I get asked all the time about the “best tools” an originator can have, or what works “best” for doing certain tasks, and to be honest, I can only quote a famous line: “everything works, and nothing doesn’t!” Simply put, while its nice to have all the latest and greatest technology, it’s likely that technology isn’t the issue, it’s the assumption that the technology is the driver of the result, and NOTHING could be further from the truth!

A treadmill that sits in the corner of the bedroom covered in clothes doesn’t help you stay in shape. In fact, it likely has the reverse impact, you start to feel guilty about spending the money and not doing the work, so you create stress in your life which will never produce the desired result. Tools don’t work by themselves! If they did, nobody would need loan originators and if we did, all originators would have the same results! And boy, we sure know the last one isn’t true!

The key component of any tool is what is the intention of that tool and how does it benefit the user as well as those coming in contact with it?

• Does the user know how to fully use the tool?
• Can you achieve the best results from having used it?
• Does the tool integrate with my other tools?
• Can the user explain why they are using this tool?

I see it with companies and branches all over the country. They go out and buy a license for their company for a specific tool or technology, give brief trainings on how to use the tool, then their people get excited about having it, fail to master it and integrate it into their day to day lives over a period of time, and the tool gets used effectively by a very small portion of their people while others get frustrated and ignore the tool as being too difficult or not worth the time.

Managers need to focus on training and adoption of all technologies and hold their people accountable to learning how to master the use and sharing of the work product created. It takes time to master tools. It takes time to learn how to use a tool and its most effective applications. It is up to the managers and the originators to commit to the time it takes to learn and master the tool, or else it can often be a source of frustration, just as much or more than that treadmill being used as a coat rack! If you need help using your plan to master your tools, it’s This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.