Scotsman Guide - June 2012 Residential Edition

By douglas Smith
president
douglas Smith & associates

A Case for Discipline
living by the rules can spell success

There are a number of central traitsthatdriveoriginators’suc- cess in the mortgage industry, but perhaps no trait is as vital as sheer discipline. Knowledge can be taught and experience can be overrated; arguably, discipline is what makes or breaks anyone working in the mortgage industry today.

It’s crucial, then, for mortgage brokers and originators to work — and live — as disciplined professionals. As you develop your personal discipline, you improve your image as a sales professional, increase your opportunities for business and improve your own results.

The notion of discipline itself is not
complicated. It’s made up of simple
things that you demonstrate every day
in myriad ways, however minor. Those
ways may include simply being prompt
for meetings, appointments and con-
ference calls; creating to-do lists each
morning; sending thank-you cards af-
ter every customer appointment; mak-
ing scheduled, organized sales calls
to existing clients each week; and de-
livering the things that you promise to
clients within the time frames that you
establish.

Try giving yourself a short self-assessment. If you could assign yourself a grade on discipline right now, what would it be?

A: I’m extremely disciplined in my work.
B: I’m mostly disciplined in my work.
C: I’m sometimes disciplined in my
work.
D: I’m not very disciplined in my work.
F: I’m not the least bit disciplined in
my work.

If you gave yourself any grade less than a B in the preceding assessment, it’s certainly in your best interest to force yourself to operate your business in a more disciplined manner. More specifically, consider tackling each of the following seven points. Although some of them may seem insignificant, they can add up to a major improvement in your daily professional life. Promise yourself:

1. To be on time for work every day
2. To be prompt for meetings, appoint-
ments and conference calls
3. To submit your reports on time
4. To organize your day based on a to-
do list
5. To track your leads and sources of
business
6. To follow up with every potential
prospect
7. To follow through on all of your
promises

Fulfilling these objectives will make an enormous difference in how people see you and the results you achieve. Imagine, for instance, what moving from one grade up to the next would do for your professional image and sales results.

To some extent, discipline cannot be taught. There are no classes for mortgage professionals to take or books to be read that simply can make a person more disciplined. Ultimately, it is a choice. What’s your choice going to be? •

This article is adapted from Douglas Smith’s book, Green Zone Selling.

douglas Smith, president of Douglas Smith & Associates, is an authority on sales and marketing in the mortgage industry. Smith is a 28-year industry veteran and a nationally known speaker and sales trainer. He shows lenders and loan officers how to find more customers and make more money. Smith is the author of Climbing the Ladder of Success and the recently released Green Zone Selling. For more information, visit DougSmithOnline.com or call (877) 430-2329.