Scaling is a hot topic these days—but we’re not talking about your latest fishing exploits. On the other hand, there are many ways to scale a fish. For instance, did you know you can remove fish scales very quickly with a garden hose? It’s wild what you can do with a hose and decent water pressure. 

If you’re scaling your mortgage business—in other words, expanding your reach, growing your customer base, and doubling down on your output—you need a different kind of tool. 

Ideally, one that helps you improve customer relationships, automate your mortgage sales funnel, and take on more business without compromising quality. That’s what a modern CRM is all about. 

If we could jump back in the water for a moment, you might say that a great CRM is the equivalent of the right boat, the yummiest bait, the prettiest lures, calm waters, an endless supply of fuel, and someone else to clean and cook your catch at the end of the day. It’s like everything you need is done for you—all but the bragging rights, which will no doubt ensue.

At its core, the mortgage industry is about relationships. Without solid connections, applications don’t get pulled, leads won’t get pre-approved, and teaming with great real estate agents doesn’t happen. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform facilitates these connections and helps you stay on top of everything, no matter how much or how quickly you grow. 

Great customer relationships start with excellent communication, and that’s what a mortgage CRM is all about.

Before the Application: Working The Leads

A great CRM supports you with tools that make it easy to work and nurture your leads. If you’re working internet leads, you MUST get to the new leads ASAP. You risk losing the prospect if you don’t respond immediately. 

According to Velocify, you are 391% more likely to convert a lead if you respond in five minutes or less. You can accomplish this with your CRM or a third-party system or app you add to your workflow.

You need a tool that aligns your team, streamlines your messaging, and automates processes for consistent results. Here are a few of the ways a mortgage CRM helps:

Team buy-in

A good CRM is easy to use and intuitive for everybody, including your current team and any new employees you take on during your growth phase. 

It needs to be so easy they would be stupid NOT to use it!

Mobile access 

It lets you take your CRM home with you. Loan officers can text, call, or email the lead immediately, even if they’re out on the water. Team members see all the client’s data, previous communications, interactions, loan status, update requests, and more, so every conversation is productive and efficient.

Unite your team

 A good CRM makes client data accessible to anyone on your team who needs it—when they need it. This means one team member can seamlessly pick up where another left off, creating continuity and making life easier and more comfortable for the client. 

Customization

Every business needs something different from their CRM, even companies in the same industry. The ability to customize fields, dispositions, and data relationships/structure of your CRM will ensure you can adapt it to your workflows as you grow.

Integrations/Automation

Whether it’s Zapier, email parse, ping/post, or direct API integration, your CRM should work seamlessly with all of them. 

This is particularly important if you are purchasing or generating leads. Good, automated functionality allows you to streamline repetitive CRM tasks, save time, and ensure you connect to every lead.

After the Application and Before the Loan Closes: Converting Leads Into Clients

Not all applications end in approval. However, that doesn’t mean the lead should go dead. Credit can be repaired. Down payments can appear from unexpected sources. It happens all the time. 

True, these leads don’t result in an immediate sale. But six, nine, 12 months later, it might be another story entirely. 

If you give your leads a roadmap to getting into a house sooner than they thought possible, you’ll change their lives and gain a valuable customer for life. 

Here are just 2 ways your CRM helps during the post-application process:

Automated campaigns

They work for leads enrolled in credit repair or who are working to qualify in other ways. They also work for pre-qualified buyers that are out shopping. 

Differentiating between credit repair clients and other clients working to qualify lets you share content specific to their needs and where they are in the buying process. This will prove that you’re a valuable ally and someone who is there to help. 

A CRM lets you create and run multiple campaigns at once, each designed for specific buyer needs, personas, and stages of the funnel. Because the campaigns are automated, it means you’ll always be in touch and top-of-mind.

Loan Origination Software (LOS) Sync

Syncing with your loan origination software—helps you provide automated loan updates to clients and referral partners. 

For example, when you receive the initial approval from the underwriter, you can set up an automated email to your processor with a list of loan conditions to filter through and send to the client.

80% of online leads report they do not have a realtor, you are in a position of strength when you meet with realtors you want to work with. A great CRM communication easy between you, the realtor, and the client.

Post-Closing: Deepening the Relationship

One of the greatest strengths of today’s best CRMs is the data you collect. 

For example: 

 Are they ready to move up? = Cost/size of home:

Can you save them money by helping them refinance? = Loan rate

Anniversary dates? = Reach out to let them know you remembered.

You’ll also have their address, lead source, FTHBs, refinancing information, referrals they’ve brought you, and more. There are even some CRMs that can alert you if the client has their credit pulled. 

Even if you are too busy to dig into all the data right away or you have no idea how you will ever use it all, it’s all valuable. If you were to start this today, just think how much information you’ll have accumulated in a couple of years.

We tell our clients, 

“We generate leads so that someday we won’t have to.” 

And what that means to us is that if you do a good enough job of staying in front of your database, at some point, you’ll have generated enough leads to fill your pipeline just by running a few email campaigns and making quarterly database calls. 

Scaling a mortgage business successfully isn’t easy, but a good CRM can make it happen. And that’s no fish story. 

Don’t cry about the one that got away. 

Empower your mortgage sales funnel: download 10 Days of Pain, a proven, high-performing script that can help you achieve a 40-50% contact rate on your internet leads. 

We’ll see you at the top,

The Empower Team