Written By: Karen Deis, Publisher

The Winds! The Tides! Your Job! Your Career! What they have in common is that they all "change". In the mortgage business, "change" is its middle name.

You know what I mean? It can make you crazy - or you can welcome change as an opportunity to grow - both personally and in your business. We have defined areas where the mortgage business changes constantly and have added some tactics to help you adjust to change.

Loan Program Guidline Changes: This is the easiest to accept. Learn and master the changes and determine what new, competitive advantages these changes bring. Look for ways your customer will benefit from these changes.

Rates change 5 times a day: The rates go up - the rates go down. Stop focusing on rates and talk value. Talk about a mortgage as an investment tool. Talk about real estate as an asset. Work with a financial planner or CPA to illustrate the value of investing in real estate (such as rental property, commercial property or a second home).

Market Conditions Change: The demand for refinances decrease. Your real estate referrals dry up. Constantly work to increase your customer base. Network more. Sell like your career depends upon it (it does). Start an hour earlier or stay an hour later - not for the sake of time - but developing a marketing plan.

Competition Changes: Your competitor lies about their rates. They talk trash about you. You find that your competition has stolen your best referral source. FIND OUT WHY. Make the changes necessary so that this never happens again. Then, find out where your competitive advantages lie, and learn to sell AGAINST your competition. (See the archived article aboput spying on your competitors, "Know Your Clients, Know Yourself.") CLICK HERE

Customer Base Changes: Your best real estate company is bought out by a company who owns their own mortgage company. Your best referral source moves out of town. Your favorite real estate agent retires. Don't ever leave "well enough alone". Become vigilant about adding new people to your database and developing new relationships - DAILY.

Pay Changes: With the decrease in refinance business, your paycheck may certainly suffer too. Look beyond the paycheck and ask yourself if your mortgage career will lead to long-term job fulfillment. Figure out what the mortgage business really means to you in a work-load, and dollars-per-hour worked, and see if you should change - change companies, start your own mortgage company - or just quit and do something else.

Staff Changes: Just when you thought you knew everything about Underwriting 101, the underwriter quits and the new underwriter interprets the regs differently. People come and go. It can cause a lot of stress in your life. Look at the "reason" for the change. Why did the change take place? Determine how you are going to react to it.

Personal Growth Change: Marriage. Divorce. Death. Too much debt. Look at how it's affecting your business. Listen to positive tapes, music (www.Dare2BU.com) and attend seminars whenever you can. It will take some extra effort - but you will need to FOCUS more than you ever have in your life. This is the hardest "change" you will ever have to deal with.

Now here's the rub: You cannot affect change - it affects you! It's how YOU handle the change that will make the difference between your being successful or quitting.

• Understand the changes (no knee-jerk reactions)
• View the change as a challenge and learning experience
• Focus on your ability to compromise
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Don't allow change to divert your focus and drive to succeed
• Speak about the changes in a positive way
• Don't join the "pity party" group
• Suggest solutions and compromises

According to Jeffrey Gitomer, "Your ability to accept change is at the fulcrum of your ability to succeed."

Read More