It’s the little things…
How often do we hear the line “It’s the little things that make a big difference”? I tend to use that line alot and truly believe that is the case. It is often not the massive large scale gestures of others that make a significant impact in our lives but usually the very small ones. The small […]
Perceptions of a Newbie: Group Cycling; who knew??
So today I had my first experience with an organized group ride. I have to admit when my friend invited me out for this 65KM ride I was more than a little nervous. My previous longest distance on a bike was somewhere shy of 40KM so going with a group of people I did not […]
For the love of reading; Passion is contagious!
Have you ever wondered why some people burn an indelible impression in your mind and others you forget the minute they walk out the door? Have you ever wondered why some conversations leave a lasting mark and make an impact on your life and others are gone with the wind? Why is it that our […]
Do you believe in the tooth fairy?
Well, this week my 9 year old decided to test the theory that the tooth fairy is real. Mikaela lost a tooth this week that has been hanging on and hanging on. It finally came out and she handed it to me and I left it on the kitchen counter on a kleenex. Well of […]
It’s not rocket science folks!
The following is an article I wrote back in 2007 and came across as we redefine our business processes. I thought it was worthy of republishing. You are well on your way to becoming a “successful” mortgage agent. You have worked hard, learned from your mistakes and believe in life long learning. Now your efforts […]
Words to live by
For our conference in Las Vegas this month I prepared a workshop on effective communication. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we ended up with far too much content for our 48 hours together and ended up scrapping that session. Putting this workshop together was a real eye-opener and thought I would take a minute to share with […]
Why I drop kicked Mark Messier
Alright so I didn’t exactly drop kick Mark Messier but I did cross paths with him at an event in Las Vegas last week. It was the opening day of our very first corporate national conference. We held the event at the Venetian Hotel on the strip. The first event after the registration desk closed […]
Telus: Customer Service via Twitter?
So late last year my wife convinced me that we needed PVR anywhere. Yes, that is right, PVR Anywhere. Our Shaw system with one PVR just wasn’t cutting it. I mean really, what if we want to watch a show in the basement or up in our bedroom? Heaven forbid we be inconvenienced by not […]
Are you a salesperson?
Do you view yourself as a salesperson? I would suggest you probably should. Let’s start with the definition of sales. The exchange of a good or service for money; the action of selling something. If you earn a living in one way shape or form than whether you are self employed or employed by someone […]
Relationship Marketing Revisited
Recently, Chris Smith from Inman Next published a blog post entitled “Real Estate is no longer a Relationship Business“. While I agree with the sentiment, I completely disagree with the title and what it implies. First off understand I am not a Real Estate Agent, I am a mortgage broker and while our industries our […]
Christopher’s Passion
My 10 year old was asked by his grade 6 teacher to write a paragraph about something he was passionate about. This is what he wrote: I run on to the field at the start of the game. My heart pounding and the crowd cheering. The ref blows the whistle. The game starts. My team […]
Providing “Value”, Part 3
In my last couple of posts I talked about some of the ways that I have observed people “provide value” in interesting or unique ways. In this post I wanted to share a story of one of the ways my team found to ‘provide value’ to a builder who is a valued referral source. One […]
“VALUE” COMES IN MANY SHAPES AND SIZES: PART 2
In my last post Part 1 of this topic I talked about the challenges of providing value via social media or otherwise to attract prospective clients or referral sources. In this post I am going to continue with that same line of thought and give you an example of how someone else found a unique […]
The HOME Program
The following is an article that was written and published in the Canadian Mortgage Professional magazine. You can view the HOME Program website here. The article below focuses on my participation but it is important to note that we have many fabulous people who make the program happen. Not the least of which is the […]
“Value” comes in many shapes and sizes: Part 1
One of the things you will often hear from the marketing gurus out there is the constant talk about ‘value’. The concept is that you can’t just be spewing product information and pushing your message out to the masses. People have become resistant to this kind of marketing. You need to provide ‘value’ is the […]