Reverse Mortgage Success

What do you do with the testimonials and thank you notes that you get from past clients? You should go through them from time to time and gather the nuggets of information that those clients have told you about their experience with the reverse mortgage process and your services. What were their goals and plans? What problems did you solve? These thank you notes and testimonials form the basis of great….stories. When you can weave a story into a marketing piece or seminar presentation you are providing more than product information and facts, you are reaching out to your audience in a very personal way.  They can relate to the experiences of their peers, as told through these stories and that means more than any set of statistics. They frame you as the answer to the challenges the borrowers faced. Put these stories in your newsletters, on your website, make them part of a seminar series you are preparing. Do you have webinars on your site? Be sure to include the stories. Perhaps some of your past clients will record their stories for use on your website.

These stories can be a powerful tool that can help a prospect who is on the fence. They can open the eyes of other prospects who are just starting to consider the reverse. They can create a feeling of community. If you are already collecting these testimonials and stories from your clients, congratulations. If not, get started, you‘ll have one more powerful strategy in your arsenal.

As many of you are aware, Brian and I usually have several marketing strategies at a time that we are testing. One that we are working on now is of particular interest to me. It’s something you may have thought of before, but you were not quite sure how to approach it. This was my dilemma as we prepared for this project. Here’s the idea: we are approaching religious organizations in our area. You can probably understand that the spiritual advisor is one of the first to be approached when a senior has a problem or challenge in their life, financial or otherwise. It is through these leaders of the religious institutions that we focus our discussion. Now be aware, you’re not going to just approach this person and say “Hey, I’d like to do a reverse mortgage presentation to your congregation”. That will get the door slammed in your face. This approach is a cautious one, educating the church leaders on the fact that their senior congregants are in need and may not know where to turn. Brian and I prepared several scripts and settled on a few that we liked after much debate (you can imagine!). Now we have added this to our list of strategies and are comfortable with the results. If you are willing to give this a try, you’ll be pleased with the results. Having a noted authority figure, such as the head of a religious organization welcome you as a trusted resource is a resounding recommendation. Let me know your thoughts on this and if you’re interested in hearing more about our experience.

I received many comments and questions after my last post about using the newsworthy items that you see every day to increase your presence in your local market. Many were not sure hoe to get started. I struggled with this myself in the beginning, so let’s focus on that for a minute.

What is going on in your local community that affects seniors? Is it real estate taxes, is the housing stock older and in need of repair? Are services that seniors depend on being scaled back due to the economy?

Find one or two issues that are relevant and will spark the interest of the local media and promote yourself as the expert who has the solution.  They are already reporting on many of these issues and will be only too happy to listen to what you have to say if you position the story properly. Remember, in the eyes of the public, if you are writing articles or being interviewed, you are the expert.

Are you holding a series of seminars? Weave that into your article or interview. After all you are bringing valuable newsworthy information that seniors need. Don’t be shy- do your research and have statistics or other details at the ready to lend credibility to your case. Offer to be THE local resource on issues that affect seniors. Stay in touch with the media, and before you know it you will be the “go to” person in your area.

News You Can Use…Free Publicity

You’ve seen it all over the news- it’s been on network and cable TV, in print and on the airwaves…The Baby Boomers are coming! Like we didn’t know about this wave that represents the largest generation our country has ever seen. Of course we all knew about it, you’ve heard me talk and write about this for the last couple of years. More importantly, I wrote about how we in the reverse mortgage industry can be proactive in spreading the word in anticipation of this wave.

Now they are here and we are reading and seeing stories about how they are going to put pressure on Social Security and Medicare. Yes, it’s true that many boomers have not saved enough for retirement. They are looking at working well into what would normally be their retirement years. Hidden in all this noise is a real opportunity just waiting for you. Capitalize on these breaking news stories by reaching out in your local community and positioning yourself as the calm voice in all this negativity and uproar. You ARE the solution. Never before has there been such a chance for us to tap into the stories that are making news and promote ourselves and what we do each and every day. Write articles; get interviewed on local TV and radio, offer seminars if this is one of your ongoing marketing strategies.  Use what is going on in the media to your benefit and offer some real answers to the challenges our seniors are facing. I know not everyone uses Social Media (but you should), but if you do, post a story or video. Use your blog to discuss the stories you have seen in the media. The seniors in your area are looking for answers. Step up and be the expert you know you are.

OUR # 1 MARKETING STRATEGY PART 2

Last week we spoke our # 1 marketing strategy ( see last article) and I told you how dangerous it is to only have 1 way of generating business. In fact, I even proved it to you.

So let’s continue that conversation. One of the biggest issues Sue and I see from the originators we speak with is their total lack of focus. To be fair , we totally understand it  and suffered from it ourselves.

WHAT DO I MEAN?

When you are trying to do too many things you wind up doing nothing. PLEASE RE-READ THIS. Here’s how it often works. You are working on a few marketing campaigns and then an e-mail arrives in your in-box or a postcard arrives in your mailbox.

It offers you the best thing since sliced bread..The newest shiny object. It tells you that you need to do this before everyone else gets starts doing it too… You are invited to a call and your greed glands get the better of you.

A few days later and you actually have dropped everything and started to implement the program you just invested in. Things are going well until about 2 weeks later.

WHAT HAPPENS?

You are reading an e-mail and it talks about a brand new way to generate business. It seems totally logical and like something you have been dreaming of. You can simply do X and the clients will be knocking down your door. Right?

So of course you get going on this new program and set everything else aside. You want to implement. You need to implement. You need business and you need it right NOW!

BUT WHAT HAPPENS?

You now realize that you have no new business for the month and are starting to freak out.  Then , as if by divine intervention, you get an e-mail about some guaranteed leads and of course you JUMP RIGHT ON IT!

This whole cycle causes failure.
IF YOU TRY TO DO EVERYTHING – YOU WILL WIND UP DOING NOTHING!!!!!

We suggest having 3-4 main ways of generating new business. At www.reversemortgagesuccess.com we share the most current methods we are using.
See what’s working and work to improve it. Many cost ZERO dollars just a little initiative.  But the point here is simple.  Don’t fall into the trap of the next shiny object!  It’s great to try new things – we do it all the time. But first have 3-4 marketing techniques in place that working and you can count on!

Brian Sacks and Sue Haviland  are the co-founders of Reverse Mortgage Success. They have been in the industry for over 25 years and have closed over 5000 transactions. Sue and Brian originate Reverse mortgages each and every day and share their real world experiences with you at www.reversemortgagesuccess.com

For a limited time they are offering a FREE COURSE entitled
7 Secrets to Success with the Fastest Growing Niche to Ever Hit the Mortgage Industry… Reverse Mortgages” available at www.reversemortgagesuccess.com along with updated tested and proven strategies yo u can profit from now!