• Is genuinely interested in their clients and connects emotionally

“Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.” – Dale Carnegie

Everyone likes to think they are rational and make logical decisions based on the facts, but emotion plays a far larger part than most realise. We need to build connections with clients. Understanding each other’s values and beliefs helps build these connections.

Like it or not, as a Mortgage Broker you are in the emotions business. People take on large debts only because they really want something. We are all driven by emotions of fear and greed, trying to get things for us and our families and avoid negative things.

Really listening is the key and it naturally strengthens your relationship by making them feel valued and not just another sale.

People want to deal with others that they like. The fastest way to be liked is to get people to open up to you and tell you all about themselves. The more people are talking about themselves the more they feel understood. When they feel understood they are much more open to you as a person and to accepting your recommendations, confident in your commitment to them.

A Trusted Advisor approaches his clients not just as people to do another loan for, but as people he wants to understand and learn about. He is genuinely interested in them and their goals and doesn’t assume he already has the right answers for them. By showing this level of interest, clients will be more open and, invariably, opportunities are identified through the discussion.

  • Is genuinely passionate:

“If your work is becoming uninteresting, so are you. Work is an inanimate thing and can be made lively and interesting only by injecting yourself into it. Your job is only as big as you are.” – George C. Hubbs

A Trusted Advisor in the mortgage industry is someone who expresses their passion about what they do, about home loans, about helping people achieve their financial goals and about life in general.

We all like to be around people who are enthusiastic about what they do, it rubs off on us and makes us care as well. It certainly makes us feel we are in safe hands when we have someone who actually enjoys and wants to do their best. It gives your clients a sense that their Mortgage Broker is intrinsically motivated to help them because they enjoy their work and are not just motivated by external factors such as commissions and income.

You can have the greatest loans and service the world has ever seen, but if you can’t get excited about it why should anyone else? Your clients won’t welcome you back if you are dull, boring and unenthusiastic about your work.

Are home loans an exciting topic? Not for most people and they probably don’t think they are for us either — but if you can demonstrate your geeky enthusiasm about them and what they can do for your clients, people will respect that and become involved. Enthusiasm is contagious.

It’s important not to let a staid concept of always looking professional get in your way. You have to be true to yourself, but in my experience most people err of the side of an image of serious professionalism because they think that is what their clients expect. If you are genuinely in the mortgage industry to help people and you are excited about how the latest discount loan product can help your clients, then express it in a human way.