It hurt... Wait a minute, I think the word hurt may be a bit of an understatement. The pain was nearly unbearable! I had popped a rib out of place, and x-rays showed that the rib had turned to point inward and was compressing internal organs! Yes, that was pain! But you know what hurt even more? The solution!

On my way to the chiropractors office, I almost didn't make it. The pain was so intense I could hardly turn my steering wheel without wincing. I walked into the office, and the doctor immediately put me in the back room. The weight of the towel was causing even further pain as my back was inflamed and red. What did the doctor do? He planted both of his hands on the base of my spine and pushed forward with nearly all of his strength to force the rib and spine back in place! Remember, this was the same back that was hurting from the weight of a towel! Yes, the pain was unbelievable, but neccessary.

After the doctor was done doing what felt like jumping jacks on my back, I left to go home and recuperate. A few days passed and once again I felt invigorated and ready for anything.

What is my point in telling you all of this? Well, many loan officers like to complain about their income. I've heard it all. The funny thing is, that in this line of work there are many free and/or cost effective and proven ways to make money. Unfortunately, most of us refuse to consider it.

"I don't like cold calling, I don't like realtors, I don't like giving presentations, I don't like speaking to groups" etc. So what happens? We don't do those things of course! They are too unpleasant! Yet, as illustrated above, we are more than willing to endure great physical pain in order to get our health back in order, or to eliminate continous pain! We accept that we must endure pain for a short period of time in order to eliminate the continouance of the problem.

My question is why can't we take the same approach to our careers? I don't like going to the dentist, I don't like having my spine thrown around my body, I don't like serving as a pin cushion for my doctor, yet I do them. We do these things. We do them because we have mentally accepted that the end result is worth temporary inconvenience or even pain.

When will we wake up and realize that we need to take this same approach with our careers? Instead of wasting time with excuses, or hunting for the magic bullet, why don't we buckle down for 3 or 4 weeks of doing something "uncomfortable" in order to reap long term benefits? If the average loan officer were to find a decent script for calling real estate agents on the phone, he/she could nail down at least 1 or 2 agents in a 2-3 week phone calling blitz. What would 2 or 3 agents giving you business every month do for your income?

I have trained loan officers to realize a better than 50% success ratio on the phone. After a few weeks, we abandon that approach completely to move on to bigger and better things. But the bottom line is that those 2-3 weeks of spending 1 hour per day on the phone was enough to give these originators business a desperately needed shot in the arm.

Now that these loan officers are closing a much larger amount of loans each month, do you think that it was worth it? The solution is rarely pleasant on the surface, but those who have the ability to look beyond the here and now are the ones who will keep pushing, and in the end, smile on the way to the bank. Isn't it time your business plan paid a visit to the doctors?

Written by: Chad Weber www.averagejoelo.com