MASSACHUSETTS MORTGAGE 6-17-19

MASSACHUSETTS MORTGAGE EDITION

WHY

DOESN’T TRAINING WORK FOR YOU?

SUCCESS-

THESE 7 HABITS ARE THE REAL SECRET TO SUCCESS

How to Overcome Your WORKPLACE FEARS

COVER STORY

GEORGE KOUTSOS

FEATURED LENDER

OLGA LAFFITTE

MASSACHUSETTS MORTGAGE EDITION

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GEORGE KOUTSOS

OLGA LAFFITTE

GEORGE KOUTSOS

CONTENTS 4) SUCCESS–THESE 7 HABITS ARE THE REAL SECRET TO SUCCESS

16) 5 TIPS TO MAKE NEW HIRES A LONG-LASTING SUCCESS

13) HOW TO SEND SMARTER EMAILS

19) WHY DOESN’T TRAINING WORK FOR YOU? 22) HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR WORKPLACE FEARS

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Success– These 7 Habits Are the Real Secret to Success What is it that makes some people so successful and others not? Is there a secret recipe one can follow, as easy as baking a cake, which will give them the strength to achieve their ultimate goals and have it all?

The answer is that, in a manner, there is. The trick is in how you think about success and what it means for you. Many people define success as achieving their personal goals, but could this be leading them to look at the world a little too narrowly? The people that are truly successful in every aspect of 4

their lives don’t stop at simply achieving their personal goals. They succeed in many avenues of their life, including their job, relationships, health, and family just to name a few.

It turns out that ultra-successful people tend to have quite a number of things in common. One main skill many seem to possess is high emotional intelligence, or the ability to manage your emotions so that you can stay calm and focused even in high

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stress situations. Luckily, it seems not all of them are simply born with this ability, but have many strategies they use to help them achieve higher emotional intelligence. Here are seven strategies and habits that will help you achieve success in every area of your life.

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BE COMPOSED The first thing successful people always seem to have under control is their composure. Successful people stay calm and composed when the going gets tough and fingers start pointing. They don’t panic. The secret? They understand that in life things are always changing. It doesn’t matter if something is bad at the moment because that will change soon enough. In this topsy turvy life all you can really do is adapt in order to stay happy and remain in control of how you react.

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BE KNOWLEDGEABLE Have you ever noticed how successful people always seem to have such a wide range of knowledge and interests?

Successful people do know more because they are always working to grow and learn. They strive to constantly increase their self-awareness. If a spare moment exists, then they will fill it with some kind of self-education. They do this because they are passionate about learning new things and ways to improve their life.

Ignore the fear of being judged and ask questions, because that is the only way you can learn. Successful people don’t

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fear asking questions. They fear not asking those questions and growing stagnant.

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BE DELIBERATE It is important to think and reason before you come to a decision. Successful people don’t rush. They seek out advice from other, they think of all the aspects, and sleep on their thoughts before finally making their decision. Your gut instinct can be misleading, and lead you to make a rash decision that you will come to regret later.

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BE CERTAIN, AND SPEAK WITH CONVICTION Successful people speak with certainty.

Unless you communicate your ideas with conviction and certainty, then you will have a hard time getting people to listen to them.

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BE POSITIVE Successful people use positive body language when they are talking to other people. Their tone is enthusiastic, they maintain eye contact, leaning in towards the person speaking to show interest.

Successful people use it to draw those other people in. How you say something can be just as if not more important that what you say to people. Positive body language can completely alter how your speech is perceived by others, and helps to keep attention on you and what you are saying.

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BE MEMORABLE BY LEAVING A STRONG FIRST IMPRESSION You only have once to make a first impression, and they are incredibly important, as they are closely ties to positive body language. You have around 7 seconds to convince a person to like you after you initially meet them. That is how long it takes them to decide when they meet you. After that a person is simply spending the rest of the conversation justifying that initial reaction they had. You can make sure you make a good first impression by having strong posture, a firm handshake, a warm smile, and open shoulders.

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BE FEARLESS Successful people know that to give in to fear is a choice. They don’t let the fear take over, instead focusing on the rush of euphoria that comes with conquering fears.

All of this adds up to having a high emotional intelligence. What helps you to succeed is the ability to control those whirlwind emotions so you can stay calm and focused on actually succeeding. These habits can help you gain a higher emotional intelligence, but as you probably already know, anything involving dealing with your emotions in a healthy manner takes serious work. So, don’t give up if you fail the first time. You must always try and try again.

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GEORGE KOUTSOS Top Agent Magazine

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GEORGE KOUTSOS George Koutsos – Loan Officer and Branch Manager at CrossCountry Mortgage in Danvers, Massachusetts – has more than thirty years of experience helping his clients achieve the American dream of home ownership. A consummate professional with a fierce work ethic, George and his team at CrossCountry can boast of closing 100% of the loans they process. Named 8 Copyright Top Agent Magazine

2016 Lender of the Year, George is one of only fifty loan officers – out of over 400,000 nationwide, to close over two billion in volume during the course of his storied career.

‘I’ve always loved numbers, and I’ve always loved helping people,” says George when asked about the origins of Top Agent Magazine

his career in the mortgage industry. “I was working at a bank while I was in college, and I saw a job posting for a position in the mortgage arena. I was intrigued, so I applied and got the job.” Since then, George has built his career on a solid foundation of integrity, honesty and a true desire to help his clients not only purchase Top Agent Magazine

a home, but to put them on the road to long-term financial success. “That’s my passion,” he explains. “To educate and help people reach their goals. I do not want to just put them in a home, I want to keep them in their home. As loan officers we have a massive responsibility to do the right thing by our clients.”

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George is proud of his association with CrossCountry Mortgage, and of the full spectrum of loan products they offer, though he does profess an affinity for a certain type of loan. “I have a passion for working with first-time homebuyers,” he says. Focusing primarily on Eastern Massachusetts, George is able to assist clients in all fifty states, and the quality 10Copyright Top Agent Magazine

of service he and his team provide has translated into a business that is based entirely on referrals from both past clients and Realtor partners. “I invest heavily in the Realtor community,” says George.

“I teach classes, and share cutting edge sales techniques which has helped many Realtor partners dramatically increase their business.”

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George’s work ethic spills over to his entire staff, something his buyers and Realtors sincerely appreciate. “One of the biggest complaints about this industry is the lack of communication from the loan officers,” he points out. “We tend to over-communicate, in a good way. We have seven day a week coverage, eighteen hours a day, threehundred-and-sixty-three days a year. SomeTop Agent Magazine

one will always be there for them when they call.”

Efficiency is another hallmark of both George and his team. “I have the ‘Fast Track’ Loan Approval Program,” he explains.

“Every one of my purchase clients has to be underwritten – not prequalified. Sixty percent of all purchase transactions in Copyright Top Agent Magazine11

the United States either get denied or meet massive bumps in the road, barely making it to the closing table. With our process that does not happen.”

of the Christian Angel Smile Foundation, DECA, the V.N.A., the Gregg House, and gives a family scholarship to a deserving local high school student.

George is also adamant about giving back to the community that has afforded him his success, and does so through a variety of philanthropic efforts, including his support

“I love what I do,” says George. “My goal for the future is to help even more families down the path to homeownership and achieving the American Dream.”

For more information about George Koutsos, please call 781-864-0889 or email George@GeorgeKoutsos.com

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How To Send

SMARTER EMAILS

Email is a great tool for agents to use when trying to stay in touch with their past clients, as well as for reaching out to prospective clients. However, used incorrectly it can make your attempts to reach out seem like spam. The secret to using email effectively is making sure that everything you send out does one thing: ensure that you remain relevant to your contacts. To do this you have to get personal. Personalization will go far to ensure that your contacts are actually clicking on your emails. This means that if you do reply on an automated drip email campaign to build business, you need to customize your content so that it delivers something meaningful to each individual recipient. Here are some steps that will help you do exactly that:

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1. SEND A WELCOME EMAIL TO

NEW CLIENTS AND PROSPECTS Rather than simply add new contacts to your automated email drip campaign, make sure to send each new contact receives a warm welcome as well. Sending a welcome email along with adding new contacts to your drip campaign is proven to be 86 percent more effective at catching your contact’s attention. Let them know they are welcome and that you appreciate their interest.

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2. NURTURE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

THROUGH YOUR EMAIL To let your potential client know that you are thinking about them by sending them useful content that relates to the process of buying or selling a house. Some great topics include credit score information, ways to save money, regular market updates, what buying in your market is like, information about the neighborhood, tips on how they can prepare their home for sale, and other relevant information. A great way to

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add to these emails’ punch is to time them so that they coincide with what that individual is going through and dealing with at that time on their path through the buying or selling process.

3. CELEBRATE IMPORTANT DATES

Everyone loves to be noticed and appreciated.

Schedule emails to go to each client that celebrate their purchase anniversary or birthday.

Make sure you include a personal note and your own wishes that the year ahead goes well for them. If you’ve been a bit out of touch with your contacts, you might want to send them a friendly hello.

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MOBILE-FRIENDLY EMAILS With our phones being akin to mini computers, most people read their emails on their phone these days. So, it is particularly important to make sure that your emails are rendering well on the smaller screens. If you want to make any kind of impact, you have to run a mobile-friendly email campaign in today’s world. You are going to lose a lot of your audience if they can’t read your email on their phones.

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TRACK THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR EMAILS AND ALTER ACCORDINGLY The best way to make sure your emails are being read and making the kind of impact you desire is to consistently monitor the analytics,

and see what your readers are actually clicking on and what elements are most popular with your contacts. Going forward you can alter different elements of your email campaign such as content, images, graphics, and even smaller elements like your subject line to draw in more clicks from your readers, and cater to what grabs their attention.

You also want to follow a targeted email strategy. The best way to do this is segment your email list based on the data from your CRM and the demographics of your contacts. Different clients are going to be interested in different content. Long-time clients looking to buy a second home or possibly downsize are going to be interested in completely different content than your first-time buyers. A good way to filter your contacts is by looking at which ones are looking to buy or sell, how far along in the process they are, as well as other important information about them.

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DON’T SPAM UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES You probably already know that flooding your clients’ emails is big no-no. However, different people have different ideas about what is too much contact. One great way to approach this problem is to ask your clients whether they would prefer weekly, monthly, or occasional emails from you. This way you can cater to each client’s preference.

The emails you send your clients can often be a double-edged sword when it comes to how well they work to bring in business. Following these simple rules will help your emails be as successful as they can possibly be, and will make your contacts much happier with you. So, don’t just send out emails without doing your homework about how to do it right. Your email campaigns can be a powerful tool if you know how to create and utilize them in the right manner.

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OLGA LAFFITTE Olga Laffitte – Loan Officer with PrimeLending in Boston, Massachusetts – is a seasoned mortgage professional who is truly committed to helping each and every one of her many clients achieve the American dream of home ownership. Olga’s focus on providing an exceptional customer service experience has played a significant role in her ever-growing reputation as someone who can be consistently trusted to put her clients’ needs front and center during every transaction.

Olga began her career in the mortgage industry in 2005, when she was still living in Puerto Rico. Following great success there, she relocated to Boston after the economic crash of 2008. She initially transitioned into Operations and Processing roles within the mortgage industry and was provided with the opportunity to work with some of the best lenders in Massachusetts. “I did everything from QC audit, processing, JR Underwriting, to mortgage accounting,” recalls Olga. “At the end of the day, I’m grateful because I got to experience working with all kinds and sizes of institutions and was able to take on so many roles before coming back to originating.”

Those experiences provided Olga with the vast reservoir of local industry knowledge that has played a significant part in the stellar success she enjoys today and in her ability to close even the most challenging of loans both on time and with a minimum amount of stress for her buyers. “I save my Realtors a lot of headaches,” she says, “because all my files close thanks to the due diligence done at prequalification stage.”

Olga is proud to be associated with PrimeLending, and of its wide array of loan products designed to suit any buyer’s needs, particularly those of the Spanish-speaking

community to which she caters. “Being bilingual really helps,” she says, “because the Spanish market has grown tremendously, and agents are always looking for a Loan Officer who can speak Spanish. If the clients haven’t completely mastered English yet, they tend to feel a lot more comfortable speaking in their native language.” Olga is also quick to credit her also talented, bilingual team and branch manager for the incredible support they provide her.

Another huge factor in Olga’s success story is the empathy she feels for her many clients, particularly those who have relocated from other countries. “I moved back to the states with just my clothes, my two cats, and my guitar in hopes to make a new and successful life for myself in this beautiful city,” she explains, “so I know what it’s like to start over from scratch. Helping my clients buy a home for their families is an honor and a source of great satisfaction for me.”

Olga gives back to her community in a variety of ways, chiefly through her membership in NAHREP (National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals). When she’s not working which is rare – Olga enjoys nothing more than spending time with her young son. “Everything I do, I do for him,” she says. “He is my sole purpose and where my drive to succeed comes from.”

Olga’s plans for the future are fairly straightforward: to continue growing her business while sacrificing none of the amazing customer service that has become her calling card. “Also,” she says, “I’m striving to eventually be the number one Spanish-speaking Loan Officer in Massachusetts.” For someone as dedicated and knowledgeable as Olga, that goal should be easily attainable.

For more information about Olga Laffitte (NMLS: 184664), please call 857-250-5385 or email olga.laffitte@primelending.com 149 Meridian Street | E Boston, MA 02128 All loans subject to credit approval. Rates and fees subject to change. ©2019 PrimeLending, a PlainsCapital Company.

(NMLS: 13649) Equal Housing Lender. PrimeLending MA lender & broker license nos. MC13649.v010918 Top Agent Magazine

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5 Tips to Make New Hires

a Long-lasting Success Bringing a new employee into the mix is process commonly known as onboarding. The idea behind onboarding is to make the transition from new hire to team member as efficient and pain-free as possible. However, polling shows that some 31% of entry-level and intermediate level hires leave their new posts within just six months of starting. The question is: why?

The hiring and training process is time-intensive and doesn’t come cheap. This means that making 16

a good match for the long haul requires more than just assessments of skill and personality. To ensure a talented new hire sticks around and is truly positioned for success, the onboarding process must be executed with the same care applied during hiring. For a few ideas on how to make the most of the onboarding process, consider the tenets below as you guide your new hire toward long-lasting success within your company.

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1. Be honest about the scope of the role

2. Build in some perks

Let’s say you’re looking to add a new buyers agent or loan processor to your team. You write up the position’s responsibilities, but neglect to mention that you want the new hire to handle a host of administrative tasks, as well. Maybe it doesn’t seem important enough to outline in detail, as it’s the sort of thing the rest of your does. Miscommunications like these are a leading reason why new hires leave their roles.

If there isn’t clarity and transparency about a position’s true responsibilities, then new hires may become quickly disillusioned and seek out greener pastures.

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While stocking the breakroom with bagels every Friday may seem like a small gesture, it’s often those little morale-boosting moves that build loyalty and comradery among the team. Bike-to-work incentives, subsidized gym memberships, and benefits that match the needs of your employees—all are ways to demonstrate appreciation and investment in your team.

Likewise, the right candidate will return the favor and invest his or her energies into their new role.

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3. Get a sense of big-picture career plans

4. Keep the lines of communication open

Another reason new hires move on may have nothing to do with you or your office. In fact, many hires in entry-level or even intermediate roles have doubts about their long-term vision.

That’s why it’s important to be upfront from the beginning regarding a candidate’s five-year plan and ultimate dream job. Maintain realistic expectations when asking these questions, but use it as an opportunity to gage a candidate’s seriousness about the real estate or mortgage industry. Why this line of work over another?

Emphasizing industry longevity and career growth during the interview process can save you drama down the road.

Take a proactive approach in communicating with your new hire. Take time to check in regularly during the first six months of his or her addition. If you can, make time to train new hires yourself—if only for a part of the onboarding process. You’ll forge a deeper professional bond and create an avenue for further questions. All in all, make it clear that you’re personally invested in their presence and talents, and that you care what they have to say. That way, if any issues or doubts arise, you can stay on top of it and work out a solution, rather than lose a new employee.

5. Give new hires meaningful work to do It’s natural to keep the kid-gloves on with new hires, but don’t let that stop you from giving them a chance to shine. New team members will feel empowered and motivated if given meaningful projects to focus on. Don’t relegate their daily duties to busy work as they build experience.

Instead, task new teammates with something challenging, or that draws on a specific skill you hired them for. You’ll instill confidence, demonstrate your commitment to their growth, and with any luck—keep them around for the long haul.

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Why Doesn’t Training Work for You?

by Carla Cross

Why isn’t your training working for as a ‘performance art’, not a you? Every company says they ‘knowledge pursuit!’ ‘have training.’ Yet, whether you’ve been in business 2 days or 20 years, Big question for you: Think of your you’ve probably felt frustrated that last 3 trainings. What were you doing those hours spent in class—listening in class? Listening to the ‘expert’? to someone at the front (the Or, were you putting to work what ‘expert)—didn’t do you any good. you were learning—while in class, There’s one reason training doesn’t so you could get valuable feedback work—and here’s how to make it before you ‘practiced’ on real work for you, so you don’t waste people—your clients? precious hours in training rooms.

What you need to be doing in class Training doesn’t work because it’s to assure you can do it ‘for real’: not taught right—and the people in the class aren’t doing what needs to • If it’s appropriate, you need to role be done for training to make a play (like answering objections, giving a listing presentation, etc.) difference in their lives.

Here’s what training needs to help • If appropriate, you need to you every time you’re in class: differentiate (like finding mistakes in a purchase and sale agreement).

Training must have action inside class to be effective for you.

• If appropriate, you need to practice the actions in class and then What do I mean? go out and do it with a ‘real person’—the client—and come back I mean we have to look at real estate and tell how it went (practice a Top Agent Magazine

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listing presentation, do it ‘for real’, Real Estate: Performance Art and come back to class and refine it). or Knowledge Pursuit?

None of these things happening in class? Make it work anyway. Take the ‘actionable’ items you learned in class and go do them—for real— within 3 days of going to class (otherwise we only remember 10% of what we heard!). Now you’ve made your own action plan.

Trainers: I just videos showing training work. uTube channel.

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Let’s be honest: Do you know someone in your office who seems to know everything—but doesn’t sell a stick of real estate? Sure.

That’s the problem with treating real estate as a ‘knowledge pursuit’. It has little to do with results. It’s a performance art. How you perform in the field—with real clients— did a series of 5 determines your success. how to make your See them on my Big question for you: Which kind of agent are you? A ‘performance art’ Top Agent Magazine

How you perform in the field—with real clients—determines your success. agent or a ‘knowledge pursuit’ agent? Which is easier to become?

Your Training Should Resemble a Piano Lesson

will ‘do it’ for you 3.Relying on ‘on demand’ video.

Many large franchises are providing video on demand training. Brokers may be relieved that this is going to take training off their plates. I wish.

Unfortunately, video training can provide very limited production results. Why? Because people don’t learn much by watching video. Yes, they learn a little. They observe someone else doing something; they get information. But, they don’t have to take action.

As a long-time pianist and teacher, I know intimately that, if you don’t practice, you can’t play (or you play badly)! Think of effective training like a piano lesson. You practice outside class. You come prepared.

You get tips and modeling from your teacher. Then you practice in class with your ‘coach’ watching and listening. Then, you ‘go out in the field’ and practice. You come back When you’re ready to get results ready to perform for your coach from your training, you’ll be ready to treat your training like the power again. That’s effective training. tool it really can be.

Here are 3 things that don’t work in training (and things for you to avoid): Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is an international 1.Listening for a long period of time and thinking you can do it (you already know that, from your experiences, right?)

2.Thinking most company training Top Agent Magazine

speaker and president of Carla Cross Seminars, Inc. and Carla Cross Coaching.

A former national Realtor Educator of the Year, Carla is known as one of the ‘go-to’ experts in her profession. She’s written training and coaching programs for most of the major real estate franchises.

Contact Carla at 425-392-6914 or www.carlacross.com.

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How To Overcome Your Workplace Fears Fear is something that can help protect us from danger, but it is also something that can be a hindrance to us in our lives, especially when it keeps us from potentially thriving and growing as a person. This is especially true in the workplace. Here’ a look at some proven ways to overcome common workplace fears.

your head, what exactly you’re feeling and why, it can help deflate the fear. Think of it as releasing some of the fear into the ether.

Yes, you’ll still be nervous about your presentation, but a lot of what was holding you back is gone. You’ll feel lighter, and hopefully have just enough butterflies to make your soar.

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Really owning the emotions that are putting you in a place of fear, is the first step.

By just naming it and then talking it out in

Nothing can make you feel more isolated than going down the path of “This is something that only happens to me.” Trust me,

ASSESS THE FEELINGS BEHIND THE FEAR

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TALK ABOUT YOUR FEARS WITH A TRUSTED CO-WORKER

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it doesn’t, and you might be surprised to find out that some people have had it even worse. Talking to someone you trust and admire, hearing their own fear horror stories and how they overcame them, will help normalize what you’re feeling. Releasing yourself from the idea that it’s something about you, will be an enormous relief.

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THINK OF THE WORST CASE SCENARIO

Although it might seem counter-productive, truly assessing what the worse outcome of the situation you’re afraid of serves two purposes. It might lead you to realize the worst case scenario isn’t that bad after all.

Of course it could also lead you to a really uncomfortable thought, you could lose your job. As bad as that is, it also gives you an opportunity to start focusing on what really matters, and how you might grow from the experience and possibly end up better off.

Countless people in their dream jobs now, were once fired and thought it was the end of the world. Hopefully, that won’t happen to you, but learning to have confidence in your abilities to always find a way, will be a great tool in overcoming fears.

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COMPARTMENTALIZE

If you’re a super-organized type, you might try actually setting aside time in your day to focus on your fears. It might seem odd, but it will let you NOT focus on your fears during the other hours of your day. Think of it as a task, you aren’t just sitting there worrying, Top Agent Magazine

Start thinking of fears as challenges.

As scary as it might seem to face them, for the most part they are things that can be fixed.

you’re taking in your fears and figuring out ways to overcome them.

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START THINKING OF YOUR FEARS AS OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH

Start thinking of fears as challenges. As scary as it might seem to face them, for the most part they are things that can be fixed.

A lot of fear is based on inexperience which leads to a lack of confidence. A common fear is workplace evaluations. Instead of looking at it as hearing everything that is wrong about you, think of it as an opportunity to see where you can improve. Going into it with a positive attitude rather than a defensive posture, will make the whole thing better for both parties.

Overcoming fears is oftentimes about a simple attitude adjustment. Like anything it takes practice, but the results of that practice will lead to a life that you’re able to thrive in both personally and professionally.

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