“To sell or not to sell–is not the question. We all do. The question is what? And what is our reward?“
Zig Ziglar, a popular motivational teacher who recently died, remarked that there was never an announcement made in the newspaper that the salesman was born.
I thought about this when on my visit to Costco, I met my old friend Joe Farsight. He owns an engineering and construction company located on Treasure Island. Joe’s children work in the company primarily in design and management positions.
“But who is getting the business? Who is selling?” I asked.
Joe smiled to me.
“Who do you think it is?” he asked.
“The young generation,” he added, “They think that the sale happens by itself if you have the right product.”
In my past life, I was an engineer and a project manager. I never had to “sell”. After getting into the mortgage business 30 years ago, I quickly realized that I am in the selling business and had to learn how to sell–I took many courses, read books, and basically learned by trial and error.
Today I do not have to sell, but I do by telling many of my sale stories. You can read some of them in “The Mortgage Game: The 5 C’s and How to Connect Them” and read more in the forthcoming “Mortgage Solutions for Smart People: 5 Easy Ways to Get a Loan”.
Selling is not a profession, but rather a skill which needs to be developed. We learn how to sell from early childhood. Those who have children know it firsthand. A friend of mine told me that his son, who is three, would hug his legs and sweetly say, “You are the best dad”, and then innocently ask for some game he just saw advertized on TV. I do not think that this boy will have difficultly learning how to sell later on in life.
For me–selling is serving. Through the years, I taught many people how to become mortgage brokers, but never knew who would make it and why. Knowledge of the product is essential. In the mortgage business, it is the essence of the 5 C’s. But there has to be something else. I think it is love of people, desire to help, optimism, drive, and constant learning. Different people accomplish results different ways. We have twelve agents between two companies and each has a different style, but all the elements have to be there to become good at selling.
After finishing my second book, “Mortgage Solutions for Smart People: 5 Easy Ways to Get a Loan”, I decided to create a course based on both books. The goal is to teach a new generation how to become mortgage professionals and (if I am lucky) how to sell. The title of the course is–“How to Play and Win the Mortgage Game”. I will teach four consecutive Sundays in June from 12 to 4pm. You might know someone who has worked in the mortgage industry before, or if he/she would like to learn it, please ask this person to contact me. Interested parties would need a real estate / corporate license, or be willing to obtain one.
The mortgage business is still going through challenges. At the same time, for me and my colleagues who have been in the business for many years, it is enjoyable and a financially rewarding opportunity.
P.S.
I recently met with Helen Chao–Recruitment Consultant. She summarized qualities of sales professionals.
- Intense confidence in themselves
- In the moment they put their mind on something, they know it is going to happen
- Connect both ends of the deal, while thinking about the bottom line
- Manage emotions in negotiations
- Friendly personalities
- Care about clients
- Scout the opportunities
- Think differently
- Care about money
- Have return business
P.P.S
Talking about my trip to Cuba…Are you joining us in December?
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