Steve Blisko offers insight on the affect of current market conditions on mortgage brokers and loan officers
United States of America (Press Release) December 20, 2007 --
"With the residential real estate market experiencing a major slow down and commercial real estate mostly unknown to many brokers there has been and will continue to be quite a bit of churn in the numbers of brokers and loan officers throughout the country" said Steve Blisko in a recent interview. The market is weak on the residential side and most brokers are unfamiliar with commercial mortgages. As a result many have left the industry and those who remain are struggling to survive. There has never been a better nor more important time for educators, marketers and lead generation companies to reach out and assist these brokers while the market adjusts.
During the boom there were more than 450 lead generation companies offering services to mortgage brokers. In 2006 that number decreased to 220 and currently there are less than 100 active providers. That is because during the boom generating leads was relatively easy and there were many takers where now those consumers who wanted or needed to capitalize on low interest rates and flexible terms did so in 2004 through 2006 while the options were many. Today those options have been whittled down quite a bit and the brokers who offer them are scrambling to adapt to this new market environment. Consumers are wiser to marketing campaigns aimed at capturing them as a lead and have changed their search and contact behavior accordingly. They want free access to information without the intrusion of surrendering their identity to later be emailed or called by brokers and their loan officers.
The question becomes, how do you offer your services on the web or in print and still capture a fair market share? Says blisko. The answer is an old internet adage which is that "Content is King". Providing valuable information and resources such as white docs, industry links, credit advice and other relevant information is your best chance to create a loyal audience that will later engage and refer others.
Steve Blisko pointed out a few key things that one can do to drive more traffic and capture more market share.
1) Team up with a local realtor or other provider of real estate listings in your area or the areas that you service. Consumers love to shop for homes and will spend a great amount of time on sites that are specific to their geo.
2) Offer a Free white doc that provides truly valuable information to the consumer about that market and how best to get a home financed under current conditions. This will create either registered users of the site (if programmed as such) or those that are willing to provide contact info to access the white docs you offer.
3) Follow up softly. Remember that they came to you by doing research for something that is very personal to them and trusted you to have their information in order to read yours. Don't betray that trust by making your first contact with them a rookie LO who asks for their ss# and personal information in the first call or email.
One of the things Steve Blisko stressed the most in the fact that too many brokers attempt to demand documents using the perceived authority they have as a conduit to a lender and forget that for most people the purchase of a home is an emotional experience. "It is critical to be polite, courteous, patient and informative in that first call or two" Blisko said. By answering their questions fully and without spin you gain trust. Trust is the key to gaining market share as the consumer is likely to check the information you provide against what they can find one the web or another provider. The more informative and straight forward you are the more likely it is they will choose you over the competition.
You can learn more on Steve Blisko's web site at www.SteveBlisko.com
During the boom there were more than 450 lead generation companies offering services to mortgage brokers. In 2006 that number decreased to 220 and currently there are less than 100 active providers. That is because during the boom generating leads was relatively easy and there were many takers where now those consumers who wanted or needed to capitalize on low interest rates and flexible terms did so in 2004 through 2006 while the options were many. Today those options have been whittled down quite a bit and the brokers who offer them are scrambling to adapt to this new market environment. Consumers are wiser to marketing campaigns aimed at capturing them as a lead and have changed their search and contact behavior accordingly. They want free access to information without the intrusion of surrendering their identity to later be emailed or called by brokers and their loan officers.
The question becomes, how do you offer your services on the web or in print and still capture a fair market share? Says blisko. The answer is an old internet adage which is that "Content is King". Providing valuable information and resources such as white docs, industry links, credit advice and other relevant information is your best chance to create a loyal audience that will later engage and refer others.
Steve Blisko pointed out a few key things that one can do to drive more traffic and capture more market share.
1) Team up with a local realtor or other provider of real estate listings in your area or the areas that you service. Consumers love to shop for homes and will spend a great amount of time on sites that are specific to their geo.
2) Offer a Free white doc that provides truly valuable information to the consumer about that market and how best to get a home financed under current conditions. This will create either registered users of the site (if programmed as such) or those that are willing to provide contact info to access the white docs you offer.
3) Follow up softly. Remember that they came to you by doing research for something that is very personal to them and trusted you to have their information in order to read yours. Don't betray that trust by making your first contact with them a rookie LO who asks for their ss# and personal information in the first call or email.
One of the things Steve Blisko stressed the most in the fact that too many brokers attempt to demand documents using the perceived authority they have as a conduit to a lender and forget that for most people the purchase of a home is an emotional experience. "It is critical to be polite, courteous, patient and informative in that first call or two" Blisko said. By answering their questions fully and without spin you gain trust. Trust is the key to gaining market share as the consumer is likely to check the information you provide against what they can find one the web or another provider. The more informative and straight forward you are the more likely it is they will choose you over the competition.
You can learn more on Steve Blisko's web site at www.SteveBlisko.com
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