Holland’s referral groups include past clients, real estate professionals, financial planners, and their networking groups – or what he likes to call the “big four.” While all four have been effective, he considers their previous clients their biggest asset due to their great reviews on Social Survey and Zillow.
“I’m not going to say I do everything perfect, but I think mindset plays a role. With every single transaction I do, I try to put myself in my client’s position. I’ll ask myself, ‘How would I be advising my client if it was my sister or my mom? How do I make sure they make smart decisions all the way through the process?’ For the borrower, it creates a sense of trust that you’re taking the absolute best care of them you can,” Holland said.
Connecting with clients and referral partners is Holland’s first step in differentiating himself from other originators. Step two, he said, is to knock every opportunity out of the park to keep clients and partners coming back.
“Ultimately, you must have pure determination and a willingness to listen, learn and adapt. More importantly, you need a good mentor who is going to take satisfaction in watching you grow,” Holland said. “If you give a new loan officer a desk and a computer, the chances of their success are slim to none. But if you surround that person with people who have a vested interest in their success, they are going to do so much better. The company you work for is also particularly important. You need to have a great support system in place. If your company cannot support the way you want to take care of your clients, that’s extremely hard.”