Busy, but Not Having Fun - Part 1

There is a compelling business case for trust
and you can get good, or better, at it.

Stephen M.R. Covey

Tom was having a hard time keeping his staff calmed down about their top producing client. The staff, a processor and 2 assistants, had about all they could stand of the Realtor, Susan, and her assistants' daily badgering. Yet, Susan's team of Realtors did send them 6 - 8 loans per month (1/2 their business) and had for over 2 years.

The phone call to me seemed to be a last-ditch effort to try anything. After an hour of listening, asking questions and listening some more,  I asked everyone "what causes you to want to keep this relationship?"

The uncomfortable look on everyone's face told me more than the stammering answers. I had to finally ask "does at least one someone get laid off without this business?" Of course the answer was yes, yet it took everyone's effort to be ready for the multiple calls every day and there was no time to go out and develop new accounts.

More questions helped me to understand that Tom and his team sent regular (had even tried daily) updates to the team of Realtors. Still the calls came asking about every minute detail of every file. The Reatlors' assistants had even said "it is my job to call you on every loan every day and verify what is going on."

Quick calls by me to underwriters, title companies and other Realtors using Tom revealed his team's reputation to be excellent. I had little doubt that this was not a lack of talent, attitude, skills or knowledge on the part of Tom and his team but a lack of trust on  Susan's part and the fact that she believed her team's constant follow-up was why they were getting good service.

Over the next 2-3 weeks, I'll periodically tell the story of how Tom and his team turned the situation around, stopped the phone calls, decreased Susan's expenses while increasing his overall business and profits.

To that end.....

Danny