AIME Podcast Network

Latest Episodes:

Putting Systems & Processes In Place FOR EVERYTHING (with Adriana Bates) – Episode 59 Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Ivy League Graduate Adriana Bates knows exactly what she wants. She’s worked her entire career to chisel down and fine tune every process and system to perfection. From prospecting clients to working through her loan pipeline to post-close, Adriana leaves no stone unturned. Tune into this week of Broker To Broker as Adriana shares her secrets to success.

Trying to simplify a complicated process, Adriana realized that we think better when we break down everything into tangible pieces. But that’s not possible without KPI’s. With measurable KPIs you can lean into the actions that are working well, and you can put money and support behind those that aren’t. Adriana also hosts weekly 15 minute one on one meetings with her staff, so they can review their KPI’s and make real time adjustments, instead of waiting for quarterly or yearly reviews.

For example, Adriana found that of the clients they lost, most left after applying, but before they found a house, or while they were still crunching refi numbers. As a result, Adriana ramped up and revitalized LO-to-client communication during this time frame. She increased touchpoints and tried different types of communication, including text and social media. Keeping them engaged during this entire process led to stronger client retention.

This doesn’t happen overnight, and no two brokers are the same. Take your time and learn what works best for you, but be purposeful in your actions. Listen to this week’s episode of Broker To Broker to find out how you can customize your processes and systems for optimal success.

Show Notes:

Systems & Process Overview (2:23)
Loan Pipeline (18:00)
Post-Close (34:06)

The post Putting Systems & Processes In Place FOR EVERYTHING (with Adriana Bates) – Episode 59 appeared first on AIME.

Hire Right & Lead Better: Attracting (and Keeping) Top Talent (with Grant Botma) – Episode 58 Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

Grant Botma runs a brokerage, insurance agency, and investment firm. He owns a software company, hosts two podcasts, releases two videos and a blog every week, and takes 2 full months off a year. The one single entity that allows for Grant’s success? His team. But it’s not just a team to Grant. His “team” is his family. They care about one another, they have trust, and they hold each other accountable, all to benefit the overall goal of Stewardship Mortgage; to serve their community with wisdom and love.

But that starts at the team level first. When hiring, Grant looks for four main characteristics; innovation, transparency, humility, and love. Loans are a complicated process, and creativity is needed to personalize the loan process to each individual. Transparency creates social accountability. You work harder for your friend rather than just some random co-workers. Humility breeds confidence without arrogance, and love allows you to put other people’s needs ahead of your own.

Once he brings new staff on board, he doesn’t retain them with money. Grant believes that if money is all that motivates someone, there is nothing stopping them from leaving for a higher paycheck somewhere else. Instead, Grant offers his staff freedom, real time affirmations (positive and negative) and accolades. But at the end of the day, Grant has chiseled down the key to talent retention to a single question: Does your boss genuinely care about you? If they can’t answer this question with a resounding “Yes!” then Grant believes he isn’t doing his job.

Grant sets goals using unique language. He doesn’t measure the amount of paper pushed, but instead, the amount of lives changed, the amount of families educated and impacted. And he doesn’t measure this individually from each team member, but instead from the team as a whole. When all goals are team based, and the team trusts each other like a family, this creates a social accountability that makes each team member want to be better. As Grant puts it, “our mission isn’t about appointments, our mission is about making a positive impact on real people.“

This all trickles down to the client experience. For many families, a home loan will be their biggest financial risk of their lifetimes, and sets up their family with wealth that spans generations. Understanding the importance and impact a single translation can have, Grant’s objective with each new client is to build trust. From a financial perspective, this includes a unique fee structure. Stewardship Mortgage caps income, and only charges a flat fee or percentage (whichever is lower). Not only does this build trust with a potential client, it also ends up bringing on borrowers with more wealth and easier loan processes, which then opens up more time to help more potential clients.

In this week’s episode of Broker To Broker, Grant goes over his hiring process, his staff retention plans, and the key characteristics it takes to always do right by the consumer.

Show Notes:

Attracting Top Talent (5:16)
Culture & Accountability (10:36)
Goal Setting & Best Practices (20:16)
Pros & Cons of Finding a Niche (30:54)
Grant’s #1 Time-Saving Tip (35:11)

The post Hire Right & Lead Better: Attracting (and Keeping) Top Talent (with Grant Botma) – Episode 58 appeared first on AIME.

Mastering The Basics & Staying In Front Of Your Referrals (with Wade Betz) – Episode 57 Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Having transitioned from retail to wholesale just three weeks before COVID hit, Mortgage Broker Wade Betz has continued to thrive under pressure. Wade credits his success to keeping it simple, utilizing technology, and staying top-of-mind with realtor and borrower referrals.

“Every month you’re not touching your database, you’re losing 10% of your influence with them”, Wade shares, “so if you go a whole year without contact it’s highly likely they’ll forget your name. If you’re not staying top-of-mind with your past clients, they’re someone else’s prospects now. You worked hard to build a book of business, so protect what you’ve earned and take care of your clients. Be respectful, stay loyal, and build trust. It’s a simple system, but it works.”

The most valuable asset at your disposal is technology. Brokers used to have no options when it came to FinTech but now they are on par with the big banks. And better yet, you can customize your tech stack to your niche. Wade uses a trifecta of Brokers Are Better Network partners; Homebot to stay top-of-mind with realtors and borrowers, MBS highway for education and video marketing assistance, and Art Of Homeownership as his CRM. Don’t be afraid to encounter some trial and error, and know that it will only work out better in the long run. If you need help perfecting your tech stack, Wade advises to experiment with the programs that prioritize saving your well earned time and money. Listen to what other top producers recommend, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Life finds ways of throwing wrenches into plans, so be prepared. Flexibility and freedom is a big part of what makes brokers better, but none of it would be possible without a structured system in place. As Wade puts it: system stands for “Saving You Stress, Time, Energy and Money.” Tune into this week’s episode of Broker To Broker to learn more about how to perfect your loan process.

Show Notes:

Realtor & Borrower Referrals (3:13)
Tech Stack (12:00)
Retail-To-Wholesale Transition (22:16)

The post Mastering The Basics & Staying In Front Of Your Referrals (with Wade Betz) – Episode 57 appeared first on AIME.

Authenticity: Unlocking the Key to True Partnerships (with Melissa Puckett) Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

Coming from an entrepreneurial family, Idaho Mortgage Broker Melissa Puckett has always known one thing above all else: Authenticity wins every time. And this idea has only proven itself more over her last 17 years in the industry. Having built a business on exclusively organic word of mouth and realtor referrals, and having never bought a single lead, Melissa has found success, and she’s done it her way.

But she makes it clear, it wasn’t easy. Early on in her career, she played by the rules, but quickly learned it just wasn’t for her. It wasn’t where her passions lied. By throwing out the traditional tactics; cold calling, country club meetings, wine and dining, and just straight-up selling, Melissa was able to lean into her passion: education.

With a newfound focus, Melissa began to form real relationships with her clients, realtors, and with fellow brokers. By initiating relationships with the goal of learning and helping, and not expecting anything in return, Melissa’s brokerage tripled in business. She was surrounding herself with people who would lift her up, and push her to new heights. By focusing on a single niche idea, education, Melissa was able to completely transform her life.

This business is difficult, stressful, and unpredictable. If you’re not able to find your passion, you can burn out so easily, so find the passion that fuels you. At the end of the day, you are your own person so don’t can’t compare yourself to others. Look inwards, and try to find what works best for you.

Show Notes:

Intro To The Wholesale Channel (1:43)
Referral Relationships (4:04)
Educating Yourself & The Consumer (23:29)
Mortgage Brokers Advice (31:19)

The post Authenticity: Unlocking the Key to True Partnerships (with Melissa Puckett) appeared first on AIME.

Validating Your Success: Utilizing Data To Streamline Growth (with Elena Boland) – Episode 55 Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

Climbing the ladder since 2005, Nevada Broker/Owner Elena Boland has found a recipe for consistent success. Noting that growth will be doubly important once the current refi-boom ends, Elena has made it a priority ever since attending an AIME training session in 2019. Elena also made it clear that she didn’t just start hiring right out the gate.

After using her brokerage’s numbers to highlight key weaknesses and strengths, Elena created and implemented new processes and procedures to improve her business. Once she could prove it’s success, it didn’t matter if new hires were wholesale veterans or green to the industry. Once growth became the goal, Elena made teamwork a top priority. As Elena puts it, “you can have 200 great employees but if they’re not working together as a team, nothing is going to work right.”

And once the loans started rolling in, Elena stressed the importance of putting the money back into her business. Whether it’s hiring more ops staff for LO support, or utilizing a Brokers Are Better Network Partener like Leadpops to build her a new website (that generates 5-7 leads for her a day), Elena says it’s a no-brainer. She breaks it down in detail during this week’s episode of Broker To Broker but as she sums it up simply: hiring empowers her brokerage, causing growth, which leads to more revenue, and then you put that revenue back into your business. It’s a no-brainer cycle that leads to steady success.

Show Notes:

Intro To The Wholesale Channel (1:43)
Growth Process & Procedures (6:26)
Social Media Marketing (21:28)
New LO Advice (39:24)

The post Validating Your Success: Utilizing Data To Streamline Growth (with Elena Boland) – Episode 55 appeared first on AIME.

Recruiting, Training, & Retaining LO’s & Customers (with Pablo Martinez) – Episode 54 Feb 09, 2021

Show notes

As AIME President Marc Summers puts it, top Broker/Owner Pablo Martinez keeps it simple. He looks for good people and retains them by giving them the service and support they need. This leads to a better client experience, creates a referral source, and in turn, becomes the catalyst for growth.

Pablo’s success is undeniable. The Equity Smart Home Loans leader has over 20 years of experience and survived the crash of ‘08. His Brokerage just closed 2,528 units last year, bringing in a total of $1,028,000,000. Now, not every broker or brokerage needs or even wants 120+ Loan Officers, but Pablo knows that growth comes in many sizes, and at the end of the day, any kind of growth can lead to more wealth for more families and potential homeowners.

Pablo’s biggest hurdle in finding success? Letting go, delegating, and learning to trust his team. This is a slow and arduous process and requires a lot of patience, but in the end, everyone wins. Pablo suggests strengthening the base of your success and creating a plan before making any hiring decisions. But once it’s time to recruit, reach for the stars. While this is easier said than done, Pablo recommends creating the ultimate workplace. This includes a multilevel support system, a strong culture, and sky high goals.

Equity Smart Home Loans LO’s each have their own mini eco-systems. Pablo lets each broker do what they do best, but supports them by providing tools and accessories. He gives them multiple CRM options, utilizes free training programs, like UWM’s success track or MGIC’s webinars, and has a large admin support staff. Most of the 120+ Loan Officers at Equity Smart Home Loans work from home, but the 20+ in-house staff members Pablo hires work exclusively as broker admin support. This includes skilled processors, book-keepers, I.T. support, and even social media experts. All new onboardees are assigned a “Success Specialist.” A Success Specialist usually oversees the first three to five loans a new Equity Smart Home Loans Broker works on, and goes through a thorough checklist of skills the Broker has to execute successfully before the Specialist can move onto the next Broker.

Marc loves to say that there are a thousand ways to succeed in this business, and Pablo Martinez gives insight and helpful tips to Broker/Owners and LO’s at any and all stages of their success. But the one thing Pablo petitions against is chasing money. It’s the experience you provide for your clients and your staff that leads to riches, he shares, whether through financial success or personal happiness.

Show Notes:

Intro Into the Wholesale Channel (1:28)
Customer Retention (13:54)
Recruitment (26:46)
Training (34:29)
One piece of Advice (40:56)

The post Recruiting, Training, & Retaining LO’s & Customers (with Pablo Martinez) – Episode 54 appeared first on AIME.

Leaning Into Niche Products & Successfully Using Social Media In 2021 (with Mike Socha) – Episode 53 Feb 02, 2021

Show notes

Starting as a standard banker, Mike found an MLO he greatly respected, after half a year under her wing, she retired, and he took her spot. This involved teaching many other LO’s the basics and making sure they retained special product knowledge as well. He was then promoted again to do the same for the entire state of Virginia. During this time, Mike saw a fatal flaw in their systems, a complete rebuild was needed on their antiquated tech stack. Instead of bringing someone else in to do it, Mike rolled up his sleeves and got to work. This success brought him notoriety, and after being recruited to clean out multiple bank’s process and upgrade their tech, Mike heard about the wholesale channel. He saw that the wholesale channel wasn’t just a bunch of warring branches, but rather a community of people with the collective goal of doing what’s right for the consumer.

Mike joined a brokerage at first, just to get his bearings in the new channel, but with help from his Husband and his background in compliance, they finally opened their new brokerage, The Socha Lending Group, last year. The key to their success? Thoughtful social media marketing. Mike has learned how to master the inner workings of Facebook groups. mortgage related or not, Mike has found a nice and natural way to become a part of multiple communities and naturally obtain referrals as a result.

Mike says don’t do anything you’re not comfortable doing. For example, Mike is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and gets lots of referrals through live Facebook newtowrking parties in groups like NAGLREP (The National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals). Mike mentors his own LOs to lean into their own niche communities. They don’t need to start running virtual parties out the gate, nor should they, he adds. Slowly comment and connect, try to add value and make yourself heard in any of the hundred and hundreds local Facebook communities for your area. Mike also mentions the importance of following up with a personal message for people you don’t know in real life. As long as they see that you’re real, they’ll want to get to know you. Business opportunities will present itself over time. As far as his personal page goes, he tries to keep it simple: “life, mortgages, puppies.”

He leaves the listeners, and especially new LO’s thinking about starting their own brokerage, with a few words of wisdom. Do it when you’re ready. Do your homework first, find out how comp works, how you pay processors, what kind of tech stack do you need, what does, or doesn’t work together, and then just how much is all of this going to cost. It is more than doable, he wants potential listeners to know, but don’t just dive into the deep end with your arms tied behind your back. Having a partner by your side can also be a very powerful tool for beginners. Slow and steady wins the race here. Understand how it works, and then add and grow from there.

Show Notes:

Intro To The Industry (2:19)
FREE Social Media Marketing (11:00)
Mike’s Business Model (26:18)
Words Of Wisdom (39:44)

The post Leaning Into Niche Products & Successfully Using Social Media In 2021 (with Mike Socha) – Episode 53 appeared first on AIME.

Rising To The Challenge: Combating Adversity For The Sake Of The Consumer (with D.C. Terry) – Episode 52 Jan 26, 2021

Show notes

Since middle school, D.C. Terry wanted to be a Marine, so he became a Marine. Then, knowing he wanted to work for himself, and with the goal of buying his mother a home, he started to dabble in the housing industry. Now, with 20 years of experience and his own successful brokerage, D.C. has a new goal, to leave an everlasting legacy and to make an impact in his community. Listen to this week’s episode of Broker To Broker to find out how he has surpassed all of his previous goals, what new goals he has decided to set, and how he has faced and overcome adversity along the way. His main advice? Decide what you want in life, and use the mortgage industry to build that life.

D.C.’s bread and butter are challenging loans. Loans for potential homeowners that need a little more TLC. He started down this path early on in his career when he decided to embrace the “turn-down bin” as an up-and-coming LO. He leveraged these ignored customers to become a top broker. But as D.C. put’s it, “I’m looking at more than just a file, I see a story.” By taking some extra time to read through more lender guidelines, and building relationships with different AE’s, D.C. was, in many cases, able to find simple fixes and find people homes. It’s not always easy but D.C. advises brokers to be upfront, let consumers know that it isn’t going to be a quick and painless process, but that everything will end up okay on the other side. He also mentions that this business model isn’t the best for someone trying to build something fast, but for someone who is trying to build something strong.

That’s where education comes in. D.C. has tried to make some helpful videos, and does his best to stay active and be sincere on social media, but what has worked best for him, is to have direct one-on-ones with clients and to bring them through the entire process A through Z.

D.C. Terry shares with us so many incredibly insightful stories during this episode of Broker To Broker, but he admits that his way isn’t the only way, and those that want to copy and paste his model really have to have heart. They really have to want to help people, to never give up, never retreat or surrender, and to always put the borrower first.

Show Notes:

Intro Into The Industry (2:08)
Challenging Loans (11:07)
How To Educate Your Consumers (20:09)
Marketing & The Community (26:28)
Advice For All Mortgage Brokers (33:43)

The post Rising To The Challenge: Combating Adversity For The Sake Of The Consumer (with D.C. Terry) – Episode 52 appeared first on AIME.

Building Team Trust & Geeking Out On Guidelines (with Amanda Stevenson) – Episode 51 Jan 19, 2021

Show notes

For Amanda Stevenson, helping people find homes is a family affair. Growing up with a real estate agent/mortgage broker father, Amanda knew what an LTV was by age 10 and had her own real estate license by 20. Now, her daughter is her assistant. Amanda attributes her success to two major actions; leaning into her specialty, VA home loans, and her ability to trust her team. Both took time to nurture and grow, but once she decided to become intentional in her actions, everything started to fall into place.

While referrals weren’t extremely hard to find with a nurse, doctor, teacher, policeman, detective, and firefighter in the family, it wasn’t the number of loans that Amanda attributes to her success. It’s her hard work and dedication, her constant training and trying to stay on top of constantly changing guidelines, especially for VA loans. Sometimes, simply doing your job well can be better than any marketing campaign. While working with such tight knit communities, it only takes trust and the power of word of mouth for referrals to follow. Amanda uses these referrals to do right by those that put their life at risk for all of us.

Amanda also talks about the power of reading. Guideline books are big, they’re wordy and not necessarily a thrilling New York Times best-seller, however, they can make you a better broker. You don’t have to memorize every single page but a healthy and consistent skim will make you more knowledgeable about the latest regulations. Also, with knowledge comes confidence, and the ability to better control your pipeline. The better you know your guidelines, the less surprised you will be when you get everything back from your underwriter. And in certain situations, as Amanda shares, you might even be able to successfully challenge certain conditions, not just saving yourself time, but saving the borrower money as well.

One of the biggest roadblocks in Amanda’s wholesale career was her ability to grow. With her pipeline full, she knew that growing her team was the only way to move forward, but she just didn’t trust other people with her loans. She was scared of allowing anyone else to communicate with her clients. Her biggest advice to stepping over this obstacle? “…Get over yourself.” You’re not the be all and end all in mortgage, and you’re only one person, so you can only do so much. But by bringing in other people, you’ll be able to expand your reach and help more families find their forever homes. A bigger team will also improve your work/life balance, which helps everyone.

Overnight successes worked their entire lives to reach their dreams. It’s not about doing everything all at once. Take small, but intentional and consistent steps, and success will follow.

Show Notes:

Broker Beginnings (1:38)
Being The True Local Expert (3:39)
Advice For First Time Brokers (9:32)
Building The Ideal Team (18:45)
Stepping Stone To Success (27:40)

The post Building Team Trust & Geeking Out On Guidelines (with Amanda Stevenson) – Episode 51 appeared first on AIME.

Tackling Transparency: Culture, Branding, and Community Outreach (with JP Hussey) – Episode 50 Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

We’re flipping the switch for this very special milestone episode of Broker To Broker as AIME President Marc Summers interviews former host and Philadelphia Mortgage Broker, JP Hussey. Championing complete and utter transparency above all else, JP has learned that the only way to successfully have a work/life balance is to shoot straight and be yourself. If you feel good, you work good.

Creating the right company culture is one of the many pillars to building a successful brokerage. A family business, The Hussey Team Mortgage Advisors started out as JP and his brother Nick. While their numerous fun and games can be witnessed through their many videos on Facebook and in the Brokers Are Better Facebook group, JP reveals that this fun acts as a stress reliever. As JP puts it, mortgages are hard, so you have to be able to let loose so you can relax and reset between transactions. JP also puts emphasis on transparency here, noting that co-workers have to be able to speak freely about their feelings and frustrations. Without this, productivity slows, and clients suffer as a result.

JP has been able to create what few other brokers have successfully done; created a unique and successful brand. “Hop on the HussBus to homeownership” is the Hussey Team’s motto. It acts as a call to all potential borrowers to not just become clients, but to actually become a part of the team. All Hussey Team homeowners get a customized shirt jersey with the year they closed on the back. JP even mentions that he gets calls all the time from people seeing his shirt out in the wild.

Another important pillar of running a successful brokerage is community outreach. Besides being THE local expert in your area, you also have to go out and actively support your community. JP provides food for those in need, and sponsors and coaches a local little league team. And while the goal isn’t to grow your business or measure an ROI, it is still selfish. It feels good to help other people, and when you feel better you do your job better.

In this episode of Broker To Broker, AIME President and Active Mortgage Broker Marc Summers takes the reins and grills former host, and Broker/Owner JP Hussey about his fun but hard-working culture, his unique and successful brand, and his multiple channels of community outreach.

Show Notes:

Retail and Wholesale Beginnings (2:15)
Cultivating Culture (11:52)
Building A Successful Brand (21:38)
Community Outreach (26:14)
Processes and Procedures (31:13)
Tips For New Brokers (39:34)

The post Tackling Transparency: Culture, Branding, and Community Outreach (with JP Hussey) – Episode 50 appeared first on AIME.

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