The Loan Officer Edition
As you may know I have a soft spot for Loan Originators, at least the honest and ethical ones. I want to share what I think is one of the best ways an originator can use Twitter for business and do so effectively.
I’ll use Rhonda Porter as an example. (It’s ok, I have her permission).
Just in case you didn’t know… Rhonda has been a loan originator in the state of WA since 2000. Prior to that she was working on the title side. She’s one of the smartest mortgage people I’ve ever met, always does what is best for her clients, and is highly successful at it. She blogs daily at MortgagePorter.com and has a regular spot on RainCityGuide, Not only that but she also graciously shares her experiences with other loan officers on R-Team and The Mortgage Cicerone and others.
When it comes to using Twitter for Business, I think Rhonda is doing it right!
There are two ways you could show the world what you do using Twitter.
1. Broadcast tweets “For the BEST rates contact me!” or “Rates as low as __ %!!!!” To a reader, you sound like a commercial or worse yet Spam. Your message will not get through. It will be discarded and ignored.
or
2. What is called Evidence of Success tweets. This is what Rhonda is using.
Evidence of Success
“Quoting 5.375% at 0.5 pt for 30 year fixed rate/term refi $506k loan @69LTV 740+ credit (apr 5.468). 45 day lock.”
To the Real Estate Agent, I can see exactly what she’s doing. She’s upfront with her points and fees. She’s not going to take a client I send her to the cleaners.
If I was a potential client I can also see. While the terms might not be exactly what I have or want, it’s also clear she’s not leaving anything out. Rate, YSP, Term, Type, Loan Amount, Loan to Value, Credit Score, APR, and the Lock Period – all in less than 140 characters.
When you only have 140 characters, you better make them all count!
The Human Element
Another thing I like is that this isn’t all business. She tweeted about her Son passing his driving test. That makes her human. That makes her less of a commodity. I’s a touch point, an instance where a potential contact can connect with you. It may not be that particular tweet, it may be the one that talks about a great Pinot you had, or a great find at a Farmers Market. Be human. Remember, we chose to work with people we like.
Are you following me on Twitter?
This post brought to you courtesy of Mike Mueller.
Feel free to ReBlog or ReTweet as you like as long as you credit the source (him).
Did you know? He's for hire! He builds Blogs, Graphic Images and Widgets and Facebook Pages and besides… He knows lots of really cool stuff.
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Nice post Mike! Greetings from a California Ex-pat, now living in Colorado,
You might also check out www.Twitwall.com, it interfaces with Twitter, but allows posts longer then the 140 charactor cap on Twitter,
It's run by a friend of ours in the East Bay, Michael Carleun,
rob
This was a very informative post. Thank you very much.
Thank you. I would love to read more articles about how to use Twitter. I have noticed some people include a "tinyurl" and direct people to an article. I am imagining that it goes to their website. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Great post here, Mike! After being on Twitter for a few weeks and being utterly lost, I finally thought of how to use it as well.
Mike - I just spoke to Jeff Turner about how quickly I've stopped following a few agents who could only tell me about their referral rates to send them business. Not only did I find it drowning out my other follows, but it was a nuisance and quite frankly, boring. Not only that, the agent was from an area where I know who I would refer a client to, without even a second's thought, because that agent is a friend, a mentor, and I've read tons of his stuff (tweets and blogs) and know him to be an excellent all around guy, both from my personal knowledge and the knowledge of other agents I have made friends with. Unfortuantely, like all technologies, as they emerge on the internet, people will get involved in them after hearing success stories from early adopters and will take the new technology, but apply old ideas to it. Shouting out "I'm a great Realtor" every two minutes will not bring me business on Twitter. Being myself and making connections with people who might never have met me...that will.
Rob - Thanks, I'll check it out.
Steven, Cathy, and Kris – Thanks for reading and watching! BTW: I like BudUrl.com better
Matt – Can I just say, I love your down to earth posts on Agent Genius. Real stuff. Reading your posts I know you are indeed a human being - not a comodity, and also reading that "human" stuff I have found connection points with you. Had it all been "I'm a great Realtor" I wouldn't have.
Are you following me on Twitter?
Mike - Wow. Thanks. Hearing that coming from you is a big compliment. And hearing you say it, makes me proud, because that's exactly who I want to be, so it proves to me that my "style" doesn't come off as a concoction, but rather "me" coming through in the way I write. Awesome bit of affirmation there, thanks.
Hey Mike, would you mind reposting the video at Mortgage Cicerone? Then I won't have to write this stuff down. :)
Matt - Keep on doing what your doing! I'll keep on being a fan!es they do! I have alerts for everything from my name, to my name spelled wrong, to twitter alerts. If I get mentioned somewhere, I want to know about it!
Rhonda – My pleasure. Your doing it right! On the human side, I want to hear what wine you are having with Turkey... For me, I just have to have a spicey Gewürztraminer. This is one of the first years I'm not going to have a fresh Porcini gravy for the smoked turkey. I haven't gone out mushroom hunting all year! :(
Just reblogged on The Mortgage Cicerone - great idea!
Happy T-Day to everyone!