Top Tips to Manage and Motivate Your Loan Support Team
Most mortgage professionals rely on their loan support team to keep the loan process moving smoothly. However, keeping your loan support team motivated and highly productive can be a challenge. In this blog post, we’ll share some tips for creating measurable goals for your administrative and loan officer assistants as well as how to most effectively manage and motivate your loan support team to create and sustain the kind of growth you’re looking to achieve in your business.
What Makes a Great Loan Support Team?
A reliable support team is crucial for the success of any business. Creating an effective strategy for the loan process that allows for both client satisfaction and growth in your business is significantly easier when you have a fantastic team in place to help manage and support. But what exactly makes a great loan support team?
Of course, they need to be knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the lending process and able to assess a borrower’s needs and provide tailored solutions quickly and accurately. However, what is just as crucial as job knowledge is skills such as communication and being a team player.
Your loan support team needs to be responsive to inquiries and proactive in any communication with your clients. You should also hire loan officer assistants that are exceptionally organized and efficient in their work.
A great loan support team knows how to work well together and be able to fill in the gaps of your business. Your team should be able to take initiative when it is needed, and they should be responsive to your needs and the flow of the business.
How to Develop and Structure a Loan Support Team
Hiring and developing a winning team takes patience, preparation, and clarity. Training a new hire can be time consuming, so it’s important that you hire the RIGHT person and structure your team properly the FIRST time around. By taking the time to build a strong team, you will reap the rewards in terms of productivity, creativity, and growth.
>>> For more detailed information on HIRING a team… CLICK HERE
How Do You Effectively Manage a Support Team?
When it comes to managing your loan support team, the most important thing is to establish clear expectations and roles. Each team member should know what is expected of them, and they should be held accountable for meeting those expectations. Make sure to be clear and concise when communicating with your team, there should be no hesitations or questions when it comes to what is expected of each LOA.
It is also important to create a positive and supportive team environment. Encourage open communication and mutual respect and provide opportunities for team members to bond and get to know each other. Remember that as the leader, you set the tone for the entire team, so it’s important to be positive and motivated.
Finally, be sure to give feedback regularly. This will help team members feel appreciated and
motivated, and it will allow you to identify any areas where improvements can be made.
It’s especially crucial to improve your leadership skills to manage your team most effectively. Take the time to learn about different leadership styles and find the one that best suits your management style. By following these tips, you can create a well-managed support team that provides excellent service to your customers.
What Are Administrative Goals?
A business’ goals can be divided into two broad categories: operational goals and administrative goals. Operational goals are the specific objectives that your organization sets out to accomplish, such as increasing sales or completing a project on time.
Administrative goals, on the other hand, are the overarching guidelines that dictate how your business functions. They provide the framework within which operational goals are pursued.
While your operational goal might be to increase production by 20%, your administrative goals might be more along the lines of increasing proficiency and speed in the loan process. Achieving both types of goals is essential for any organization to be successful. Administrative goals are a
vital piece of your business, especially as it begins to grow.
What Are Measurable Goals to Set for Your Team?
When it comes to setting goals for your team, it’s important to strike a balance between the big picture and the details. On the one hand, you want to set ambitious goals that will challenge your team and help you achieve your long-term objectives. On the other hand, you also need to make sure that your goals are specific and measurable, so that you can track your progress and ensure that you’re on track to meet your deadlines.
What Are Some Examples of Measurable Goals?
A good way to set measurable goals is to break down your objectives into smaller, more manageable steps. For example, if your goal is to increase production by 20% over the course of the year, you can break this down into quarterly or monthly targets and create goals for the specific tasks each person on your team would need to complete to reach your overarching goals.
Providing clarity to your loan support team of your larger business goals helps them to understand the bigger picture and what you are all working towards. Plus, it gives them some extra motivation as they will feel more like a critical part of the team and thus more motivated to reach goals as a team.
What Are Measurable Goals for a Loan Officer Assistant?
To be successful as a loan officer assistant it’s important to have strong organizational skills and the ability to multitask. In addition, LOAs should have an exceptional understanding of the loan process and be able to communicate effectively with customers. These are obviously qualities you should look for in the hiring process, but they are also good overarching goals to continuously work on by setting new levels of competency your team can strive for.
Measurable goals for a loan officer assistant might include preparing a certain number of loan applications per week, maintaining a high level of accuracy in paperwork, or achieving a satisfaction rating from customers. By meeting these goals, a loan officer assistant can help to ensure that the loan process runs smoothly and that customers are satisfied with the service they receive.
Break down your quarterly operational targets into actionable administrative goals by creating monthly, weekly, and even daily tasks. By setting specific, achievable goals that are timely,
you’ll keep your team motivated and on track to success.
What Is the Best Way to Motivate Your Loan Support Team?
One of the most important aspects of being a successful leader is knowing how to motivate your mortgage team. There are a few key things you can do to keep your team morale high and encourage them to do their best work.
First, remember to be clear about expectations and goals as well as to give regular feedback, both positive and constructive. This will help team members feel like they are on the right track and let them know what areas need improvement.
If you are giving constructive feedback about changes that need to be made, make sure to compliment your team member or address what they are doing WELL with their job before giving your feedback. Make sure you confidently and clearly describe what needs to be changed, without being too negative or harsh about their capability as an employee.
Make sure to show your appreciation for a job well done. A little recognition can go a long way in keeping your team motivated. Verbal praise is always appreciated, but if someone is doing an exceptional job or going above and beyond what is expected of them – reward them for it!
Rewarding your employees is critical to their motivation and feeling appreciated. Give raises and bonuses when appropriate. It’s always best to take care of your team by paying them what they are worth, instead of constantly re-hiring because your team isn’t satisfied with their pay.
Another great way to reward your employees is to surprise them with treats such as buying them lunch. Plan team bonding activities such as holiday parties, after work happy hour, or maybe participating in a fun charity event that gives back as well as gets involved in your town.
What Can You Say to Motivate Your Team?
Knowing the right way to motivate your loan support team can be challenging at times, but it’s important to remember that even the simplest words can have a big impact. Keep in mind that actions speak louder than words, and you must prove to your team what you are telling them.
Thank your team for their hard work and let them know you believe in them. A simple expression of gratitude and letting your team know that you have faith in their abilities can go a long way in making your team feel appreciated.
Be supportive by telling your team that they can come to you with any problems and asking regularly what you can do to best help them be successful in their job. Showing your team that you’re available to offer support and guidance will inspire them to do their best. Plus, asking for input shows that you value your team’s opinions and want to work together to achieve success.
Verbal recognition and keeping up a positive dialogue with your mortgage team will let them know that you’re invested in their success. In turn, they’ll be more likely to work hard and
achieve their (and your business’) goals.
How Do You Motivate Your Mortgage Team to Provide Outstanding Customer Service?
One approach is to stress the importance of customer satisfaction in your company culture. Make it clear that every member of the team is responsible for providing a positive experience.
Another approach is to give employees incentives for going above and beyond. This could include financial bonuses, gift cards, or even simply acknowledgement and praise from management. Whatever approach you take, remember that motivating your staff to provide excellent customer service is essential to the success of your business.
Knowing When You Need Help with Your Loan Support Team
Chances are, if you’re reading this article, you either already know you need help managing your team, or you realize that you can always improve on your leadership and team management skills. Take some time to reflect on where your team is at right now and what you need to do to bring them to the next level.
A few things to consider when assessing the strength of your team…
- What are your biggest challenges with your team right now?
- If you want to grow your business to the next level, do you have the right support?
- Are there gaps in your loan process that could be filled by either managing your team in a different way or hiring more support?
- Do you have a system in place for your team’s accountability?
- What do you do to keep your team happy and feeling appreciated?
One of my greatest strengths as a mortgage coach is relationship development and team building. Throughout my career as a $200M producer, I built and re-structured many teams and have finely tuned my skills for how to manage and motivate LOAs.
Curating a winning team is essential to scaling your business. Investing in your team and your own management capability is crucial for meeting and setting new goals and reaching higher levels of success.
Coaching with me or one of my high-performance coaches will give you:
- Guidance with your hiring and team building process.
- Improved leadership skills.
- Improved team management ability.
- The knowledge to most effectively run your mortgage business and provide the highest quality of support for your team.
If this sounds like something you could use to strengthen your loan support team and grow your business…
