With big industry events upcoming, an industry veteran shows you the right way to make critical connections
Over the next two weeks, a large portion of the mortgage broker community will descend on Las Vegas and Nashville, as some of the biggest industry events of the year will take place in mid-October.
Brokers will hear about the latest trends in the industry, listen to educational panels, and also network with their friends and colleagues from all corners of the nation.
One industry veteran wants to impart some advice to brokers looking to make connections over the next couple of weeks.
Tanya Blanchard (pictured top) of Madison Chase Academy has spent over 20 years in the industry, serving as a broker and consultant. She will be speaking about networking at one of those major events this month, the AIME Fuse event in Nashville. She stresses that it’s all about following up with those new connections.
“You can network all you want, but the fortune is in the follow-up,” Blanchard told Mortgage Professional America. “My presentation is really about building your business and relationships, because relationships are extremely important.
Be in control
She said once you meet someone, you want to follow up with them the next day. Then, establish what you are looking for in that follow-up.
“The next step is crucial,” Blanchard said. “If you meet somebody on Thursday, you want to follow up the next day, for what is it that you want. Do you want a coffee appointment? Do you want a Zoom appointment? Do you want to just tell them a little bit more about you? Do you want to learn about them?”
Another common mistake Blanchard sees is that people are very concerned about making sure as many people as possible have their business card. She said that doesn’t leave you in control of the situation.
“Do not be concerned with giving out your card,” she said. “Giving out your card saying, ‘Oh, I gave out my card to 20 people.’ That's really passive, because you have to hope, out of those 20 people, that they call you back. If you get 20 cards, now you have 20 people that you can follow up with.
“That's the key, because if you have their card, you can call and say, ‘We met last night. It was so great to meet you. I'd love to get together for coffee.’ You're in control, as opposed to just waiting.”
Leave with a promise
Once you have connected with your new colleague or potential client, Blanchard said it is important to leave with something that will allow you to continue connecting in the future.
“Once you even go on an appointment, you always want to leave with a promise,” she said. “Let's say you were just talking about DSCR loans, and you said, ‘When I get back to the office, I'm going to send you some information on that DSCR loan.’ It's important that you do that because, number one, you kept your word. It shows that you have integrity.”
Blanchard makes Fridays the day when she follows up on the connections she’s made. Not only does that allow her to tie up loose ends before the weekend, but it also keeps at least one of those weekend days free.
“I call it follow-up Friday,” she said. “If you talk to 10 clients during the week, then Friday is a great time to follow up. Whether they've given you their documentation, follow up with, ‘Oh, you're going to look for a house. I hope you and your wife find a house. If you need me to run numbers, let me know.’
“I don't work on Sunday anymore. So my joke is, ‘Call me on Saturday. I'm like Chick-fil-A, I'm closed on Sunday,’ because everybody can relate. It kind of puts people off, like, ‘Oh, you don't work Sunday.’ Listen, we want a Chick-fil-A biscuit on Sunday, but we can't get it. But what can you do Monday morning at 7:30, you're in that drive-through, getting that Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit.”
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She said making these connections in the industry is why events like Fuse are so important. She said it’s a chance to meet face-to-face instead of over the phone or on a computer screen.
“That's why you have to go to events like Fuse,” Blanchard said. “The importance of an organization like AIME and an event like Fuse is that you meet people, and so now you're putting a face with the name. Once you build that relationship, you want to be a resource to someone just like you want them to be a resource to you. It's not so much what you can get, but it's also what you can give.”
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