Why Mortgage Brokers Love Ford, and should!
It’s true, mortgage brokers love FORD, and with good reason! Not the car manufacturer, nor Doug or Rob of Toronto’s political scenery. Although I’m sure many brokers do love their Fords, I’m referring to another kind of FORD, as in the acronym for:
F: Family
O: Occupation
R: Recreation
D: Dreams
This FORD should be used by professional sales people everywhere, in any industry, including the mortgage brokerage industry. In every service related sales industry, including financial services and real estate sales, personal connections, trust, empathy and other characteristics of a close net community are necessary for long term success.
We’ve frequently heard that people do business with those they like, often people similar to themselves. In fact, that basic instinct has been with us throughout our human history. We feel a sense of loyalty and comradery with those in our own family, which we can refer to as our familial sphere. That devotion to our familial sphere has benefitted us by protecting our families and enabling our species to flourish.
The Moral Arc
Over time this sphere has expanded to include those in our extended family, our community, our town or city, our province and our country. It’s been postulated by brilliant writers such as Michael Shermer in his work, The Moral Arc, that this sphere is ever expanding, developing connections with and moral obligations to a growing number of people, eventually expanding to animals and our entire planet.
However, while the sphere has expanded it still remains that the closer we are to the center of this sphere the more significant the relationship because the more intense the feelings of belonging and family. The success we have in interacting with others depends, in part, on our shared feelings of belonging.
FORD and the Sphere of Influence
So what does this have to do with sales, and FORD? I believe that our chances of success in sales increases as we move towards the centre of that sphere. That is where influence exists, and why those close to the centre of that sphere are often referred to as in the sphere of influence. Of course the connections we make need to be genuine and heartfelt and hopefully result in lasting friendships.
Mortgage brokering in Ontario is regulated by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) and requires a license. To obtain a license you must first pass an accredited course. The Real Estate and Mortgage Institute of Canada Inc. (REMIC) is accredited by FSCO to provide the course. For more information please visit us at www.remic.ca/getlicensed or call us at 877-447-3642.
FORD can be a great tool in assisting you in making those connections with your prospects. When you use family, occupation, recreation and dreams as conversational focal points, you can find commonality in those topics that resonate within that familial sphere, close to its centre.
That’s your goal. Make honest connections on a deep enough level to move into you prospect’s sphere of influence and you’ll undoubtedly have great success.
