BATTLECALL GUEST EXPERT: Tom Domin, Mortgage Marketing Toolkit

You've probably had one of those days since starting your own mortgage business. It seems like work is piling up, your bank balances aren't where you want them to be, and part of you is yearning for those "employee kind of days" when all you had to do was give the company eight hours and collect your regular pay check.

You know better than to do that again, of course. But it seems temporarily inviting doesn't it? If you want to rejuvenate yourself and find an extra incentive to push your forward with your small mortgage business, take a moment or two to remind yourself of exactly why you're here.

Call a former co-worker you know who's still on the job and ask them if they'd like to meet you for a cup of coffee at two in the afternoon on a weekday. Listen closely as they decline, explaining that they just can't leave work like that.

Ask either an hourly or salaried employee that you know what he or she must do if they want to change hours or take an extra vacation day or two. Remind yourself of those Human Resources Departments, request forms, inflexible situations and all of those other nightmares.

Hop on the freeway for a casual morning drive while all the commuters are heading off to work. Give yourself a healthy dose of the "drive time" traffic jam that you no longer need to contend with.

Do you remember those old company memos announcing policy changes and how you didn't have any influence or input on those alterations? And yet, they impacted you greatly. Compare that to your current opportunity to translate your thinking, imagination and effort into immediate action and more importantly, immediate results.

As a loan officer or mortgage broker you are a small business in itself. Even if you work for a mortgage broker business or lender you are in business for yourself. You alone determine your success and your income.

Remind yourself that as a "Mortgage Professional," you are the most important cog/gear in the entire real estate process.

Think about it. Depending on the transaction and the lender...you're responsible for the scheduling and the successful completion of the application, the appraisal, the final inspection (new construction), the title order, the survey order, the flood certification, the pest inspection, the well test, the septic inspection, the mortgage itself, the coordination of the closing date, the timely funding of the loan, the final documents required to close, and finally, the loan and it's documents must be in compliance with both state and federal regulations.

Sometimes it's even more than that...sometimes it may be less. Either way, there is no doubt that your efforts are what make it all happen and the mortgage process to be successful.

You put people in homes...you make the American dream of home ownership a reality...you assist first-time homebuyers...you spend time with the credit challenged to help them purchase or refinance their home...you help refinance and consolidate people's debt...you save FSBOs and investors great amounts of money...and, you are the driving force in the economic well-being of this great country.   

I'm sure you get the idea. Don't let a rough patch make your forget why you decided to do your own thing in the first place. You made a serious and radical decision to become your own boss. That's proof that there were some very strong motivators at play.

The next time part of you is imagining "bailing out" on your business, remind yourself of why you're here. Take another look at what convinced you to start your own business.

About The Author: Tom Domin has over twenty-five years of experience in sales and training in Real Estate and as a Licensed Mortgage Broker. He is currently publisher of "Tom's Mortgage Tips" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter for Mortgage Professionals. You can sign-up by visiting http://www.mortgagemarketingtoolkit.com