Saturday, December 15, 2012

Better and Better

I heard a speaker talking about how to create a great company, and I have some good news!

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Brutally Aware

Here is a great article on customer service from LinkedIn.

I like the use of the phrase 'Brutally Aware' of your customer's experience. In 2013 we are going to do some communication experiments around this idea.

http://linkd.in/XCi5F5

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Congrats Laura!

Here is an update on a change to senior staff. (Welcome Laura)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

A change, and how you can help

Lending is planning a change and I want you to know about it, and know why we are doing it. I also want your idea for similar changes.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

What a Week!

It's been a busy week, but it's only a few days until we get a 4-day weekend.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Props to Woody!

A quick message about changes at Open, including Woody's new job. 8^)

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Clear Requests - Corp Side

Here is a short message on the corporate side of clear requests. I didn't mention it in either video, but requests work both ways. The same applies whether the branch is making a request of us, or we are making a request of them.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

What to Measure?

Thanks to those that sent me ideas of what to measure. Gold stars to Stephanie, Laura, and Cindy. But that leaves a bunch of you who could still suggest some metrics for us to track. Keep thinking about it, and shoot me an email!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

They Like Us!

Hey Guys, we had great feedback on the monthly call yesterday. People really appreciate you!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

You have more power to help our branches than you may know. Here is an article I want you to read after you watch the video below.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-power-of-small-moments.html

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

7 Attributes, part 2

Here are the next 3, of the 7 attributes that one looks for when choosing a partner. We can consider these attributes when developing Open Mortgage.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

7 Attributes for a Partner

I saw an interesting article about the attributes we look for in a partner, and how that relates to products. Please take a listen.

BTW, I keep saying 8 in the video, but it's 7.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Friday, August 10, 2012

Be Firm, But Kind

A situation that came up this week made me think about how we talk to our branches.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

You are in touch with our customers more than anyone. You need to be the Keeper of the Message. YOU need to remind them who we are, and what we are about.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

VIP Visitor Monday!

We had our meeting and it went very well. Our visitor was impressed with our staff and seems very interested in Open Mortgage. I have removed the video since I want to keep the visitor confidential for now. But know that you all made a great impression.
Thanks Again!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Finding the Like

Sometimes we need to 'Find the Like' to have the best attitude when dealing with clients.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Your Caring Attitude!

I had an email that I want to share with you. It shows the power of your caring attitude.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Congrats on Super-Branch!

I'd like to leak some good news. Although, it's a little scary too!

Friday, June 29, 2012

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Relentless Pursuit

Apple Computer has a trait we can learn from. Take a look...

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Thursday, June 7, 2012

They're Writing About Open Mortgage!

There is an article about Open Mortgage in Reverse Mortgage Daily today...

Friday, May 25, 2012

How to Get to the Best Solution

We have been improving processes, but we need to continue. We need to be sure we find the optimal solution, with least friction, and that we communicate it well.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The customer isn't always right...

The customer isn't always right, but they always deserve the benefit of the doubt. I need to ask you to continue to listen and help them in this time when it's so tough to get loans done.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Flywheel Effect

Following our Hedgehog concept every day is like spinning up a flywheel. It can really be a pain at first. 8^)

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Great Listening

We have talked about listening before, but I think it's worth repeating. Please take a listen.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Change is Bad!

Change isn't really bad, but we do need to be careful how we do it.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Happy Spring Break!

For those of you going out of town next week, Have a great time! Relax, have fun, and forget about work. Take time to recharge!

For those of you staying here to hold down the fort, Thank You!! I'll be here with you. I appreciate you sticking around. But I do hope you plan some time away so you get your day in the sun. Everyone needs to get away and take a break.

Special thanks go out to the finance department who set a record getting through the audit! We have a more complicated company than ever before and they did a great job on the yearly dash to get audited, and get tax returns done.

One last good note, our audited financials came out a smidge better than expected for 2011. It was a tough year, so it was great to end it on a positive note. Also, I expected to lose money in the Jan-Feb months, and we managed not to, so that is great news too. March will be tough for a few reasons, but all in all we are in great shape to have a great 2012.

Thanks again for all of the work and caring you all do!
Flash

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Good to Great part 2

Now let's talk about the Stockdale Paradox, and an example of how to apply it that came up just this week!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Open Mortgage and Good To Great

Please watch this video about "Good to Great" so we can consider a change to our Hedgehog Concept.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

All Clients are Equal...

Take a minute and watch this message about having patience with our new branches.
Thanks!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

No Indian Lore!

You'll have to watch the video to see what I'm talking about. 8^)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Conference Update

Here is a quick update on the Secondary Marketing Conference that Greg and I went to this week.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Question and Listen

Today you did some great Meta-work. Now I want to ask you to try a communication experiment.