Do you have what it takes? Test yourself! – NMP Skip to main content

Do you have what it takes? Test yourself!

Mar 28, 2007

Speed marketing for loan officersGeoff ZimpferShrinking market, refinance originations, marketing How to get maximum real estate agent referrals in minimum time You already know that we've entered into a more challenging, shrinking market for refinance originations. Overall volume is down, the number of originators competing for that shrinking pie is higher than ever and those who survive must have a reliable source for purchase business. You also know that according to the National Association of Realtors, real estate agents are the first point of contact for buyers at least 63 percent of the time or more. In short, if you're an originator today and you expect to not just survive but to thrive during this transitional market and beyond, a large part of your success will result from how effective you are at generating, capturing and growing your real estate agent-referred purchase business. Even though this industry is awash in training and motivation, so few loan officers actually experience significant success working with real estate agents, and the few who do often end up with no personal life to speak of - working like dogs; on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week; working weekends and being slaves to the business. Well, it does not have to be that way, and I can and will prove to you that there definitely is a better way, a whole new paradigm for getting referrals from real estate agents in this business. I call it "Speed Marketing for Loan Officers." It's a real estate agent referral seminar system that puts butts in the seats and loans in your pipeline, and it works better than open houses, office presentations, cold calling, mailers, car washes or any other method you've heard of or tried. I know because I use it to work fewer hours capturing real estate agent relationships than just about any loan officer. I know how to get referral business from agents. In fact, last year, only my second year as a loan officer, my personal origination volume was $27 million, with 78 percent being purchase loans brought to me by my real estate agents via the "Speed Marketing Realtor Referral Seminar System." This year, only my third year as a loan officer, I'm on track to boost my production another $10-$37 million, even in a shrinking market. I know that doesn't earn me a spot on Mortgage Originator's Top 200 list, but it's not bad for a rookie only in his third year. More importantly, I get agent referrals with less stress, strain, struggle and frustration than any loan officer I know who chooses to work with real estate agents. Oh, and another thing: I am thoroughly sick of these guys who have never originated a loan or dealt with nagging, demanding, fickle agents running around telling you how to get loans from real estate agents. They then charge whopping sums of money for coaching that either isn't coaching at all, or merely piling 1,000 people in a room and running a revival meeting, hocking all kinds of books, tapes and products that have nothing to do with getting a steady supply of referrals from real estate agents. These false prophets may be great stage performers (admittedly, I'm not), or mesmerizing and hypnotic speakers, and they may be entertaining as Elvis returned from the grave, but when was the last time they actually did anything they teach? I got two referrals from agents yesterday and I got one more today. There are also some whizbangs giving seminars, still screaming at you to make more cold calls, hit more open houses on weekends, be more persistent than the whole world and learn to eat rejection for breakfast. That's because that's all they know. But for most, it's a recipe for failure. Geoff Zimpfer is a loan officer and creator of Speed Marketing for Mortgage Brokers: How to Get Maximum Realtors in Minimum Time. He can be reached at (949) 584-9943 or visit his Web site for a free report at www.speedmarketingsystem.com.
About the author
Published
Mar 28, 2007
Jobs Report Comes In Weak After Mortgage Rates Surge

Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, sending Treasury yields lower and offering a potential counterweight to the recent rise in mortgage rates

Oct 02, 2026
Price Cuts Hit Four-Year High As Mortgage Rates Top 7%

More than one in five listings took a price cut in September, but pending sales still posted their sharpest annual decline since March 2025

Oct 01, 2026
Serious Mortgage Delinquencies Rise 19% After Five Months Of Improvement

ICE data shows 574,000 mortgages were at least 90 days past due in August, while early-stage delinquencies remained below year-ago levels

Sep 29, 2026
Smaller Down Payments Give Buyers More Room, But Rates Limit The Savings

The typical down payment fell 9% from a year ago, while shifting market conditions are giving originators different affordability conversations across the country

Sep 25, 2026
Mortgage Rates Break 7% Just As Builders Find A Way To Move Buyers

New-home sales rose 6.4% in August as builders cut prices, offered incentives, and sold more lower-priced homes. Now mortgage rates are moving against buyers again

Sep 25, 2026
Borrowers Want Digital Closings, But Some Originators Remain Hesitant

ServiceLink finds 45% of surveyed LOs cite borrower reluctance as a barrier, even though most recent buyers say digital options would influence their choice of mortgage provider

Sep 23, 2026