Can You Be the Best & The Cheapest? Trends & Strategies for 2024

Imagine basking in the Florida sunshine, surrounded by the buzz of achievement and innovation—welcome to the 2024 Champions Club event with man Mortgage. Our latest episode is packed with the electric atmosphere of the first two days, where we not only celebrate milestones with peers but soak in the Senior Exec board's wisdom that shapes our remarkable culture. Dive into discussions about the pivotal role of consistency in steering our teams towards success, and how our unique approach to open communication makes each individual's contribution shine—proving that a personal touch can indeed triumph over the impersonal corporate giants.

Change is a constant in the mortgage industry, and this episode doesn't shy away from the complexities it brings. We navigate the landscape of client expectations and the burgeoning influence of top originators who are harnessing the power of social media to attract clients. But it's more than just trends—we break down how to cultivate habits that stand the test of time, delve into the real value of consumer education beyond the numbers, and discuss the exciting world of first-time homebuyers stepping into property investment. Our conversation is a treasure trove of insights, from the power of psychological principles to the finesse of maintaining balance between life's 'big rocks' and professional ambitions.

Finally, we gear up to face the rush of the mortgage world with a renewed commitment to proactive communication. As we wrap this episode, we unveil the Keyer Factor podcast, a new venture set to amplify the listener experience. You won't just listen—you'll be motivated, inspired, and ready to harness the 'pro' mindset that can transform your professional journey. Don't miss out on these rich dialogues that promise to elevate every listener's game.

Can You Be the Best and the Cheapest?

Champions Club Insights: A Deep Dive into Mortgage Industry Trends and Strategies for 2024

Episode Description:
Join us in sunny Florida for a special episode of the Key Factors Podcast, recorded at the 2024 Champions Club with Man Mortgage. Hosted by Mark Jones, this episode features an engaging panel discussion with industry leaders sharing their insights, experiences, and strategies for navigating the mortgage market in 2024. From celebrating core values to discussing market trends and personal growth, this episode is packed with valuable lessons and thought-provoking ideas.

Key Discussion Points:

- Celebrating Success and Core Values: The importance of recognizing achievements and the unique culture of Man Mortgage.
- Learning from Industry Leaders: Insights from senior executives and top producers on navigating market challenges and personal growth.
- Importance of Content Creation: Leveraging personal experiences and industry knowledge to educate and engage audiences.
- Impact of Market Dynamics: Discussion on interest rates, market predictions for 2024, and strategies for adapting to changing conditions.
- Setting Goals and Building Habits: Emphasizing the need for specific, actionable goals and the development of productive habits for long-term success.
- Client Education and Relationship Building: The significance of educating clients and building trust through expertise and transparency.
- Adapting Sales Strategies: Moving beyond rate selling to offer comprehensive solutions and value to clients.
- Personal Accountability and Discipline: The necessity of self-discipline and

Key Factors Podcast is Powered by ReviewMyMortgage.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

Transcript

Mark Jones: 1:01

There we go, all right. So we're here in sunny Florida and we are attending the 2024 Champions Club with man Mortgage, woo right and everybody in this panel. Thus far is a part of why we are here today, and I just wanted to go over kind of different topics, spitfire a couple of different things. First, I want to start with what you guys got out of the first two dayz of this event. Corey, you want to start?

Rod Rhode: 1:32

Just being able to be here and celebrate as one of our core values is super cool. We talk about that all the time our branch and our people on our branch. We always talk about celebrating, so being able to actually celebrate with everybody is super cool. The opportunity to listen to people yesterday in the Senior Exec branch or a Senior Exec board was just kind of hearing their vision where we're at, where we're gone was great. Today to listen to just some of those champions and to hear their story and what drives them every day get up every day. I think I'm a little bit where Corey Henderson was an old guy feeling tired and got to figure out a way to kick myself in the butt and get back to doing the right things, doing those things consistently, and maybe not just for me but even for my team. I'm trying to do less production but taking those things that I listened to everybody today talk about taking those home and implementing those with the team, I think will be valuable.

Mark Jones: 2:36

And I think I'm glad you brought that up, because I believe that with someone like yourself that's been in the mortgage business for a while similar to Corey the other Corey it's not necessarily having to reinvent the wheel. It's now turning it into content that you can share, you can educate others. And a lot of folks are like well, how do I start? What do I do? Well, you've been doing it your whole career. Now just press record right, absolutely.

Mark Jones: 3:04

I think that's that's pretty cool. Another thing that I do find pretty awesome is, as man, Mortgage is a little big company in the sense that not very many mortgage companies do you get the opportunity to hear from a panel of the SIM, so to speak, and you're so close to their ideas and influence in the next moves that they make, Whereas bigger companies they give two shits what you think, to be honest, they care about the bottom line. They don't really. I'll give an example. I was with Academy Mortgage for nine years.

Mark Jones: 3:40

When I left I didn't get a phone call, none of that. And it was one of those things that throughout the whole career of being there, I thought that I was valued, I thought that they respected my opinions and what we were doing, but the moment that I was gone or thinking about leaving, it was we'll get somebody else that can fulfill that what you were doing. And I do believe that man not only respects quickly the people that they have, but they listen, they listen and then they implement. They find ways to implement those ideas and obviously, if you have a dumb idea, nobody's shy straight talk. That was dumb. I can respect that too.

Rod Rhode: 4:25

I might even try it if it's dumb, you never know. Yeah, rod and I had that talk just the other day we were waiting for our plane about how we are unique and we're different in that being here for I think it's just over 10 years now we do have the ability at the branch level to influence so much of what happens in this company. We're not a company where somebody decides something at the top and then they just push it down. We were joking about years ago at a marketing or at a manager meeting. One of the marketing people back then, who's no longer here, said hey, we're going to change the logo.

Rod Rhode: 5:00

Something as simple as that had been talked about at the senior exec but never talked to a branch, never talked to branch managers. It was brought out as this great idea, had a great PowerPoint but quickly shot down because of the expense of it, and it was at a time where margins were compressed and whatnot. And so we were able to, as branch managers, say we don't want to do that. Right, maybe there's some sense in it, but the fact that that didn't just get shoved down to where it cost my branch $10,000, $15,000 to re-brand re-brand, re-brand, re-brand re-brand, re-brand, re-brand, re-brand, re-brand, re-brand, re-brand.

Rod Rhode: 5:31

you do signs and whatnot. A lot of companies that would just be done here. It's going to hit your P&L, where we're going to do this because somebody thought it was a good idea and that doesn't happen here a lot. There's things that come down. I mean, rod's done so good with products and stuff. He's done a great job and it's just here. Go try this, go do this, go do that. Man, I work for every branch. It doesn't have to work for a branch.

Mark Jones: 5:52

Right, right, that's very, very true, Isaac. What do you think? What's been going on in this past couple days?

Isaac Morris: 5:57

Yeah, no, I love this trip. I look forward to it every year. The panels are awesome, the trainings and stuff that we do, but honestly, I think the most value I get out of it is the opportunity to rub shoulders with all these champions throughout the week. Yeah, I think that's where a lot of these good ideas are talked about and had, and I mean I know I've walked away with tons of good ideas. I mean, this group that we have here is, honestly, you know, the best of the best you have. And the other thing I love about it is you have so many different styles too, and so you can look at what one guy A does and guy B does and see what you think might work best for you. And I love the ideas that I walk away with after trips like this and just the motivation and the it gets you pumped up.

Mark Jones: 6:43

Absolutely.

Isaac Morris: 6:44

And I love that we do it the first of the year. I think that's important.

Mark Jones: 6:47

It kind of sets the tone for what is to come, and getting all of these like-minded individuals in rooms just breeds more ideas, like you were saying, but more so. This isn't a room that just shares ideas. It's a room of people that take those ideas and actually implement them. You can Going to, let's say, all of these realtors, lenders. They go to, they go to these motivational talks or these seminars, and I think the statistic is like 99% of the people, they leave their happy but they don't ever do anything about it. So hence they then go to the next one and the next one, and all they're doing is motivating themselves temporarily. When the concept is go apply this shit like, go use it, go fail forward. Many times, motivation is nothing if you don't have discipline.

Isaac Morris: 7:41

That's very true.

Mark Jones: 7:42

Yeah, but I think that it's cool to be able to leave something like this and then see Deborah Crittle doing podcasting, seeing different people incorporating different stuff, like making the push for social media hey, we've got to jump on social media. Great, we leave here and nobody posts, whereas this group we leave here and we're going to see some posts. We're going to see, hey, did it work? How does it work? Share your ideas, continue to share your ideas, and I think that's super cool. It takes a special group of individuals to be able to do that and work as a unit, in my opinion. So, rod, what you got in 2024 coming up man.

Corey Hill: 8:22

We got a lot coming in 2024.

Mark Jones: 8:24

So you get that 1,900 number voice.

Corey Hill: 8:29

Heck, yeah, come on down.

Mark Jones: 8:31

How much per minute do I got to pay you for this? I?

Corey Hill: 8:34

love it. I love it, but yeah. So you asked the question about what we saw from this, so I got two answers to that First one I'll play your little fun podcast.

Rod Rhode: 8:44

Please, please, game a little bit, and then we're going to flip some shit up a little bit.

Corey Hill: 8:46

Okay, so the first one that I love, I mean being here to me. Me being here is a great testament to kind of how man mortgage is and how it's different than a lot of other places, because, I mean, so many places are run by org chart. So if you draw an org chart, I am a product manager, which means I'm a manager of nobody at the very bottom of an org chart. So at places that only go by job title on org chart, I'm not here. I'm not here doing it. I'm not here, I'm not asking questions to the champions panel, I'm not on the trip. I mean, that's the way it's always been because, like well, it's the champions and you're the product guy behind the scenes.

Corey Hill: 9:27

Down here on the org chart. You got other managers and all this stuff. So like, why are you there? Why would we bring you in here? It's like, well, you contribute, so you're going to be there. And then I love that about this because you see it all across the company People that have ideas, have things to contribute. You bring it up, you show why it's a good idea and we find ways to get it done. And that's where it's like the people matter more and that's where it's the we and sales first and those types of things really come, come. You see it here, because the people that contribute Get rewarded and get recognized and get all that stuff. The second thing that I learned from being here is that we are in Clearwater, florida, which is the home of Hulk Hogan. So let me tell you what brother?

Rod Rhode: 10:15

it is not going to go the way of your normal little teapasters.

Corey Hill: 10:19

When the Hulk of maniacs come through and we want to talk about mortgages, it's not going to be your little rooty pook, andy ass. Normal way of talking about it is we're going to get after it Because we're going to talk about, so I'm sidetracking it. You know, let's go. I'm the captain now.

Mark Jones: 10:34

Yes, I'm the captain now Look at me.

Corey Hill: 10:38

I'm the captain now Mark Jones. So and I want to flush this out with you guys because I respect your opinion and stuff like that so this is really 2024 is the first year that I'm setting like sitting down, actually writing very specific, smart goals and things like that and thinking about it. I'm looking at this year. My opinion is 2024 is going to be pretty much like 2023 in terms of the market.

Corey Hill: 11:06

When you think of raids, when you think of dynamics, stuff for sale, houses for sale, I think it's going to trend up a little bit towards the end, but I think most of the year we're not going to get a vastly different market dynamic. So it's going to be on us as people to do more to do this stuff, and so it's one of those words to like to a certain extent is I don't think the market and everything is going to be there to support ultimately where I want to get in 2024. So, for me, 2024 is 2020. For what are you building for? Is building the thing where it's not building the car in 2024, it's building the factory that builds cars Of doing the activities that are going to build something that, when 2025 comes around and things start getting better, that our lives do this, not just this. So it's all about really focusing on specific activities and doing specific things like that where it's really a focus.

Corey Hill: 12:12

So that's where I'm seeing this year of plugging away with and it goes to. There's an old Winston Churchill quote where it's like the definition of success is failing continuously without a loss of motivation. So I think this year, especially as somebody that works in a operational role, I'm on a salary and that stuff gets evaluated at the end of the year. So, like for me, I have very aggressive goals for 2024. And ultimately, like the financial reward for that's going to come off of the financial success of the company.

Mark Jones: 12:46

And.

Corey Hill: 12:46

I look at it, I go we'll do better, but we're not going to be. You know that stuff. So it's like, okay, I'm going to plug away real hard all through 24 to probably not get a big financial reward, but it's setting up those things of doing these actions so that when 2025 comes around which then in 2025, I'm going to have to plug away again so that at the end of it it's yeah, payday so it's one of those where it's really, for me, it's about okay, coming in with the right attitude of like two years of plugging away to get the reward.

Corey Hill: 13:22

Then it's not just like, okay, I did all the things I was supposed to do this week, I ate salads all week and I worked out twice and I didn't lose 40 pounds. Right, right, you know? No, it's going to be. I think it's going to be the slow grind. So I'm curious what you guys have set up for your 2024. What's?

Mark Jones: 13:39

your outlook and your goals. What you're talking about, I believe, is needle moving activities, critical success factors, money making moves, the things that we put within our daily activities that are income generating. I believe that we're going to continue to see a cleanse of our market in 2024, and I'm talking realtors, lenders. There will be business. That goes on, and there will be more business than last year. That goes on. But I do believe that the top let's call it 1% is going to be doing most of the business. That is typical, but I think more so this year because I believe the top 1% of originators are starting to get the idea that you know the old saying if you build it, they will come. I call bullshit why? Because if they don't know about it, how are they going to get there?

Corey Hill: 14:31

Right.

Mark Jones: 14:32

They're starting to get out of the comfort zone and showcasing our level of expertise. Call it in reels, in videos, in social media world. The layman consumer only gets to see your abilities if it's time for them to refinance or purchase. If they never saw any of your content, well then they're based on that. Referral is based on. Is the realtor going to send it to me, whereas I believe we have a very strong opportunity to attract more business personally than we've ever had realtors send to us. Why? Because realtors aren't getting as much business as they used to either. In addition, consumers are getting wiser. Oddly, we keep talking about Gen Z and Gen X or whoever the next generation that are lazy and on their mom's couch, blah, blah, blah. That's not all the way true. They know how to use their smartphone to find what they're looking for, and the information that they're looking for is out there, so it's like they are getting pre-qualified. I've had more people in the last two years come to me first, before the realtor, than ever before in my career.

Rod Rhode: 15:57

I think that's a message we just have to keep driving to, and you wonder what's going to happen with this NAR lawsuit, the whole buyer's thing. Is the buyer's agent going to completely change, and I probably it's going to have to. And the more that we can do that and get in front of those buyers and be that first contact for those buyers and be in that. No, I think you're absolutely right. We need to be driving that.

Isaac Morris: 16:21

I want to expand a little bit on what Rod said about, because I think it was pretty insightful saying 2024 isn't the year yet. Because if you watch the media you've watched, listen to realtors and I mean everyone had such a hard year last year, they're ready for it, they're ready for the year and they want it to be this year. So I think it's and I agree with Rod I think it's going to be eye-opening for a lot of people listening to this. And so I think with that comes the challenge of us as LOs, of curbing expectations and having those conversations, because I mean, if you look at just at the end of last year, when they just, the Fed just hinted at rates might come down, next year?

Rod Rhode: 17:02

And the market, did you know?

Isaac Morris: 17:03

there was a little bit of a dip there, but I saw so many realtors and different people saying rates are getting better, rates are getting better and it starts creating this urgency. And that's why it's important for us, as the experts, and to kind of curb those expectations and say you know what they? Yeah, it's a little bit better, but it hasn't changed dramatically.

Mark Jones: 17:25

It hasn't changed dramatically.

Isaac Morris: 17:27

I mean nothing's really been done yet. They're not talking. I mean March, right Right, it's when they're talking about actually doing it. So it's important for us to come off as that expert and to kind of educate people on and set those expectations that hopefully it's better than last year. But it's not. It's not going to be a drastic change, I don't think.

Corey Hill: 17:47

And I think one of the things about setting expectations is our own, internally too. So that's one of those where that's what I'm talking about. When I talk about is for 2024, for is building the habits. You guys are kind of talking about it. How I kind of see it and I think what you're saying is where I'm going to end is you have to keep calling on those realtors bringing the insight, bringing the content, bringing the knowledge, even though they're not sending you deals. Is creating that habit where I'm calling this group of realtors to talk about what's going on and doing all this stuff every three weeks

Corey Hill: 18:24

all year and next year, even if they don't send me a deal, because other people aren't doing that. And I think that's the big thing where it's like my goals for this year are more along the lines of creating those habits than the oh, get 1.2 loans per realtor. It's like, no, no, you've got to. This is going to be the year where it's creating those habits is. This is the year of farming, not hunting, of planting as many seeds as possible, but the land's free, so you get to keep building it so that once the crops start coming up, you have a bigger ranch.

Corey Hill: 18:58

Yeah, and that's the analogy I keep using, because I mean, frankly, you know, if you're hungry, you got to. You can either plant crops or you can shoot animals, and we've shot all the animals last couple of years. But this is one of those where it's like, okay, you can just keep planting. You're out there in the field with a hungry stomach, but keep planting, and then now you have a bigger field and you own more land once it comes through, and I think that's the big thing with that.

Rod Rhode: 19:25

So, corey, you know, I almost forgot that.

Mark Jones: 19:27

You should have already cooperated 2024. And I am that's very smart. It's still working on that one.

Corey Hill: 19:32

Better get that in my yeah, license it to Simon Sinek, because I mean, I think that's what goes back to, is getting back to your wife, start with your wife, this year is going to be a run with your wife.

Rod Rhode: 19:42

I joke about that, but what a great piece of marketing for us to actually take that and use that. No, I agree 100% and talk about that.

Mark Jones: 19:51

You and I were having a conversation yesterday and I think now is the best time within this platform to tell your story, because a lot of loan officers tend to rely on rates to eat, and what I mean by that is there's no other value other than I can give you a payment that's within what you're asking for, versus educating you on all the nuances of owning a home and how you can leverage and what it looks like down the road and how interest works, amortization, et cetera, et cetera. So there's a situation to where you're able to practice what you preach in a certain scenario, and recently you were able to do that. Can you tell us about that?

Rod Rhode: 20:38

Yeah, I, we were talking just yesterday about how we've been talking for the last, you know, a year, six months about. You know rates are here, rates are. Can it come down? We all expect that, you know. And what happens when that? When that happens, you know prices go up. Prices go up pretty much anyways. You know right. And so what we were talking about was a year ago. This weekend actually, my wife and I have a second home in Phoenix. We were kind of just kicking around the idea. We weren't in love with the house. My wife loved the backyard, she loved the pool, but we weren't in love with the house and so we were kind of looking around Secretly. I really wanted was not secretly, she knows I wanted, I wanted a big garage.

Rod Rhode: 21:26

I wanted that RV garage to put toys in, yeah, and so we were kind of poking around the neighborhood we were in and Fell upon this neighborhood that had big RV garage with a two-car on top top of that, and I was like we should do this. She's like we're nuts. She's an agent, a broker, back in Montana, and we were both kind of like, well, this is nuts, we're at 2.25 on our rate on the house that we had, and. But we weren't in love with the house, right, and so we took that Opportunity to get into that new house. I was hoping the rates would maybe have gone down by the end of the year, like we all thought, but you know, so we gave up that rate, yeah, and that was a really tough thing to do. And so when we're talking to people about that that want to move into that second home or third home or their dream home or or maybe build that dream home, you know I like it. Like you said, I practice what we've been preaching. Right, we gave up that super low interest rate, we bought the new house that we're gonna just love, and, and what's happened though, like you and I talked past that was exactly what we've talked about is that you know we secured that house at this price a year ago this weekend and the lot was at X price In the in the year since then. We just actually closed last, last month, in December. So we got the keys.

Rod Rhode: 22:47

The price of that lot that we have the one right next to us just got sold the up the up charge on the price you know it's one of these production builders, mm-hmm. The up charge on the lot next door when we bought it was $15,000. It's now over $50,000. Wow, the. The base price on the house that we started on is up probably 60 to $70,000. So that price of that house is over 10, probably 15,000, 10 or 15 percent higher.

Rod Rhode: 23:16

Then it was a year ago and so everything that we've talked about, that we preach about, that we talked to people about you can wait right and you can wait. You know, yeah, rates might come down, but as the value goes up and the rate comes down, you're gonna be right where you were. Plus, the other piece of that is is that when I bought that lot last year we were probably the fourth, maybe fifth house. You know a couple to buy in that neighborhood, mm-hmm. There's now 30 houses built wow in that neighborhood and there's maybe 15 lot lot's left, and so hence the reason price goes up. That's right. So everything we talk about with our clients during the, during the you know those discussions, is exactly what happened to me, right, everything's gone up. If I'd have waited.

Isaac Morris: 24:00

Right, you'd be paying more. The rate is where it is.

Isaac Morris: 24:02

Yeah, I'd have paid more for it and it comes down to the individual I mean your own, in your own circumstance here. You weren't, you weren't buying a second house because you wanted a little interest rate. You were buying a second house because you wanted a second house, you wanted to enjoy that house, and you know so it's when, as a loan officer, you can't, you can't be a number to people, you've got to see that you're helping them, you know, accomplish something that they're wanting to do and and yeah, yeah, maybe this is a higher rate. Now You're in a house that you're gonna enjoy more, you're, you know you're. You got to figure out what their goals are and what we can do to help them make those goals. And yeah, so I love that example.

Mark Jones: 24:39

So a great way to say it is we are helping folks realize, obtain and understand the quality of life that they're trying to achieve. Yeah, you know, you know.

Rod Rhode: 24:49

I could be kicked around for, whether it's your first house, your second home, like right or investment properties. You know I've got people that are still wanting, they're eager to buy another rent by that next rental and those most of those clients get it right that first home or they've done their first investment in the and they get that process and they're like, man, if I can make a cash flow right now, yep, it's only gonna get better.

Mark Jones: 25:12

Yeah, the past six six locks that I've put in End of last month and beginning of this month have all been second home or investment purchases for folks that already have a home. They're not intending to sell it, they understand the value of real estate and holding it and, over time, regardless of what the market's doing, you're gonna win as long as you don't sell it in a down market and In certain places like Texas, I don't even know what the hell a down market is.

Corey Hill: 25:43

I mean it just keeps rising. You don't have to have a down market If you have the right mindset in this business because we're talking about rates. So you know, talking about from a loan officer, real estate agent point of view is. I think one of the great takes I've heard on this recently is Renee Rodriguez, who we're all familiar with as a great industry trainer on the psychology and neuroscience of sales Is. I heard him on a like a different podcast one day and he was talking about how, as an industry, we can't be mad that all of our clients are so focused on what interest rates are. Where they don't want to buy Because of interest rates, because we spent three years training them that all that matters.

Isaac Morris: 26:22

From 1920 into 21.

Corey Hill: 26:24

That's all everybody talked about was oh, interest rates are low, they're two percent, the three percent, three percent, three percent is they? We?

Mark Jones: 26:32

train them on that. I mean, in addition, and I'll add to that, don't mean to cut you off, but it when was the last time you saw a commercial on TV that's talking about equity, that's talking about leverage of your property? It's always rate, rate, rate, wells Fargo chase, that's all they push is interest rate. So basically, to your point, we're being pre-planned or pre-programmed to think just rate, yeah, and the mortgage?

Corey Hill: 26:57

business never learns its lessons.

Corey Hill: 26:59

I mean, that's something we are so dense in this because and now we're seeing the extreme version of that, where Everybody spent all this time training our clients, training our referral partners. At all that matters is rate and, and now a lot of people. You know, there's the old thing where it's like, okay, if you say something long enough or you defend your weaknesses enough, you get to keep them, as now we have a ton of loan officers who that's all they think about, and now they're running. And you hear this Brokers are better.

Corey Hill: 27:31

No, those are better Brokers are better. Why are brokers better? Lower rates? Okay, so you, you spent 20 years becoming an expert, a professional. You're a professional loan officer. You're an expert, I'm an expert. Who the hell spends 20 years becoming an expert with the goal of lowering your prices?

Mark Jones: 27:52

Yeah, to Shay yeah, one other industry. Do you do that? What's that? I am the real lawyer. I am.

Corey Hill: 27:57

I am the best lawyer in America and I will defend you tooth and nail and save you for multi-million dollar lawsuits and I'm the cheapest lawyer in America.

Mark Jones: 28:09

That's a damn good point.

Corey Hill: 28:13

You know, it means that what's going on schools is like hey, learn a craft, become an expert, lower your prices.

Mark Jones: 28:20

Yeah, you don't. You don't go to Neiman Marcus because they're affordable. You go because they're the best, because they're the best right, everything is that way.

Rod Rhode: 28:27

You know it's a home builder, it's whatever. You know you want the lowest bidder, you're gonna get the lowest bidder house. That's a great analogy, but it's a great point that you make that we as an industry it was. It seemed like it was a race to the bottom. Yeah, you know who can give the lower rate and how many of us those that are branch managers that have had Loan officers come in and they're like the bank down the streets offering them a quarter point better and your response.

Mark Jones: 28:57

What can we do?

Rod Rhode: 28:58

Go work for the bank and and it's like You've got to learn how to sell Something other than that rate.

Rod Rhode: 29:07

That's right If you're going to be just the cheapest, like you said, go to the bank. You know, if you want to have that lowest rate because the bank will just drop their drawers and do whatever Then maybe you need to be at the bank. But if you can go sell the other things that we have and I think that that's one of the things that, coming to this meeting, I'm going back to what we talked about Interacting with everybody and getting those things that you use when you're talking to your clients and referral partners you know, I got a deal that we're closing tomorrow. It's got a message from the agent. You know. Wow, you know.

Rod Rhode: 29:38

Again, you guys knocked it out of the park you know, I had another loanless so-and-so, and and they're still trying to close on their third extension, you know, and it's.

Mark Jones: 29:48

They see what we do, how well we do it and the service that's there and and that's worth some and I think Vicky said it earlier today and it resonated with me because I'm a firm believer in what she mentioned and it's not necessarily selling. Unless you think of it that way, it's now, in this day and age, educating. You've got to educate and find what channel or what outlet is going to be the best for your viewers, listeners, customer, clientele, whatever you want to call them, to receive that education. I think that the idea of selling something this next generation they don't want to be sold, they want to be educated, they want to know what they can do, every facet to it. Did I miss any options? Okay, am I making the smartest decision? Because, let's face it, we want them to believe like we both. We, we listen to our parents, but it's not until later in life that we really listen to our parents right yeah.

Mark Jones: 30:53

This generation. I could be speaking nonsense, but I just feel like they believe that they know more than their parents, and in some cases they actually do, because they know where to get the information, they have quick access to it and you don't have to go to school to learn what they're learning these days. It's all there they're in tune with YouTube Go ahead.

Isaac Morris: 31:16

They just have all that in there.

Mark Jones: 31:17

That's correct.

Isaac Morris: 31:18

As soon as they have a question, they can get it asked.

Mark Jones: 31:20

Yes, and it's not. I mean chat GPT. They know how to use it, so let's stop playing the smoke and mirrors and song and dance and let's just give them what they want. Like here you go. Let's go through the process with them and not short change our message.

Isaac Morris: 31:38

I'll add to that too, though that's why it's even more important to come across as the expert on it, because, let's be honest, yeah, they have all that. They can go on their phone and get an answer. They can also get the wrong answer. Absolutely so it's very important to come across as an expert and show that value in that way.

Mark Jones: 31:53

Yep, I mean to your point. Instead of trying to combat them or overpower what they're already going to do, give them the cliff notes on where they need to go to find the right answers and they'll go. Well, wait a minute, you're sending me somewhere else. No, I mean, you're gonna do it anyway. So why not go to a trusted resource?

Corey Hill: 32:15

This is what I use as a lender, so you might use it. That's a great transition. I was getting it. I was barred transitioned it over to okay. So delivering the education 100%. Believe it? I didn't believe that's what we want. So the question is how do you use that to drive sales into yourself?

Mark Jones: 32:31

Personally, because I'm a nerd like. I'll give you one example that we're getting ready to roll out, which is Lone Bot. Partner and I created the ability for consumers to have their custom link put in their information. No credit has been pulled, but because we've got awesome partners all of the loan programs that ManMortgage offers that consumer can see if they qualify for them right then and there on their phone. So me being the loan officer in this case scenario, I can see transparently what these consumers are saving to their dashboard. I can see what they're interested in. Oh well, there's three bonds, there's a USDA loan in here and it literally says I'm looking for the least amount of money down program.

Mark Jones: 33:17

Wonder what I'm gonna talk about in that phone call? Do you know what I'm saying? There's no guesswork. I don't have to ask too many questions to get to halfway into a presentation where it would take us 30 minutes. I just fast-tracked that first 15 minutes and now we can have a back end 15 minute conversation about different opportunities. Have you considered going multi-family multiplex? Now you're an investor day one. It breeds those kinds of conversations that then intrigues more from them when typically we've got to pry that stuff out of them because they're holding guard to it. I guess, how about you guys?

Rod Rhode: 34:01

No, the interesting, your Lombot, because how many times have we all sat down with somebody and half an hour hour into conversation you figure out that, oh, maybe a duplex would be a good idea for these folks I've done that with. I mean, how many times first time homebuyers come in and they're like you know what, I wanna buy a house. Someone do this and we've got them into a duplex option. It's like all of a sudden now they're a landlard. Important question to ask, do you?

Rod Rhode: 34:27

feel like you wanna be a landlard at some point in your life, because if you have no interest in doing that, then we'll buy a house?

Mark Jones: 34:32

Yeah, cross that off.

Rod Rhode: 34:33

But I have so many young couples that I've helped over the years that are now on their third or fourth rental, and it was because of that first time they came in to see me they could afford a $90,000 condo that's what they could do and instead they were able to buy a $190,000 or $200,000 duplex Right, sure, and it was a complete game changer for them. And so, having something that can ask those questions, you know, do you have any interest in being I don't know if you'll know about that do you have any interest in being a landlord at some point in your life, you know?

Corey Hill: 35:01

that's a good question. There you go. Yeah, a great line I'm using that I saw in a training that I put into my realtor presentations is I heard it on a different training where the guy said I don't know if this is for you, but do you know anybody interested in making money in real estate outside of their primary residence?

Rod Rhode: 35:18

Mm.

Corey Hill: 35:18

And it's a great linguistic trick, because I studied things like their own linguistic programming and things like that, because everybody's so pre-programmed to be like, okay, somebody's gonna sell me something, somebody's gonna so when you go, actually go, the guard is up. So when you actually go I don't this might, this probably won't be for you you actually go, oh okay, and then you say something that obviously is for them. It sidetracks that wall of stuff.

Corey Hill: 35:42

And it's one of those words like, hey, it's asking for referrals, but it's also gonna make them kind of think about it for themselves. So I thought that was a great line where it's. And then it transitions into a lot of different things we can do as far as lending to help get people into second homes, investment properties and things like that. But yeah, the education thing and it also what you're saying where it reminded me of, I was on a training recently with a guy, phil M Jones, who wrote a book called Exactly what to Sell, and it was really really good training and he was preaching hard in there of something that I remember doing back when I was selling was his premise was you never try to sell anybody anything until you can say because you said this and because you said this and because you said this, I recommend this.

Corey Hill: 36:34

So until you have three specific things that they said, you haven't built enough rapport with them to actually present an option. You haven't built up, you haven't got to know them well enough, you haven't asked enough questions, you haven't got to know them and things like that. Where it comes in and I thought that was a great approach and a great thought process to it is you have to have three things that they have said that you can reference before you ever pitch.

Isaac Morris: 36:59

That's exactly what. Something that my branch manager, david Mansquake, always says is nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. And I mean I've locked onto that, it's yeah.

Mark Jones: 37:12

I believe that because of 2019, 2020, 2021, beginning of 2022, we as loan officers and not just me, I'm talking everybody, because there was so much business Capital- W we short capital we.

Mark Jones: 37:31

Yeah, we short changed the high trust interview. You guys heard of high trust interview. That you're all I'm focused on. I'm asking you questions and it's not to be intrusive, but I need to know these things before I give you any kind of recommendations to your point. And it is a conversation that is intended to build your rapport, to build that care piece of the presentation and then also to showcase your expertise, because you told me this, this and this. This is what I would recommend for you as the expert. Do you understand that concept? Or do you understand why I'm recommending you that? Then have them repeat it back to you. Now they just got value and guess what? Everybody likes to feel smart, so they're gonna leave, go to their friend's house or go to the next party and regurgitate all the shit that you just told them Because they wanna feel smart. Mark Plus there's. It marks numbers, so you understand Plus they're selling themselves.

Corey Hill: 38:35

I mean you are your own most trusted authority yes. Where it's like so it's one of those words they're selling themselves, because you're just saying what they've already told you and it sticks with the principle of consistency. So one of the best books on selling ever is a book called Influence by Robert Cialdini, where he isolates the six most influential things on people, and one of them is consistency. And that's why when you go to buy a car, a single car salesman does that little four square thing, or they sit down and they're gonna ask you oh, what do you want your payment to be?

Corey Hill: 39:09

And then they're gonna come back and be like okay, well, I can get you that payment you want, mark. It's just that you know we're gonna put it on a 4,000 month loan and that good interest rate. And then you know we got you into that payment and you're like well, I don't wanna, you're not even thinking about the car anymore.

Isaac Morris: 39:21

I'm not gonna have this car for 42 years.

Corey Hill: 39:23

So why am I doing that? It's like well, you said you wanted that payment. You said that if we could get you into that car for $540 a month that you would wanna. You said you liked the car. You said you just and that's the thing is, it's using the people's consistency because you've already said something.

Isaac Morris: 39:42

Now you're like well, I guess I said that so I'm an asshole if I were to say that.

Corey Hill: 39:47

If I don't take it. And you're like, yeah, I guess I did say that. And all of a sudden it's like you know, I've been in there and I've gone in and tried to help people, friends that are buying cars because if you don't have an emotional attachment to it, you know somebody, you know I've straight up looked at it. I was like, yeah, I mean, and I get what you're doing, because I've read the book that your sales trainers taught you. I've literally said this to a car salesman.

Mark Jones: 40:07

It's like, look, I was in the car business.

Corey Hill: 40:08

I get what you're doing, but I've also read the books that your sales trainers read when they taught you to do this, because it's called the principle of consistency. What I'm telling you right now is I don't care, I'm not taking this deal because I don't want a 96 month car loan on a six year old car, right? So I don't care about consistency. That's one of those words, but it's using it not because the customer said okay, because you said this and you said this and you said this. Basically, you said you want this solution, right?

Rod Rhode: 40:38

And it's the unconscious answer. There you go. I take the four square.

Mark Jones: 40:41

Yeah, exactly the best one that we used to use was if I could get this payment to this, would you buy today? Oh, absolutely. Would you do me a favor and just like sign right here on this blank pizza paper so I can take it to my?

Corey Hill: 40:54

man, and there you go. Consistency. They're like, okay, I sold equipment. You think you?

Mark Jones: 40:58

can do that. I don't know, but they're gonna see that signature and go. He's buying today if we can do this.

Rod Rhode: 41:02

I sold heavy equipment. We couldn't use that four square on a dozer. It was either $400,000 dozer.

Corey Hill: 41:10

It didn't quite work the same.

Rod Rhode: 41:11

They did it or didn't, and payment probably didn't matter to the contractor.

Mark Jones: 41:15

No, not at all.

Corey Hill: 41:16

Well, this is some good stuff I want to bring back. So one more thing to kind of blend it up, so I want to get you guys' thoughts on this.

Corey Hill: 41:21

So I brought a little snippet. I was going back through and rereading some stuff from a book and I think, kind of what we're talking about here today and we're talking about 2020 FOR Is we're talking about things like education. So that isn't one of those things that well, I put out a video and I didn't get five loans, so why would I do another video? Why would I put out the education we're reaching out to? These things is to me like there's a concept called chunking up. So it's like going up to a next, bigger picture point of view of things and how it was described to me as chunking up. So it's like, okay, so Honda Accord, chunking it up, is a Honda. Chunking it up, it's a sedan. Chunking it up, it's a automobile, which is a vehicle, which is a way of getting around. So kind of going up to like a bigger picture point of view of stuff and kind of where Birds-eye view.

Rod Rhode: 42:12

Yeah.

Corey Hill: 42:13

So it's going up to like the bigger, broader concept of things and I really like this book. So there's a book called Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield, who is more famous for the book of the War of Art.

Mark Jones: 42:23

Okay, I've heard of the.

Corey Hill: 42:23

War of Art. Yeah, it's a good book, great book, and it's not the Art of War, the War of Art, the War of Art. So a lot of what it talks about is even if you're in an artistic point of view or you have a job that has a certain level of flexibility, is setting up time, setting up practices to do your art. So his theory is, even if you're a writer which he is if you show up and you write every day, that's going to attract the muse. God, happenstance, all this stuff to like, bring things better back to you. And then a second book was about Turning Pro, and I think this is a big thing of where people that are going to excel in 2024 and then explode in 25 are the people that decide to go pro in 2024.

Corey Hill: 43:12

So he talks about the act of turning pro starts with an epiphany which feels like hell. So he's talking about that. You discover something by yourself where you're like I'm not doing that it's. I got to start doing social media, even though I don't like being on camera. I got to do podcasts, even though I don't want to do it. I need to. You know, I got out of the habit of calling realtors. I'm doing things.

Corey Hill: 43:33

So it starts with an epiphany which feels like hell. It trashes us, it exposes us and leaves us naked, because the essence of an epiphany is the stripping away of self-delusion. In that moment we can reconstitute our bullshit or turn pro. Before we turn pro, we live in a life of fear and resistance which dominates us. When we stop running from our fears and face them, the pro knows that every day he will wake up and face the same fears and demons. The professional shows up every day and stays all day, is committed for the long haul, sets stakes that are high and real, is patient and courageous, will not be distracted, acts in the face of fear, has compassion for themselves, dedicates himself to the mastering of technique, is ruthless on himself and does not take failure or success personally.

Mark Jones: 44:24

I like that.

Corey Hill: 44:25

I mean he's on the money, in my opinion, so like thinking of where we have to do your teams yourself in 2024,. Like what does? Is that hit him for anything?

Mark Jones: 44:34

It absolutely does, because me and my role I am shifting back, or have shifted back to a more production role in producing loans, versus just leading and mentoring and coaching. So I was reluctant to do that. So there was okay. How do I think of alternatives so I can continue to give presentations, to continue to coach loan officers, to do podcast and create content, putting it off on another loan officer. These leads come in, you take them, and I had to just go. You know what? Suck it up, buttercup. The epiphany Correct.

Mark Jones: 45:13

And it was like this is what predominantly got you here in life, mark, like you wouldn't live in the house that you live, you wouldn't have the vacations, you wouldn't have the knowledge that you have, had you not been a damn good producer. So that in itself was that epiphany moment. It was like, okay, so you've only got 24 hours in a day. What is going to be put on the back burner by me doing this? And, in all honesty, nothing. It's just rearranging your calendar, making sure what your priorities are that matter to you, and the reason why I say that is there's a lot of folks that talk about balance. It's like you gotta have balance in your life, you gotta have a good home life, your health, everything I call bullshit.

Corey Hill: 45:56

Find a top Like real top producers that have any kind of balance. No, it's about prioritization.

Mark Jones: 46:02

It doesn't happen because you can go hard for several months and then take a full week off, two weeks off spend your with your family. That vacation, I guarantee you, is gonna be more impactful to your family, that you're able to really unplug and pay attention to them, than the half-assed time that you would have spent trying to squeeze it into the day every day, et cetera. Now, to each their own, but I do believe that, in order to have a great life, the things that I didn't have growing up and I'm not saying that I didn't grow up well I love my parents, love what they were able to provide for us, but I know now, in these shoes, that I have the ability to do more for my family, and I think that's what my parents' intense was. I think that's all our intentions. We want our kids to do better than we.

Corey Hill: 46:55

And I think that's the big thing which you just said there is living up to your ability.

Rod Rhode: 46:59

Yes.

Corey Hill: 47:00

It's like when you feel like you, still you have the ability to do more.

Isaac Morris: 47:02

I've got more. Yeah, I've got more.

Corey Hill: 47:04

And that's where it's like I use a lot of times with myself. I still return from appraisals highest and best use, from appraisal and stuff like that is trying to find my own highest and best use.

Mark Jones: 47:14

Yeah, because time we don't get it back, it's just the one thing that is a commodity of finite for each person. We never know when, but I want to be able to look back and go all right, I gave it my all and I was able to spend time with my family and we were able to make memories and I changed these people's lives and whereas, honestly, growing up, none of this stuff was even in the radar, it's like you have. There's no way you're going to be that guy that can change X amount of people's lives on an annual basis and that's just, I guess, remembering that and owning it.

Rod Rhode: 47:59

I was kind of down the same path, as you sound like getting out of the production, trying to do more mentoring and managing of the team and I was on that path, kind of had to go back kind of like what you're saying a little bit.

Rod Rhode: 48:12

And there's got to be a balance there. I can't get completely out of that and even at some point I'm probably I don't know how old you are, but I'm older than all of you guys and but at some point when I'm not wanting to manage that branch anymore, whoever has that branch got friends that are 60, 62, 63 that I've met where I'm at in Phoenix now for my winter home, that are still doing the productions out of it and they're like I do two, three loans a month. It's great. And so it kind of went full circle. They went the production real heavy, really good at it, managed. Some, like you said, really good at that part of it.

Rod Rhode: 48:49

And Jason's, I you know, has said before just go do what you're really good at. You're really good at doing loans, you know. And the other part of it you're pretty good at it too. But you've got to keep that part of it and so finding that balance just in the work life for me, not even talking about the home part, and my kids are growing up now they're 21 and 25. And you're right, your time with them is short, you know, you've got younger kids and fighting that balance I love that you said trying to squeeze it in a, you know, a three day weekend here with them. And trying to squeeze that in doesn't work.

Mark Jones: 49:19

No.

Rod Rhode: 49:20

And my wife would attest the. I loved it when she got her real estate license. She was a teacher for 25 years and she got her license. And I'll never forget the first time, because it was all those years whether it was selling cat equipment or doing this that that got some stuff going on, but all of those years of going on vacation. Then I would get a phone call and I'd be like I got to grab this real quick. And I'll never forget the very first time we're on a vacation somewhere see where, older, where it was and she got a phone call for a real estate deal and I just sat back and I was like, yeah, now you know how it is Now.

Mark Jones: 50:02

You know what it's like.

Rod Rhode: 50:03

Yes and it was great, but I'm absolutely agree with you you taking that week to go spend with them is so much better. The time is more quality, and I think that that's a great piece that I just got out what you said.

Mark Jones: 50:17

My wife has a tattoo right here on her arm and it says wherever you are, be there.

Corey Hill: 50:22

That's great.

Mark Jones: 50:23

And it resonates often in our family. It's like okay, that's like if you're working, work, damn it, but if you're with us, be with us. And I really, really appreciate that. She did that as a reminder, and it was probably a reminder to me, but now she gets to practice it as well, being in real estate.

Rod Rhode: 50:44

I'm like, yeah, where am I gonna put that ink in?

Mark Jones: 50:47

Yeah, but it is.

Rod Rhode: 50:48

It's absolutely true. We'll put it on the T-shirt.

Mark Jones: 50:51

But there you go, 2024. But.

Rod Rhode: 50:54

I absolutely 100%. You gotta do it 100% when you're there and then take those times and there's no balance in what we do. We talked about that a little bit this morning, I think on the panel.

Isaac Morris: 51:03

Yeah, the balance thing is it's so hard because I have a young family. I have a 10 year old boy, a seven year old girl, five year old girl and then just last year had our last, you know, our last son. He's one now. So I mean, I'll confess it's easy to use that as an excuse and unfortunately, I think, you know, last year I had a little bit of a down year because it was easy to say I'm not sleeping at all, like I have a one year old I'm, you know so the last year. I was raised as a kid, but it's important to not use that as an excuse. And as far as the balance and everything, and I, you know, it's kind of like an internal struggle because like, yeah, I work hard, but I really am, I'm doing it for my family.

Mark Jones: 51:45

Correct.

Isaac Morris: 51:46

I think of it as kind of like stacking blocks, I guess. Yeah, I am one year old, that makes sense. First and foremost, I'm a husband. Second, I'm a dad. Third, I'm a loan originator. But if I don't focus on that third thing, the other two are gonna fall down.

Mark Jones: 52:02

It's so true.

Isaac Morris: 52:02

You know. So that's why we do it, and it is hard. It's hard to balance it, and what's awesome is, you know, having a life and a family that's supportive of it, because if they weren't, it would make it even so much harder, I have to agree.

Corey Hill: 52:13

Yeah.

Mark Jones: 52:14

No, that's a big, big thing.

Corey Hill: 52:15

Yeah you say that makes me think of that old. I think it's on YouTube, a skit where it was a gentleman in the road.

Corey Hill: 52:22

Seven habits of highly effective people where he talks about where he sets out and he'll have like a jar of sand jar of small rocks, medium rocks and then these big rocks, and he's got a giant cylinder and he's like, okay, put them all in there. And what it comes down to, basically, the shorter lesson of it is you can't fit all of those in there. So he talks about put in the big rocks first, and that's one of those and I think of that exercise where it's like okay, don't.

Rod Rhode: 52:46

I love that. I've seen that it's true.

Corey Hill: 52:47

Those things that we talked about. It's like, okay, I gotta be a father, I have to be a husband, but we have to have a house to live in, so work has to go in there too, and then you start putting in the small rocks. But I guess to kind of kind of wrap it all up is that's one of those words like is put those rocks in, but one of those rocks has to be wherever you are. Correct, be here and.

Mark Jones: 53:09

I think that's great.

Corey Hill: 53:11

And where we are is Clearwater Florida looking at the ocean.

Isaac Morris: 53:17

I think it's time to wrap up the Keer Factor podcast.

Mark Jones: 53:21

Yeah, you know what? The Rod Takeover of the Keer Factor. I love it. Hope, hope, damn good host man, hope to get some much.

Rod Rhode: 53:28

I love your. The one thing on yours, though, is be a pro, and we didn't have time to get to it, but what is the one thing that you're gonna do? Maybe we can get on some time and do it, but what's the one thing you're gonna do this year?

Corey Hill: 53:39

Be that that's true. We can run a quick one. Yeah, it's okay, you wanna run through it real quick.

Rod Rhode: 53:43

What are you gonna do to be a pro?

Corey Hill: 53:44

So I have made a commitment, not a goal, not a plan. I have made a commitment to put out at least 986 pieces of original content.

Isaac Morris: 53:52

Mm-hmm Good for you, and what was the?

Corey Hill: 53:54

number 986.

Isaac Morris: 53:57

Wow, I'm curious how you came up with that number. So it's very specific and that makes me think it's a good goal. That's what it was. It was very specific.

Mark Jones: 54:05

That's what it was.

Corey Hill: 54:08

So it was. Let me think I'm trying to remember what it is. So I well, every day I do a market morning market summary and then a market wrap. So I do those videos every business day. Every two weeks I do product prime time. So that's, you know, a half hour, 45 minutes of content there I've committed myself to doing. I think I came out of 40 or 45 of the roadshows which is where I'm doing live realtor trainings in our markets. So, like 40, 45 of those, I have a personal blog where I go and I go back through a. I do a lot of reading, a lot of personal development. So what I do is I take notes from I couldn't tell, yeah.

Rod Rhode: 54:49

I know.

Mark Jones: 54:50

It looks like he's in encyclopedia.

Corey Hill: 54:51

All my nerd stuff, so it's things like so part of why I was looking at TurningPro is I take books, I take notes from the books and then I take the notes from the books and do them in small segments and post them on the blog. So that way, if you don't have time to read TurningPro, you can come on and I keep it in small segments and you can get it in pieces.

Corey Hill: 55:12

So in that way, the people that aren't going to read the book. I hey, I want to be like hey, this is pretty good, Maybe I will read this book, but, like you get some of the lessons and stuff like that, so that's every Tuesday and Thursday and then I think 20 of it is actually committed. This is gonna be the real interesting one.

Isaac Morris: 55:31

I'm sorry I asked. No, it's just I know what you're gonna do.

Corey Hill: 55:36

Well then, I also have to make then I also have to make. I also committed to making Jason, Chad and Caleb do, I believe, 20 pieces of content.

Isaac Morris: 55:45

So I told them that they need.

Corey Hill: 55:46

I told them that they need to get more out there and they went. You're right, but you gotta write it, fucker. They pulled you in.

Mark Jones: 55:56

Get a song that comes.

Corey Hill: 55:58

All those guys should be giving you one a month. It'd be great to have, for sure.

Mark Jones: 56:03

Me personally is to find that consistency within all that I'm doing because, I'll be honest, I'm wearing many different hats and you do wear a lot of hats Many say that, but I really do, and I'll be honest I don't know what the hell my life would be like if I didn't.

Mark Jones: 56:21

I'd probably be bored out of my mind, I don't know, but I tend to take on more responsibility. More responsibility because I believe I can take it on. This year, I'm going to do a better job of prioritizing consistently, and that's something that I've struggled with my entire career.

Corey Hill: 56:41

It's defining the big rocks.

Mark Jones: 56:42

Yeah, I mean, essentially, I have a great idea, I run with that idea and anything that I do I'm all in. So now these other pieces are being neglected. So, within the idea of there's no balance, but there is consistency, and I think once you find that consistency, balance, it becomes second nature, because I've been in that groove before to where it's like, okay, I'm on to the next thing and I'm on to the next thing and by the time the day is over. It's like that was a hell of a lot of production. But I think finding that again is my goal and I think I'm going to find it really quickly, really quickly. So yeah.

Mark Jones: 57:25

I'm confident in it.

Isaac Morris: 57:27

Yeah, I'll keep mine short. I mean mine comes down to discipline and accountability for me this year. Everyone always talks about motivation, but everybody has all the motivation in the world. It's easy to find motivation. Who isn't motivated by a higher paycheck? Who isn't motivated by a bigger house for their family? I mean, it's easy to talk about, it's easy to find that motivation, but if you don't have the discipline and then the personal accountability, you're not going to get anywhere. So that's something that I'm really focused on this year Solid.

Rod Rhode: 57:55

You mentioned it, wearing all the hats. You know as a branch manager, and you too, you know we all have so much going on and I have a problem saying no to outside things like yeah, you want to be on this board, you want to do this, home builders need this, the state home builders need that and I've got to find a way to prioritize. You know the things I think Vicki said things that make you money.

Corey Hill: 58:12

Yeah.

Rod Rhode: 58:13

Yes, those do, but not as direct. One of the things I got to do this year is better at using our total expert and being in communication with my referral partners.

Mark Jones: 58:22

Advice get in there and break it.

Rod Rhode: 58:25

I do. I have not gone in there and yet I expect all my loan officers to be in there and set up their groups and use it and whatnot. I've got to get in there and do that and that's a goal of mine. Pre-covid, I was really good at communicating with agents on every deal. You know, monday morning, here's what's going on, blah, blah, blah. And when all of a sudden you have 150, 200 deals that you close that year, you just can't. I mean it's almost impossible to do that originate, manage, that manage for loan officers. And so I want to re-dedicate myself to doing that and getting in touch with you know, keeping in touch with those, because I'm going to keep producing.

Mark Jones: 59:00

That's some level.

Rod Rhode: 59:01

I'm going to keep producing. You have to.

Mark Jones: 59:03

I've got one last thing. Isn't it pretty frickin' cool how, for some odd reason, you throw the headphones on, you put a mic in front of you, you give it a platform and the conversations just like elevate, like nobody's business. We could be sitting here with drinks in our hands having the same conversation, but it wouldn't get to the level that this one just did.

Isaac Morris: 59:25

Now we can share it with people.

Mark Jones: 59:26

Absolutely.

Corey Hill: 59:27

Yeah, I agree, and we get to go do it with drinks in our hands, yeah.

Mark Jones: 59:30

So, with that being said, the Keyer Factor podcast. The rod and mark, show and tink.

Isaac Morris: 59:36

Flew water out. Oh, fuck this.