My last blog post was 232 days ago… it was a Monday and I wrote about the refi boom that was on the horizon. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I kinda nailed that post and that prediction. That said, everyone could see what was happening and what was in store for us… I’m no Nostradamus, but I do know that a lot of mortgage professionals (Brokers and Loan Officers) took advantage of the opportunity and had arguably one of the best years in the industry since 2007 ($2.31 trillion was originated). Early reports had origination totals for 2019 around $1.9 trillion, but later reports have it closer to $2.7 trillion… either way you slice it was a good year and 2020 looks like more of the same with the MBA forecasting around $1.9 trillion in total originations.
So… what are you going to do in order to get YOUR slice of the pie? Are you going to follow your same formula from 2019? Are you gonna switch up? Maybe… buy up some new leads, adjust your comp or increase your spending on direct marketing? Or maybe it’s not a strategic play at all… maybe the way to get your slice is to adjust your way of thinking. Now, I say that like it’s some easy task, but we all know that reducing comp or increasing your spending on realtor lunches is the real “easy” way out.
Adjusting your mindset is much more difficult. It takes discipline, persistence and patience. Considering the tragic events this past Sunday I felt extremely compelled to sit down and start writing again. Not because I want to get clicks on the blog or generate conversations, but because writing for me was once a discipline that I never skipped out on. It was something that I needed to do. Not for anyone else, but for me. My personal and professional growth was directly impacted by scanning the headlines, reading articles about our industry and relaying in a relatable/fun way… but, what happened was I got busy. I made excuses and made the conscious decision to prioritize certain things over my commitment (to myself really) to write this blog. I can hear you saying… “Okay Matt! Get to the point!”.
Look… Kobe Bryant was special. He approached the game of basketball unlike anyone I’ve ever seen before. He realized that his physical abilities could only get him so far… he knew that if he truly wanted to achieve greatness, he’d needed to get his mental abilities to the same or even greater level. Read this excerpt from his book and look at the detail in which approached/trained for defending Michael Jordan and competing against Allen Iverson. It’s incredible. He knew his balance was off against MJ which made him suspect to the jumper. Against AI, he knew that his best opportunity was to use his height in the mid-post and stay clear of the trap. These are small examples, but what you can see in this brief excerpt is that he was AWARE of his strengths and his weaknesses just as much as he was AWARE of the people he was competing against.
My ask to you… is what are you doing to increase your mental abilities? You might be able to outwork that LO or Broker down the street by just pure hustle… might create a new relationship because you decided to go to a happy hour and bumped into a friend who just became a relator, but that’s not success. That’s luck. What are you doing to create systems that ensure you stay in flow with your past clients and relators? What feedback loops have you created that check you on your performance to ensure you’re providing the highest-level service to your customers? What are you doing to create awareness for yourself? Are you even aware?
I think it’s important that we all start to approach our craft (whatever it may be) with the relentless Mamba Mentality. Who knows… maybe you’ll do something great.
Talk to you soon,
MJ
Image by WolfWolfWolf from Pixabay