Elevating relationships in a digital era

Digital communication has become an increasingly important skill for mortgage professionals over the years, but as the coronavirus outbreak forced many to work remotely, it has become a necessity.

XINNIX, a mortgage training company, recently hosted a webinar on elevating relationships in a digital era, directed toward mortgage professionals looking to stay front and center with realtor partners and clients when face-to-face meetings are not possible.

Ralph Remy, senior vice president of training and client engagement at XINNIX joined CEO Casey Cunningham to share his tips on creating impactful messages to encourage engagement and in turn, drive loyalty.

Virtual meetings

As we move deeper into the digital era, one-on-one meetings are going to look a lot different. One of the most important things for video meetings is to turn the webcam on.

“It humanizes us. How many times have you been on the phone with someone and you don’t really know what they are thinking?” Remy questioned. Having a meeting where both parties has their videos turned on is the closest thing to an in-person face-to-face, where you can not only hear what they are saying, but also see their emotions and body language.

Remy recommends organizing a virtual lunch meeting. Offering to have lunch delivered via a food delivery service to a potential referral partner, and then sit and eat lunch together over video chat could be a great way to connect. This could also be done with a morning coffee, or a happy hour drink.

Another way to connect with industry partners is through virtual training events. With so much instability in the market and conditions changing and developing every day, it’s a great time to share your expertise and knowledge by hosting online webinars or training videos. With video conferencing services like Zoom, there’s also the ability to host roundtable discussions on a variety of topics like managing your business or preparing your borrowers.

Supporting others

For many mortgage professionals, staying busy during the pandemic isn’t a problem, especially with the refinance requests or curious borrowers just looking to see what their options are. Realtor partners, however, don’t have refinance activity to fall back on while the market continues to shift.

Remy suggests finding ways to help support realtor partners by simply asking. Have discussion on how to boost them during times of struggle may result in becoming a partner of choice when the market recovers. Open houses are still happening, just differently, said Remy. Showings have gone virtual in some cases, where agents are going through a home live so interested buyers can still tour properties.

“Reminding [realtor partners] that you are still available over the weekend for them still holds value,” he said.

Managing the change in your business

Business plans created just a few months ago are already outdated now, due to current conditions. Doing an intentional review of your business plan will aid in finding the empty gaps in a schedule as well as facilitate maximize prospecting time. Remy suggests setting aside a dedicated amount of time every day for prospecting and setting a goal for what achievements needs to be completed in that time.

“Make it a habit. About 20% of your time should be dedicated to prospecting,” he advised. 

Mastering video outreach

There is an unlimited amount of excuses that people use to avoid getting in front of the camera, whether it’s lack of time, not knowing what to talk about or being less than confident.

Being authentic is the most important factor in approaching people, he said.

Keeping content relevant and concise, as well as tailoring content to the person who is receiving it will also drive engagement. Every video or message should include one call to action, he added; something to get the conversation going.

Finding ways to always bring added value to your partners is going to help in creating that impactful messaging. This could be done by simply sharing an article that you believe is of interest, sending updates on market activity, or sharing an inspirational quote that is helping you stay positive during this time.

“Bring value consistently. Comment on social media posts. Ramp up your presence. Be a thought leader. Be consistent. Commit to frequency of communication.”