Author: Manny Kagan

 

I’ve been wanting to write about the subject of faith for a while. Not the faith for some deity or certain religious traditions, but rather faith in life. The kind of knowing that regardless of what happens; everything will turn out all right.

I do have this faith—and my life is the proof.

If you read my first book, “The Mortgage Game: The 5 C’s and How to Connect Them”, you know that I had many ups and downs in my life.

After working with us for over 20 years, two of our top producers decided to leave the mortgage bank we were affiliated with for another mortgage bank—the greener pasture. Despite the financial blow to our bottom line, I saw this as an opportunity to get rid of the old way of doing business, where we were heavily dependent upon the whim of the people, markets, economy, or regulators, and to rebuild ourselves as a commercial mortgage broker, while continuing residential mortgage brokerage the way it always worked—“only by referrals”.

 

A friend asked for advice. He has some skills, but did not know how to sell them. In my view, despite the general notion—salesmanship is not a profession. Though there are ads in newspapers claiming that a company needs sales people to sell some products, it can be misleading. The candidates for hire do not actually need to know how to sell, despite their experience in selling and sales training on their resume.

Those people need to be caring individuals, who first of all need to know how to relate to other people’s needs and desires. They will need to know the product of course, but only in relationship to the people who will benefit from it.

Lately, many of those who were involved in the mortgage industry as loan originators, who were supposedly selling mortgages, left the business. Some went to sell real estate, since it requires the same license and seems more lucrative (2.5% commission versus 1%). Some switched from residential loans to commercial loans because the loan amounts are higher and there are no regulators. (Thank God) Regardless of what the area is, some are going to be more successful than others, regardless of the field.

According to the 1964 study of David Mayer and Herbert Greenberg, successful salesman must have two qualities: empathy and ego drive. They must have enough empathy to listen and understand what is in the customer’s head, but enough ego to close the sale. I read about it in a book, “The Art of the Sale: Learning from the Masters About the Business of Life” by Philip Delves Broughton. If you are in sales, or planning to be, read this book.

Before getting into the mortgage business in 1983, I was an engineer and a manager. I did not have direct sales experience, but I was successful in selling myself. When I started, I was told that I would close my first deal in 6 months.

My friend and a client for many years, Ken Mitchell, called with excitement in his voice: “I have a new girlfriend!” After my congratulations, he continued, “And we want to buy a house together in Sonoma. Can we have dinner to discuss the details?” I’ve been working with Ken for about 20 years. His printing company, H&H Imaging takes care of all of our printing needs. When I needed quick service, he printed my book, “Soy Cubano—I Am Cuban”, in three days and he did a great job.

Throughout the years, I helped him buy his house and refinance it numerous times. This time seemed different. He planned to buy a second home together with a partner. Over dinner at our favorite restaurant, Zuni Café, I had the opportunity to meet his girlfriend, Heather. They found each other through the dating service “Our Time”. She is smart, beautiful, and an accomplished woman. It was a pleasure to see them together hugging and kissing. She asked me to take their photos with an iPhone and said that they looked artistic. Heather shared with us that the man she was previously involved with was moody and grouchy. “Ken is always upbeat. I am happy when I am with him,” she added.

The word love was not mentioned, but if it was not an expression of love, then what is?

Then the question of what to get for Valentine’s Day was brought up. This immediately led to my curiosity to find out what this holiday really means. It began as a liturgical celebration of early Christian saints. The name Valentine in Latin means strong, healthy, and there were at least 50 saints with the variant name, Valentinus. Apparently, it had very little to do with romantic love until the Middle Ages. In the 19^th Century, handwritten cards led to the holiday popularity and were very well exploited by the marketing geniuses of Hallmark and similar companies. And of course, growers of red flowers (especially roses) jumped on the bandwagon.

Using this opportunity, I wanted to share with you my roses. Since they can be shared any time of the year, they do not have to be red.

As the writer, Gertrude Stein wrote, “Rose is a rose, is a rose.”

 

 

 

 

For 20 years, I’ve been going to Dr. Angela Wu’s clinic for acupuncture, cupping and other treatments. The first time I went to her 20 years ago, she was able to help me with my asthma symptoms, by strengthening my immune system. Now, I see her quarterly for preventative measures. She keeps me from getting sick, and saves me a lot of money. I leave her clinic with a dose of herbs, which I take three times a day, and follow her recommendations religiously. On my most recent visit this week, I also received instructions on how to start the first day (Friday) of the Chinese New Year. 

According to the Chinese Zodiac, it is going to be the “Year of the Horse”. Like the Jewish calendar, the Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar. According to a legend, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on the Chinese New Year. Twelve came and Buddha named a year after each one. It is believed that those who are born on the year represented by a specific animal adapt its characteristics. Thus, those born on the year of the horse are thought to be cheerful, have money, are perceptive, witty, talented, and good with their hands.

Many famous people were born in the Year of The Horse. I was born in the year of the Pig and was very curious to find out the description of my personality. According to this site, those born in the year of the pig, are honest, straightforward, and patient people. The other qualities are close to the way I perceive myself. Have fun! Google your profile.