested in what’s going on. All they care about is whether you can give them a referral or not.

Notice any patterns here?

Now if you’re wondering, if I, as a Coach, would simply force them to do these things anyway, the answer is HECK NO!

Regardless if something has worked for others, and that could be hundreds of others, asking someone to do something that they have a negative attitude about, will NOT bring about the desired results. In fact, it will create a self-fulfilling prophecy, i.e. “It won’t work.” “They won’t talk to me.” “Nobody will care.”

The good news is that after some attitude re-tooling (yes, attitude is a tool) ANYONE can create new opportunities and successes for themselves, even out of what once was seen as a bag of old tricks.

Brian Tracy, entrepreneur, sales guru and motivational coach says this about attitude:

This attitude of looking for the good in every situation, of looking for the advantage or benefit in any problem or difficulty, is the way that the most successful people think most of the time. Superior people, leaders in all areas, face the inevitable ups and downs of daily life on the way to their destinations by taking complete control of their thinking and their emotions. They do this by choosing the words they use to describe a situation, their tone of voice, and their behavior in dealing with problems.

So what’s YOUR attitude about getting out there and creating new business for yourself?

Tips to Re-tooling Your Attitude

Here are 3 re-tooling techniques that you can help your attitude to help you to succeed! 

A Morning Dose of Positivity 
How long has it been since you listened to a motivational CD series on the drive into work? Pick up the latest CD by your favorite positivity guru and use your commute, whether it’s 10min. or an hour, to accelerate your attitude. 

Check Your Attitude at the Door 
Every day, before going home from work, take 2 minutes to complete the following sentence in your journal or notebook: “Because of my positive and willing attitude, today I was able to………” 

Partner-up with a Positivity Pal 
Ask a teammate or peer to engage in 30 consecutive days of positivity with you. Agree to send each other one email each day where you communicate one positive experience from your day and one, specific wish of positivity to your partner.  It could look something like this:

Dear Daniel: Today I made it a point to get out of my office. I had a very productive lunch with a Realtor partner of mine. It was well worth my time and effort and so much more pleasant than I thought it was going to be. I wish that you have a surprise encounter with someone tomorrow that leaves you feeling GREAT!

Remember, everything starts from the inside – out. Giving yourself the gift of a positive attitude today will directly influence whether opportunity knocks once, twice, three times or ever knocks at all.

Here is a gem that I came across in the pages of a new book called, “Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long” by David Rock.  Every mortgage client I’ve ever had has struggled with this one and I’m sure many of you have, too…

The Impact of Doing Too Much

A study done at the University of London found that constant emailing and text-messaging reduces mental capability by an average of ten points on an IQ test.

The author explains that the effects are similar to missing a night’s sleep or around three times more than the effect of smoking cannabis!

The author continues…

Despite the depth of scientific research out there about the problems inherent in partial attention, people continue to stretch themselves to do more at the same time even though the benefits they may be receiving are minimal. Being “always on” seems like a logical solution. Ergo, if you have more emails that can be done in the time at your desk, then do them everywhere.

Here’s the thing that my clients managing teams have found to be true- Being overly responsive to email and text traffic just increases the total number of emails and texts you get! People notice so they send you more issues to respond to.

Get that IQ Back Where it Belongs!

1. Set an auto reply message in Outlook every day to indicate the times when you will be returning email and voicemail. Change your voicemail daily, too. This only works if you follow it!
2. Use text-messaging as a secondary tool for urgent matters when you can’t reach someone by phone. Only respond to texts that are of an urgent matter.
3. Share your Outlook calendar (Read only view) with your team so they can see when you are available and when you are not. This will help you to manage those folks who abuse email.
4. Set up rules in Outlook so that emails from friends, family members, email updates that you subscribe to and any non-urgent, but regularly occurring communications, are automatically sent to folders for later review.
5. Turn off the option that audibly/visually alerts you when a new email has hit your inbox.
6. Respond by calling, rather than emailing. It’s just way too easy for a lot of folks to waste a lot of time via email.
7. If you happen to be a Manager, just think about the number of complaint emails you have received from your LOs and or support team vs. the number of complaints you have actually heard face to face or over the phone. Having been in your shoes, I can promise you that if you begin responding to “issue” emails with…

“I sense that you are upset-dismayed-disappointed-anxious (you choose the expression) about ________ (you fill in the blank). Let’s talk. I will be free at 3pm. Please call me at that time so we can discuss this situation.”

…that the number of these types of emails will dramatically decrease and you will find that the real issues will be left on the table, of which most can be quickly and effectively addressed and resolved in a single conversation.

Don’t let your productivity tools make you as dumb as a stoner! For even more brain cell-saving techniques, read 5 Way to Save Time on Email.

Recently a client of mine conducted a survey with 32 Loan Officers regarding the effectiveness of various marketing efforts they had been engaged in over time. The survey revealed that the top four marketing activities (those that actually brought in business) were:

1. Past Client Marketing-Phone Calls (helpful info, touching base, etc.)
2. Past Client Marketing-Mail (newsletters, etc.)
3. Past Client Marketing-Email Blasts
4. Referral Partner-Educational Presentations

And the marketing efforts that gained the least returns were:

1. Lead Generation-Apartment Complex Campaigns (FTHB)
2. Lead Generation-Purchase Leads
3. Lead Generation-Newspaper/Magazine Ads
4. Lead Generation-Direct Mail

This was a small survey sample and of course there are always outliers, but I believe this is a good micro view that does accurately reflect what the majority of Loan Officers have found to be true with regard to their own marketing experiences.

The further away from the target you are, the further away from a sale you are…period!  Something to chew on.

“I should have a system. I’ve got to simplify my system. My system isn’t robust enough. What system will be most effective?”

The persistent challenge of keeping in touch with one’s customers, whether at the wooing stage, the in-process stage or after the close, seems to be a fiery purgatory for many Mortgage Professionals.

For those who have not finally surrendered to or fully implemented a “system,” the scale attempting to balance such competing activities as: keeping in touch with and in front of one’s customers vs. generating new ones, tips dramatically up and down from week to week. This teeter-totter motion affects our pipelines, our reputations and our peace of mind.

So why then do the majority of Mortgage Professionals continue to operate without one?

Some of the same old excuses rear their ugly heads…

I don’t have the money. I don’t have the time. I don’t have the support. I don’t know how. Money-Time-Support-Knowledge. The fears really never change.

But do you really need A LOT of any of the above to create a system that works for YOU? Heck no! So what DO you need?

1. Email
2. Phone
3. Content
4. Reminders

Don’t wrinkle up your noses at me…it really IS that simple.

Think about the “Why” behind creating systems.  Generally, we create systems to keep in touch with our customers so that…

-We consistently fill their brain-slot for “Mortgage Professional” in an attempt to retain their future business and referrals.

-We separate ourselves from the competition in an attempt to keep our newly found customer from being woo’d or won over by someone else.

-We can focus our attentions on other money-generating activities in an attempt to keep our pipelines filled.

Now let’s fill in the “What” part of the equation.

What do you want to do? Do you want to create a system for staying in touch with leads, past customers, in-process customers, business referral partners or some other group? I know, I know, all of the above, right? Wrong!

Tip#1-Pick one group and see it through to completion. You may feel like eating that elephant in one enormous gulp because it has been sitting on your plate for years, but BEWARE…the indigestion will keep you crippled for months and you still won’t have a system in place!

Tip #2-Never fix what isn’t broke. If you find yourself whiling away the hours perfecting email templates, videos or scripts…STOP NOW! If what you have includes your photo/logo, is relevant information, is devoid of editing errors and goes out like clock-work-you’re done. Move on to what you haven’t created.

Once you have pin-pointed what group you will focus on, it then becomes a matter of what type of materials you will send.

Will it be industry news via your blog? Will it be a hard mail newsletter? Will you send video updates via email? Does the group you are concentrating on warrant a regularly scheduled phone call, text message or LinkedIn update?

Tip #1-Don’t attempt to figure this out in your head. Look at the resources you already have, pull up a blank Word doc or a note pad and start writing down what you do have at your disposal.

Tip #2-If you have absolutely no collateral materials to work with, nor a marketing department, start researching the web. Of course, there’s always the plethora of information you can tap into by being a member of organizations such as, Top of Mind Networks, Loan Toolbox, Mortgage Girlfriends, Mortgage Coach, Mortgage Quest, etc. All of these companies offer ready-made customer service systems and collateral materials that you can plug into and utilize.

After you have identified the pieces, you can then determine the frequency. When will these items be delivered, dispersed, mailed or communicated?

Tip #1-If working on a touch-point system for your past customers, map out a year’s worth of deliverables. For leads, clients in process & referral partners, map out at least three month’s worth of deliverables.

Note from experience: If you attempt to determine what to send from one month to the next or one week from the next, the likelihood is that you won’t make contact at all.

Tip #2-There is always the debate as to what is too much and what is not enough when trying to determine the frequency of one’s touch-point systems. Here is my suggestion, which is based on what the majority of my own coaching clients have followed as a rule of thumb:

• Past customers=1 x per month
• Leads=every 2 days until they commit to sending in their application and docs.
• Customers in process= 1 x per week
• New business referral partnerships=2 x per month
• Current business referral partnerships=1 x per month

Finally, and most importantly, how, how, how will you implement the system that you have created?

Let’s look at what you have thus far:

1. You have identified the group that you will focus on.
2. You have identified your deliverables
3. You have created a visual map of your deliverables, the vehicle (phone, email, blog, text, video, snail mail, etc.) and the frequency.

Your current capacity must dictate the “how.”

Tip #1-If you are a “one man band” it’s imperative that you utilize a reminder system such as your Outlook calendar, an “activity series” within ACT, an Excel spreadsheet, or you finally cough up a bit of dough and use the contact systems developed by the companies before-mentioned.

Tip #2-If you happen to have a personal assistant, transaction coordinator, marketing assistant, receptionist or some other dedicated soul, than for heaven’s sake, share the tasks, meet once a week on progress and needed system changes and delegate, delegate, delegate!

Putting a system together only becomes Hell when you continue to neglect the fact that you NEED one.

So for all you perfectionists out there who are still trying to locate those perfectly valuable, perfectly aesthetic, perfectly timed contact pieces or for you techno geeks who keep waiting for the CRM that will have it all/do it all, including dialing your customers and talking to them for you, STOP THE MADNESS. I’m giving you one, “Get out of Hell FREE” card, right now!

1. To generate new ideas and share best practices in an effort to increase revenue and create efficiencies in each member’s businesses.
2. To establish a space for accountability, goal setting and encouragement amongst entrepreneurs who are not necessarily reporting up to or being pushed by a Manager. (They are the captain of their own ship)
3. To network and cultivate possible referral relationships with other professionals.

Professionals generally enter into mastermind groups with great enthusiasm and high expectations. However, after six months to a year of meeting, many groups find that the excitement has a tendency to wane and unfortunately, the attendance then follows suit.

Here are 7 helpful tips to help keep your Mastermind group engaged, consistently attended and growing…

Tip #1-Make sure you have a variety of professionals attending who share similar pains.I’ve talked to Mortgage Professionals who have formed mastermind groups made up soley of Realtors or Financial Planners. This may seem like eutopia for YOU, but the group will eventually suffer and may even begin to feel that your attempt to put together a mastermind group was purely self serving. Fresh perspectives, unique approaches & creative business models are more easily derived from groups that include different types of professionals. Of course, only include professionals who share in your pains (i.e. generating leads, branding one’s self, teammarketing, effective sales scripts, budgeting, etc.)

Tip #2-Include creative “shake-ups.” Make one of your Mastermind sessions an event that the entire group attends, like a seminar or presentation on sales techniques or social media, a chamber mixer or www.meetup.com event.  Assign chapter readings and group discusssion from popular business or self help books, like Think and Grow Rich, The Success Principles, The Tipping Point, or Taming Your Gremlin. Use one session to train on a particular product, system or new technology the group is interested in. Spend one session watching a Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield or Wayne Dyer DVD.

Tip #3-Establish a rotating guest speaker list. Assign each mastermind group member a month that they are responsible for inviting a guest speaker. The guest speaker could be a physical fitness expert, a life or business coach, a social media guru, a holistic healer, a local top salesman, a Manager sharing his/her team leadership secrets, a branding expert, a local blogging superstar, etc.

Tip #4-Share the knowledge.Post your agenda, guest speakers’ names, take-aways and “aha” moments and newfound knowledge from your mastermind groups on your blog, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles. Encourage everyone in the mastermind group to do the same.

Tip #5-Don’t be a venue hog. Find other locations, other than YOUR office, to hold your mastermind sessions and change it up from time to time. I had a client hold one at a local park with great success. You can also go to your local library, favorite coffee house, wine bar or bistro, community center or recreation center, pastry shop or even one of your group member’s residences.

Tip #6-Introduce the 20 Questions game. When utilizing “group think” to help solve a member’s current issue, dilemma, roadblock, bottleneck, conflict, etc., have each member ask that person questions about their current situation, not to exceed 20 questions.  No one is to suggest or tell the person what to do, nor make statements or share their opinion. They are simply to ask questions to help the one individual experience a breakthrough and to do so without comparing, assuming one person has the solution, or inadvertently creating tension or conflict in the group.

Tip #7-Survey the group. Never assume that your members are satisfied with the current format, agenda, guest speakers, direction and/or vision of the mastermind group. You know what they say about “assuming.” The best way to keep your mastermind group alive and kicking is to be open to changing things up, trying new things and most importantly, listening to the V.O.M. (voice of the mastermind) Here is an example of a mastermind group survey using www.surveymonkey.com that you are more than welcome to copy…Click Here to take survey

The power of the mastermind comes from each member’s unique experiences, knowledge and willingness to share. As the leader of the mastermind, you owe it to yourself and the group to be picky about who you choose to invite as a member. Set the bar high!  Find individuals who are smarter, more creative, more innovative and more financially savvy than you are.

It’s like Jack Canfield once said, “You are the average of the five people, outside of your family, that you hang out with the most.” Take the time to find the “right” members and choose to raise your average.

Get to a networking event!
Attend a Realtor Association meeting!
Join Rotary or your local Chamber!
Start up your own Mastermind group!

…and the commands to “get out of your cave” goes on.

One of the first things I ask new clients who tell me that they aren’t generating enough leads or aren’t finding any new referral partners is, “Are you showing up or are you waiting to be shown out?” Harsh? Maybe. Answers whether you’re still in the game or not? Yup!

As I go back over thousands of coaching notes and hundreds of hours of recorded coaching sessions, the answer to why some Mortgage Professionals just seem to be more happy in their careers and find it easier to generate leads and opportunities than others, becomes strikingly evident. The simple fact is that those who are willing to show up in the world on a consistent basis reap all the rewards.

I can site case against case against case when a client has finally given in and taken the plunge to show up to an after hours chamber mixer, a Women’s Business Council meeting, a www.meetup.com event, a Realtor Association meeting, a neighborhood block party, a poker game, a Red Cross charity event, an attorney-friend’s golf tournament…where the door to opportunity suddenly sprang open and then WHOOOOSH… a domino effect of other opportunities, more invites, more new contacts and more business would light a new path for my clients.

And NO, it had nothing to do with their DISC profile, how conversationally savvy they were, or whether they wore Armani or jeans and a polo shirt. What did make the difference was that they were ready to put away all of their preconceived notions about what they were going to show up to and embrace the fact that they were not fortune tellers and would never be able to predict the outcome of one event from another. They just started SHOWING UP.

You may be thinking, ‘Hey, wait a minute, you’re not trying to tell me that they didn’t have anything in hand, weren’t scripted or prepared are you???’ Yes, in many cases, that’s exactly what I am telling you. The majority of the time, the reason why Mortgage Professionals are NOT getting out in the world is because they find themselves getting stuck trying to come up with the perfect elevator speech, or designing a great flyer to introduce their FTHB seminar or trying to find or anticipate the BEST place to show up to and so…guess what happens? They don’t go anywhere.

If this sounds familiar to you, do yourself a favor, do something radically different. Don’t overly research where you are going to show up, don’t bring anyone with you, remove all expectations from your mind, refrain from having an agenda, tote nothing along, except your biz cards, be open, smile at folks and simply show up with a curious and observant mind.

Here is a list of “just show up” places that can all be researched on the Internet. Make it a goal to find, schedule and attend at least one event a week in the month of July.

• City council meetings
• Charity/Fund raising  events
• Library hosted events
• Chamber, Rotary, Toastmasters
• Mom’s clubs events
• www.meetup.com gatherings & events
• Speed networking
• Local business grand opening events
• Business expositions
• Presentations/Trainings put on by other types of Professionals
• College campus events

Sound too simple? Don’t think it will work? Ignore those thoughts! That’s just your brain trying to trick you into sticking with your old, comfortable habits. (the ones that aren’t generating any new opportunities) Resist, resist resist! Be rebellious, do something different, take a risk and SHOW UP ANYWAY. I double-dog dare you!