Change is a constant in the Mortgage Industry. Now, more than ever. Heck, I bet even Angelo Mozilo is dusting off his resume. But even as Account Execs, Loan Officers and others move along from one company to another, it’s amazing how they also tend to keep working with the same people they did before. The only real hurdle is keeping track of who went were.
Now, Imagine your Rolodex/Palm/Day Timer/giant pile of business cards… could magically update themselves when one of your business associates moves to another company?
That’s the magic of LinkedIn. This free service allows you to set up an online profile. Think of it as a digital business card. It gives the user the ability to display contact information, business experiance, web sites, blogs and more. LinkedIn also offers an excellent messaging network that filters out people who you don’t already know.
Here’s my profile. You’ll notice I have ~70 “Connections”. These are people who agree to be connected. I know him, and he knows me. Connections can be close or casual. For instance, I’d be happy to connect with my readers, even though I probably haven’t met you before. In order to form a connection, one party send out invitation to connect with the other. The second party must then agree.
There’s all sorts of referal opportunities built into the system. An obvious strategy for Loan Originators would be to connect with Real Estate Agents. For an AE, connecting with their LO client base would be smart. You can also connect with your accountant, insurance agent, or anyone who might later reccomend you in real life.
By connecting through LinkedIn, you can change businesses, or cell phone numbers, or emails, but all of your linked in connections will still be able to find you. What’s even better is that Google seams to like LinkedIn profiles. When a client googles your name, your LinkedIn profile, with all your current information, is likely to show up on the first page.
Three of my former direct supervisors are now part of my LinkedIn network. I’ve used it to find long lost workmates and fellow industry associates as well. Few mortgage professionals have adopted this service to date, but considering the uncertain times ahead. This will be an excellent service for keeping in touch with other mortgage industry professionals.
