CALIFORNIA MORTGAGE 3-22-21

CALIFORNIA MORTGAGE EDITION

5 Things You Can Do to Achieve Your Biggest Goals

Killing Clients with Kindness

6 Methods for Building Better Email Lists

AND VALUE

TOP MORTGAGE LENDER

HM McKINSEY

COVER STORY

MIKE PACHECO

CALIFORNIA MORTGAGE EDITION

HM MCKIN 7

MIKE PACHECO

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HM’s start in the mortgage industry happened at a picnic of all places. A friend at the picnic suggested lending could be a good fit for her. After that, HM started in processing on the first step towards what would become a long successful career.

At this point, HM can look HM MCKINSEY back on having met many of her business goals. With no plans to retire anytime soon, HM keeps the focus on continuing to provide exceptional service to her clients and maintaining the good place she has made for herself being far along in a well-established lending career.

CONTENTS

MIKE PACHECO 4) 6 METHODS FOR BUILDING BETTER EMAIL LISTS 13) 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ACHIEVE YOUR BIGGEST GOALS

Phone 310-734-1440 | Fax 310-734-1440

Today, HM is a senior loan consultant with MMC Lending in Palmdale, California, with over thirty 16) WITH covers years inKILLING the mortgageCLIENTS industry. Her experience every aspect of lending. has masterfully handled KINDNESS ANDHMVALUE everything from personal banking and consumer loans to servicing and processing mortgages, along with many VA loans.

22) 4 QUALITIES OF EXCEPTIONAL With her past experienceEMPLOYEES of also managing a major real estate office, HM is fluent in both the buying and lending sides of the homebuying process. Her wide range of expertise positions HM to successfully usher homebuyers through the process to getting preapproved and make sure every client and referral partner is satisfied with their transaction.

“I love helping people,” HM says. “First time home

mag@topagentmagazine.com | www.topagentmagazine.com buyers are a soft spot for me because I just think it’s

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No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior consent of the publisher. Top Agent Magazine is published by Feature Publications GA, Inc. Although precautions are taken to ensure the accuracy of published For more information about HM M materials, Top Agent Magazine cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. email hm@mmcle To subscribe or change address, send inquiry to mag@topagentmagazine.com. or visit mmclending.com or faceb Published in the U.S.

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6 Methods for Building Better Email Lists

By Kendra Lee

Email lists can be a blessing or a curse. When they’re composed of real email addresses of people in your target micro-segment, and those people recognize you or your company by name, an email list is an invaluable lead generation resource. When the list is filled with contacts who don’t know of you or your company, i.e. a cold list, lead generation can be though – really tough. Likewise, if your list is populated with fake, inactive, or irrelevant accounts you’re at risk of being banned by your email software provider.

Not surprisingly, I hear from clients all the time asking how to build an email list that will get results for their campaigns.

Should they purchase? Should they attempt to build their own?

Remember that with email list building your goal is to build a list of people within your micro-segment, so quality is more important than quantity. The more similar the contacts, the easier it is to tailor your nurturing and lead generation content to their specific needs.

Here are six methods that will help you build a quality email list.

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1

Nurturing and lead generation activities: When you engage in social media, nurturing activities, SEO, and Adwords, those mediums provide forums for you to drive people to your website, start a conversation via a social channel, attend an event you’re hosting, and add people to your list. People who respond really do want to be part of your list.

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Membership organizations: Whether it’s through industry associations, mastermind groups, or networking events, these types of organizations provide an excellent means for collecting contact information. Generally, people will update or provide their own information because they want other members to have easy access to them so you know the data is current.

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Shared lists: By finding a peer who targets a similar microsegment with a non-competitive offering, you may be able to forge a partnership in which you promote to each other’s lists. This happens frequently within the high tech space, with consultants, and with professional services organization where they understand the value of collaboration.

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Research the web and build your own: Increasingly, we’re seeing companies comb LinkedIn, Zoominfo. com, InsideView.com, DiscoverOrg.com and other websites for contact information, and then follow-up with companies to confirm the validity of that information. This approach is time consuming, but it can be very effective. A client who we coached through this process recently got a 41% open rate on their email nurturing campaign. I really like DiscoverOrg for the detailed information they have if you’re selling in the IT or telecom industry.

5

Purchase lists: There are numerous companies that sell email lists, but you need to be careful which vendor you buy from

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and how much you spend. Prices typically range from hundreds to several thousand dollars depending on list specificity and size.

One warning: Expect higher bounce rates with these lists and negotiate for that issue when you purchase. To avoid high bounce rates, look for a list company that validates the information. In this way I’ve been very pleased with ExchangeLeads for new lists and validation of current lists. If you don’t have any list, this may be the way to get started.

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Trade information for information: Sites like ExchangeLeads and Data.com community give you credit for providing contact information for companies you’ve worked with in the past. As you earn credit, you can use it to acquire lists for free. These services generally have a fee option as well, and the data integrity is dependent upon users keeping it current.

Again, look for companies that validate data to reduce bounce rates and wasted time. I really like ExchangeLeads for trading information as well as purchasing it.

Ultimately, my advice would be to focus as much on the organic list building methods (#s 1-4) as possible, and supplement with the purchased methods (#s 5 and 6) when necessary. If you start with a purchased list, plan to nurture it and build your recognition.

Don’t toss it away if you don’t get immediate results.

At the end of the day, you want to strive for list quality over list quantity. Pushing your messaging out to unwitting, uninterested, or unsuspecting prospects won’t do anything to help you close more deals.

Contact details for Kendra Lee: Phone: 303-741-6636 (Old fashioned, but very effective.) Email: Info@klagroup.com (Yes, I get every one of these personally.) Twitter: @KendraLeeKLA (And I do follow all direct messages on Twitter!) KLA Group is a sales consulting and training firm focused on helping clients get more customers in the Small and Midmarket Business (SMB) segment through lead generation, prospecting, hiring and onboarding strategies.

Copyright©, Kendra Lee. All rights reserved.

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MIKE PACHECO Top Agent Magazine

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MIKE PACHECO Mike Pacheco places particular emphasis on expertise, making sure he and his team is always knowledgeable regarding the latest opportunities and action in the market.

Mike Pacheco got his start in the mortgage industry back in 2003 when a customer of the retail company he was working for noticed his work ethic and invited him to become his assistant. “I worked for him for a few months as 8

an intern from early morning to early afternoon, learning the ropes, and then went to my retail job in the evening.”

A loan broker for eighteen years now, Mike is the owner and operator of Top Agent Magazine

Qualified Home Loans, employing a team of nine agents and an equal number of administrative assistants. “We’re a relatively small brokerage in Southern California, but we’ve been growing steadily. Our emphasis is to make sure we have all of the resources—people, expertise, tools—in order to give our clients the best service possible.”

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Mike places particular emphasis on expertise, making sure he and his team is always knowledgeable regarding the latest opportunities and action in the market. “There are lots of programs available. That’s the easy part. But sitting down and taking time with the client so as to understand their individual needs and situation, and then matching 9

the client with the right kind of loan— that’s where we shine. It’s the creative aspect of the business, which is something I especially love.”

We’re their advocate. And if we make a promise or commitment or arrangement, we will always follow through and make it happen.”

“Our strength is essentially good old-fashioned customer service,” Mike continues. “Our whole team is friendly and patient. We enjoy working with people, and we’re very aware that our clients are going through a challenging and confusing situation. I see our job as lifting that burden, making it easier.

It’s been a formula for success, with ninety-five percent of Mike’s business now coming from repeat clients and referrals. “Most of the referrals come from Realtors®, who respect and rely on our ability to structure loans for their new clients. Our past clients have become friends, and so we also

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“Our strength is essentially good old-fashioned customer service. Our whole team is friendly and patient. We enjoy working with people, and we’re very aware that our clients are going through a challenging and confusing situation.” reach out to them frequently to see if there’s anything they need.” His office sends out semi-monthly newsletters informing Realtors® and clients of new programs or developments in the market. When engaged with clients on a loan, Mike and his team are in touch every step of the way, alerting them to preapproval of a loan, for instance, or to educate them regarding the process moving forward.

Mike is excited about the future of Top Agent Magazine

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his business. “I love building things, whether it be taking a complicated loan and getting it transacted, or growing an office. We’ve been hitting the gas pedal pretty hard lately, and my goal is to become more of a correspondent lender, where we are originating loans in

house. This will give us more control of the process.”

When not working, Mike likes to stay active through amateur sports, especially ice hockey. “I’m no good at it,” he laughs. “But I love playing.”

For more about Mike Pacheco, please call 949-528-3967 http://www.justingrable.com or email Mike@goqualified.com 12

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5 Things You Can Do To Achieve Your Biggest Goals If there’s one thing successful people can agree on, it’s that setting goals has been key to their success. Whether you’re creating a five year plan or just settling on what you want to achieve by the end of the day, setting goals gives you the focus and direction you need to complete even the biggest tasks.

But there is a method to setting them. It’s a process that takes careful thought and conTop Agent Magazine

sideration up front, which is then combined with the hard work necessary to implement your plan. Luckily there are proven methods to goal setting that you can start using immediately.

1. MAKE YOUR GOALS SPECIFIC

Yes, it’s fun to think in grand terms of where you want to end up in life and in your career, but it’s better to have a specific

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Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. goal like “Increase my sales by 25%”, than “Get rich.” When a goal is clear and specific, it allows you to figure out the exact steps you need to take to accomplish it. The more general it is, the more paralyzed you might be when it comes to figuring out what to do since, the choices may be overwhelming.

2. MAKE IT ATTAINABLE

Making attainable goals might seem boring, I mean afterall, you want to dream big! But you don’t want to suffer through the disappointment of not reaching your goal, something that may not even be possible at this stage in your life to begin with. One solution to that is creating goal levels. You can have the dream goal, but underneath that you have the realistic goals that are setting up a foundation for achieving the big one.

Things that are attainable still take work and effort to achieve. Those small victories will keep you motivated and encouraged to go for the bigger dreams. And don’t forget, those little goals may have been things you wouldn’t have gotten done if you didn’t set out to achieve them, so be proud!

3. PUT A PLAN OF ACTION IN WRITING

Your plan of action should include daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. There is something about seeing things in writing and crossing them off the list that is oddly satisfying.The daily goals are especially 14

important in regards to building up those good habits. The first few weeks of your plan of action are critical when it comes to your long term success. Reaching a goal is something you are doing every day, all throughout the day, in numerous ways.

Achieving goals is all about creating good new habits.

4. MAKE IT MEASURABLE

This is key, since you definitely want to reward yourself for a job well done, and having a goal that is measurable in some way is a sure way to know. Maybe it’s to increase your lead generation or to cut expenses, whatever the case, have a measurable test you need to meet, as well as a time frame. Then calculate what you have to do to reach that goal. Not only should your goal be specific, but the plan and the measure of success should also be set in stone.

5. ADJUST AS YOU GO

You can have all the best laid plans, and you still might quickly realize that what you thought would help you reach your goal, might not be cutting it. Commitment to reaching your goals is good, but commitment to a plan you know isn’t going to work is not only a waste of time, but will be a devastating blow to your motivation.

Sticking to a plan everyday means adjusting it accordingly.

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HM MCKINSEY HM’s start in the mortgage industry happened at a picnic of all places. A friend at the picnic suggested lending could be a good fit for her. After that, HM started in processing on the first step towards what would become a long successful career.

At this point, HM can look back on having met many of her business goals. With no plans to retire anytime soon, HM keeps the focus on continuing to provide exceptional service to her clients and maintaining the good place she has made for herself being far along in a well-established lending career.

Today, HM is a senior loan consultant with MMC Lending in Palmdale, California, with over thirty years in the mortgage industry. Her experience covers every aspect of lending. HM has masterfully handled everything from personal banking and consumer loans to servicing and processing mortgages, along with many VA loans.

With her past experience of also managing a major real estate office, HM is fluent in both the buying and lending sides of the homebuying process. Her wide range of expertise positions HM to successfully usher homebuyers through the process to getting preapproved and make sure every client and referral partner is satisfied with their transaction.

“I love helping people,” HM says. “First time home buyers are a soft spot for me because I just think it’s

so exciting for them to be able to own their own home and live the American dream.”

Sixty percent of HM’s business today comes by way of referrals from real estate agents. HM credits her wealth of experience and the promptness with which she moves applications through the loan process with why real estate agents and borrowers are eager to work with her and refer her to future clients. It’s an approach informed by consistency and the goal of making the process as simple and easy as possible for every client.

“My follow up processes are the same for every loan,” HM explains. “I have systems that others don’t always take the time establish, which sets me apart from my competition.”

A systemized approach also informs how HM consistently stays in touch with her clients and referral partners. A schedule of regular emails, and check-in phone calls help to ensure that everyone stays updated about where their loan applications are at in processing, and that clients and partners are supported and that their questions are answered.

When it comes to marketing to referral partners, HM knows the value of making a personal connection.

Having worked in the tight-knit real estate and lending community since 1987, HM has fostered many professional relationships over the years, networking with Realtors® by word of mouth through attending local events.

When not at work, HM loves spending time with her grandson and family. As a part of a healthy work-life/ balance, HM protects time to recharge, budgeting long weekends to enjoy with family into the monthly calendar.

For more information about HM Mckinsey, call (661)579-2830, email hm@mmclending.com, or visit mmclending.com or facebook.com/hm.mckinsey.loans

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Killing Clients with Kindness and Value

By Walter Sanford

Sometimes, we need to “kill” our clients with kindness and offer value. I know it goes against everything in our nature to turn the other cheek when they are being mean.

Recently, a coaching client had some challenges with a particular client, and I’m sure you have also worked with the kind of client who discourages you so much that you just want to hit the delete button!

How about offering a response that increases your fame and makes the client always wonder what they may be missing? They might not list with you, but they will never forget you.

Included in the balance of this article are the email from the client, the request for help from my coaching client, and then my suggested response.

Email from the Potential Client: Sorry, I have been really busy. Let me tell you where I’m at with everything. You may or may not be interested.

I am definitely putting the house on the market. The house has been rented for the last 5 years with the same family. They originally signed a rent to own lease. Three years ago, they decided they didn’t want to buy it.

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Anyway, I recently informed them that I’m going to put the house on the market. Now, they are reconsidering buying the house. I don’t think they will buy the house, but I guess you never know. If they do buy the house, it would be for sale by owner. I will not let them drag their feet.

We happen to know a lot of REALTORS® in (area). Some are pretty good friends and with that comes opportunities at rates way under the norm. One of them did sell our last house quickly but circumstances have changed. I know you are a very good REALTOR®, because I have heard other REALTORS® talk about you.

You may not be interested at this point anymore. If you are still interested, let me know what your best rate is. Let me know if you are okay with the current tenants on a “for sale by owner” agreement, if that happens.

I would want a short-term agreement. The current rent is higher than my mortgage payment so I’m okay if they don’t buy and I’m not forced to sell at a low price. However, I want to sell ASAP. I’m wanting to purchase another property so I’m not going to overprice the house and I will negotiate.

Email from Coaching Client to Me: Walter, this guy is a college basketball coach. I want to help him, but I need to have a chance to run a successful business, too! How do I answer this?

Email from Me to Coaching Client (to share with potential client): Thank you so much for the nice words. It is very exciting to hear that our hard work is creating some buzz. I think we can accommodate you and exceed your expectations: Top Agent Magazine

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1. We believe that we exceed client expectations more often than most agents, because we spend the time to understand what the client needs.

Then we develop a customized program to meet and exceed that goal.

We would love to help you in accomplishing your real estate needs.

2. We would be happy to exclude the current residents from the listing agreement for 30 days. This would help in motivating the current residents to buy in that they can see the price discounted by the commission, if they commit to buy within the 30 day period. We would like to offer you our closing service that handles everything for a flat fee of $4,000. This handles the contract phase, aligning the team of affiliates, and the closing. This, of course, is at your option.

3..Our commissions are normal for our market, but we save you money over any commission discounter. Our specialty is increasing your net proceeds. We do this by bringing you more buyers with more effective marketing, better negotiating, better systems for handling inspections, better pre-approval tools for your buyer, better contracts, and less post-seller litigation from better contracts. Commission discounts usually cost you money because of the agent’s lack of emphasis on your net proceeds check. It is like a basketball player who is playing with no heart, only for the scholarship.

4. Our rate is retail 6%. This may eliminate us, but that would be a shortsided conclusion. Here are 5 of the ways we can beat any commission discount: A. We beat the average List to sell ratio in (area) by a larger margin than any discount.

B. We beat the days on market, which affects your carrying costs and lost opportunity costs on your equity.

C. We have a low litigation rate as compared to national standards.

D. We can market your home a little over retail due to our marketing.

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D. We urge a pre-inspection plan to get rid of the little and big problems before a buyer is involved and wants everything built new.

5. Our agreements are 6 months, but that is not what sells properties.

Marketing and price sell property. If we are wrong about those two items, we will adjust every week based upon showings and consultations with you.

6. I would also like to advise you on a misconception. Rental costs average about 35% of market rent in our area. Add in lost opportunity costs on your equity that is not doing anything at this point. I can show you how your current position is losing you money every month.

I think our next step is a presentation of the tools we bring to achieve your goals. Listing with friends is loyal, but is it the best business decision?

Do they have the tools and will you hold their feet to the fire when the results are not what you need? (Client’s name), you know the difference superstars make on a team. Let’s go for the win.

It’s not so much whether my coaching client obtained the listing, but he needed to stand up for a profitable, long term business. Never sell yourself short to get business. You will never be happy.

In these situations, I cannot guarantee an outcome, but I can guarantee the client will never forget you. You are planting seeds of discontentment with the small amount of money saved in a commission compared to not achieving their goal. Whether he/she admits it or not, he/she will have respect for you.

Do more lead generation so you won’t have to work so hard on leads like these.

Copyright©, Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Walter Sanford has been designing and implementing real estate systems for 30 years.

One of the most successful REALTORS® and now wealthy from his systems, Sanford teaches his systems and strategies through his products, seminars, and personal coaching producing the best results in the industry. Do what works, do what is proven. Hire Walter Sanford. Call our office at 800.792.5837, email walter@waltersanford.com, or chat with us online at www.waltersanford.com.

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4 Qualities of Exceptional Employees Hiring a new employee is one of the more stressful parts of being a business owner. After all, you’re taking someone on and trusting that they’ll not only be a valuable addition to the team, but won’t do anything to hurt your business’s hard earned reputation.

Sometimes a person comes in and you click right away, and other times you might be blown away by an impressive resume. But there are things you should look for that might not be as obvious at first. Employees that have the following qualities are ones you should seek out, because they will definitely be well worth the time and energy you invest in them.

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1. They have the confidence to be innovative There’s a reason people are drawn to those who think outside the box. Not only do innovations often lead to an extremely profitable business, even when that thinking doesn’t pan out, creative thinking is something that will energize your business and will motivate more employees to start taking chances.

Innovative thinkers also usually have great leadership skills. Ironically, you want an employee who isn’t afraid to speak up to authority and is someone who knows how to bend the rules without breaking them. They know that

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the success of the team and business is what’s most important, as long as it’s done ethically and with respect for everyone involved.

2. They are constantly reviewing their past performance A good employee looks forward, but they also look back. They are always evaluating what worked and what didn’t work in past performances and then adjusting their plans going forward accordingly. If they are coming off a big win, they know how to capitalize on that by using the momentum and cementing in everyone’s minds the value that they add to the team.

If things didn’t go as planned, they assess what they can do better next time, and they don’t get bogged down in insecurity. They take responsibility and they have confidence that they won’t repeat past mistakes. They know that failure is a temporary state, and are able to learn lessons from their mistakes, that will make them a better employee going forward.

While no one wants to fail, having the confidence to try something and fail will one day let you strike gold. Someone who lets failure shut them down, leads to a dead end and will soon make them a dead weight on your team.

3. They value teamwork Even though an exceptional employee might be a rising star, they realize that success is Top Agent Magazine

not an individual endeavor, it relies strongly on who you’re working with. Exceptional employees make sure that everyone is contributing and valued for their input. They put the interests of the company above their own, and thrive in an environment where ideas and information are shared freely.

Shared success is the ultimate goal for every project. Exceptional employees have the confidence to know that even when they’re not singled out for praise, they’re an irreplaceable component of a larger machine.

4. They are self-motivated learners A key thing to remember is that while experience is a valuable commodity, intelligence and intellectual curiosity is usually something that can’t be taught. Yes, you might request employees get additional training or attend seminars, but exceptional employees will be seeking out educational opportunities constantly. Even if they don’t have a lot of money for weekend retreats, they will be getting books from the library, downloading audiobooks, and most importantly, taking advantage of one their greatest resources, YOU. Exceptional employees know that the way to stay ahead is to always be at the forefront of new technology and systems. They don’t see educating themselves as a burden, they actually enjoy it. They realize that everything they take in, will one day make them not only an exceptional employee, but an exceptional boss as well.

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