I just got off a great conversation with my friend Greg. He went from closing a couple of loans a month to closing eight this month. We were talking through what changed, and it keeps coming back to the same thing every time I have this conversation with a loan officer who's turning a corner.
Are you asking for the business on every conversation? Not most. Not when it feels right. Every single one.
You Left the Cake on the Counter
Think about baking a chocolate cake. You gathered all the ingredients. Flour, sugar, vanilla, the good chocolate chips. You mixed everything together. You put it in the oven. It came out perfect. The icing is on. It looks incredible.
And then you leave it sitting on the counter and never serve it to anyone.
That's what's happening on your calls. You built the list. That's the ingredients. You made the call. That's the mixing. You had a great conversation. That's the baking. And then you say "alright, great talking to you" and hang up. The cake never gets served.
"Hey, before I let you go, could I ask you a quick favor? When you have a friend, family, or coworker looking to buy, sell, or refinance, could I count on you to give me their information? I'd love to help another great family just like yours."
That's it. That one line at the end of a call you were already making. It costs nothing. It takes ten seconds. And it's the step that actually converts the conversation into business.
Three Asks. Learn Them. Use Them Every Time.
There are really only three or four asks that cover almost every situation you'll be in. For clients in process or pre-approved: "Do you have any friends, family, or coworkers looking to buy, sell, or refinance?" For agent partners: "Who do you have today that I could help get pre-approved?" For agents you're prospecting: "I'm a student of success. I'd love to hear your story. Can we book a 30-minute coffee?"
Put those on a Google Doc. If you're using a dialer or multiple screens, put it on the left monitor. Make the call. Read from the doc until it's automatic. That's how you build the habit.
Every conversation needs a desired result. Every call needs a call to action. If you're calling a client to update them on their file and you hang up without asking, you made the call, had the conversation, and skipped the only part that grows your pipeline.
Track Whether You're Actually Doing It
Here's the second piece, and it's just as important as knowing the asks. Track whether you're doing it on every call. Not roughly. Exactly.
Every conversation: did I ask? Yes or no. That's it. When you start tracking it, you'll see immediately where you're stopping short. Most loan officers who think they're asking consistently find out they're at 40 or 50%. Jared, who I talked about in episode 499, thought he was asking most of the time. When he started tracking, he was at 22%. When he pushed it past 90%, he put seven transactions in his pipeline in one week.
The number doesn't lie. Track it and it will show you exactly where your pipeline is leaking.
Day 5 of the 5-Day Challenge is built entirely around this.
The three signature asks, word for word, for every conversation. Plus how to track them so you know whether you're actually doing it or just thinking you are.
Start the Challenge. $297 ›You've done the hard work. You built the list, made the calls, had the conversations. Don't leave the cake on the counter. Serve it.