You know to avoid dealing with people in win/lose terms, to accept shared responsibility for assuring others get their interests met, and to remember and own what you have said, agreed to, and what you have done.
You also know to try to decrease your use of power and control as you increase your influence, to make the difficult or unpopular decisions and accept responsibility for them when you believe it is necessary, and to be prepared to handle people's being upset or unhappy with you at times.
You understand that there are usually several ways to get the job done and not a best way; and you avoid over-managing or over-controlling activities or people. You even know that you do not pass on your responsibility when you delegate tasks and activities, know not to delegate duties that require your direct involvement, know not to delegate a task and then try to manage it, and know to always delegate both required activities and as much scope of authority as necessary to get the job done.
You are up-to-speed with the latest and greatest strategies and techniques; your people skills are top notch. What you may not know are the ten commandments of leadership, so here they are.
1. You shall have a clear mission, shall vigorously champion that mission, and shall pursue no other mission before it.
2. You shall clearly define and communicate your goals and motivations and shall enable others to understand how their responsibilities fit in with your mission-related goals.
3. You shall anticipate opportunities and problems associated with your mission, shall understand the what and why of those opportunities and problems, shall seek to understand those opportunities and problems from the points of view of other people, and shall evaluate the cost and benefit of any potential initiatives or solutions before pursuing them.
4. You shall accurately understand your skills and limitations, shall be familiar with and know how to use resources currently available to compensate for your limitations, and shall know how to develop new resources to complement your skills and limitations.
5. You shall give people reasons and explanations for your behavior and actions and shall not hold yourself out as the standard for how others should think, feel, and behave.
6. You shall be responsive to the needs and interests of those associated with your mission, shall assume that they believe what they say and do not intentionally misrepresent anything, shall remember that people seldom complain when there is not a real problem, and shall trust them to act in ways compatible with your mission.
7. You shall value the varying styles and personalities of people, shall be sensitive to their motivations and interests, and shall be open to their feelings and opinions.
8. You shall be clear about what you expect from others and shall assure that they understand why things need done, why they are important.
9. You shall assume that people are trying to do well, are trying to succeed; and if they are not succeeding, you shall assume that they do not know how, do not think it matters, or are being prevented from succeeding.
10. You shall ask people to help solve your problems instead of simply trying to get them to accept your solutions, shall hold them responsible only for what they can do and can control, and shall make sure they knew what behavior was expected, knew how to do what was expected, could have done what was expected, and actually did not behave reasonably and responsibly under the circumstances, before you consider criticizing anyone.
Now you know and there you go.
No...The following Commandments did not come from any mountain, nor were they carved on clay tablets, but they have been known for countless years by Mortgage Professionals. Smart marketers have followed these common sense commandments because they know it will lead them directly to The Promised Land.
1. Thou shalt dedicate thyself to becoming the very best Mortgage Professional you can be. Thou shall be a virtual sponge and soak up everything related to your knowledge and improvement of your Mortgage Business. The more you learn, the more powerful you become, and the more powerful you become, the more effective you will be at originating mortgages.
2. Thou shalt continue to feed thy prospect list. Suspects most surely become prospects, who then become your mortgage customers. Your mortgage customers then generate referrals that create more prospects and the cycle begins anew. For thousands of years, this marketing process (also known as prospecting) has governed all types of marketing activities, and it will continue to do so for another thousand years.
3. Thou shalt follow the 30 day contact rule. Your customers, prospects and advocates (those who refer business to you) should hear from you every 30 days without fail. You should call them, email them, and send them postcards, note cards, a newsletter, or mortgage news and happenings.
4. Thou shalt create and maintain a detailed Mortgage customer, prospect list, and contact list. Thou shall allocate time each week to maintaining and updating thy lists. For it is these lists that hold the customers that will be in your next mortgage pipeline and your pipeline for years to come.
5. Thou shalt view all Mortgage Marketing material from the reader's point of view. It does not matter if you personally "like" what you have created. If your prospects do not respond to your ad copy, it is not doing what it should be doing. Always think like your prospects and give them what they want. Thou shall purge your marketing material of the old and the out dated, and replace it with the new and the refreshing concepts.
6. Thou shalt respect and honor not only these humble Commandments, but all of the rules, regulations, and laws of the land that govern both you and your Mortgage Business.
7. Thou shalt not quit. Remember that Moses and the Israelites wandered the desert for some 40 years and did not give up. You owe it to yourself and your mortgage business to try any new marketing program or idea at least three or four times before moving on. Your contact or prospect could have been out of town the first time you ran it, and on vacation the second. Repetition is always your best friend.
8. Thou shalt steal good marketing ideas only from successful competitors. Add your personality and experience to the mix and make it your idea. Just be sure you do not violate any copyright laws.
9. Thou shalt set aside time to build a web presence and spend a little time each day promoting your site and building your Mortgage Business. The Internet has come of age and you can either join and prosper as a result, or be left behind to ponder your demise.
10. Thou shalt say "Thank You" often. Every savvy marketer knows that a 'thank you' is important. They don't have to be showy or expensive. Just make sure the 'thank you' is classy and considerate, and the kindness you have shown will eventually be repaid to you many times over.
There is no doubt that all of us have broken these commandments from time to time. Should you consistently break these Ten Commandments of Mortgage Marketing, you do run the risk of a mass customer and prospect exodus the world has yet to see.
Both Gary Crow & Tom Domin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gary Crow has sinced written about articles on various topics from Skin Care, Social Issues and Software. For other articles by Gary Crow, visit or. Gary Crow's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
Tom Domin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Finances, Sales and Negotiation and Prospects. Tom Domin is the author of "101 Ways to Originate Mortgages" and publisher of "Tom's Mortgage Tips" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Increase your pipeline and put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up fo. Tom Domin's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.