The Turning Point has partnered with MortgageScholars.com, a web-based company to offer our clients a unique form of sales training to retail loan originators: experiential sales education created through interviews with top industry and non-industry overachievers.

MortgageScholars web content is primarily delivered to the subscriber in audio ‘streaming’ via Microsoft’s Windows Media Technology. It is exactly as one would listen to the radio or an audiotape/CD, except the listener uses a computer equipped with speakers. Many ‘classic’ interviews are also available for free downloads to ‘burn’ as CD’s.

The modus operandi consists primarily of a series of Socratic dialogs between the interviewer John Ondrick, President of MortgageScholars.com and the subject. John brings the experience of 29+ years in the retail industry and as a top producer for many years before entering senior management. A more extensive biography is available on the website www.MortgageScholars.com.

MortgageScholars normally costs $795 per year per office.
(All LO’s have access via any computer 365/24/7.)
The Turning Point brings MortgageScholars to you absolutely free.

Three core product groups make up MortgageScholars:

1. Class Catalog page:
   1. Mortgage Talk --- 80+ interviews with the very elite national LO’s.
   2. Sales Talk --- 14+ interviews with industry and non-industry sales experts.
      
   3. Mortgage Talk---QUESTIONS --- 15 “real situation” targeted areas of interest such as New Homes, Realtors, Condo’s…each addressed by 4-7 top LO’s.
      
   4. New-Age Warriors---18 interviews with young top producers with less than 4 years production. Gain a new perspective through their eyes.
2. Premium Class Selection page:
   1. The President/CEO’s Corner--- in depth interviews with President’s/CEO’s of ‘top 15’ mortgage banking firms (2 so far).
      
   2. Regional Manager Mortgage Talk --- in depth interviews with 14 top Regional Manager’s of mortgage banking firms.
   3. Top Performance Mortgage Talk--- introduction to mortgage sales by top executives/producers.
   4. The Consultant’s Corner--- elite consultants on mortgage sales.
3. Platinum page **:
   1. Jump-Start Talk--- LO gives us sales input over the web…we spit back 9 ‘best fit’ LO interview recommendations in 3 categories within 2 seconds using proprietary SCHOLARIZATION software.
      
   2. The Classic Download Center--- free downloads of top interviews.
      
   3. Conversation in Video with the Greats! [under construction] ---video interviews are coming.
      
   4. Regional Manager Prospect Kits--- our proprietary ultimate Branch prospecting kit.

Programs: Expanded Details:

1. Class Catalog page:
   1. Mortgage Talk---consists of in depth 45-50 minute interviews with well over 80+ top originators (all would easily rank within the top one-half of one percent nationally). Each interview uses essentially the same format: Where do you come from? How did you become successful? What do you do, specifically, that enables you to be successful on a consistent basis?
   2. Mortgage Talk---QUESTIONS --- many originators would like the ability to get answers/ideas/opinions to specific questions. Most individual interviews by contrast often cover 2-4 specific areas. Perhaps your originator would like to target Condos but does not have a clue on even how to start. As part of an ongoing process, we initially targeted 10 specific areas of interest such as Condos, New Homes, Realtors, Affinity groups. Each of the 18 topical interviews was answered by 4-7 top national originators with expertise in that learning area…one right after the other. So, for example, a LO with a specific interest that day in learning about Condo’s can select the question posed and listen to 4-7 top experts in condominiums give their specific answers ‘in rotation’, one right after the other.
   3. Sales Talk---consists of both interviews and stand-alone discussions by industry and non-industry experts. None directly originate loans. Each last approximately 30-50 minutes. Over 60 experts were vetted initially to reach a final tally of 10 participants covering 14 topics. Each topic has as its only goal delivering information and ideas that will increase sales production. Five are nationally recognized industry and non-industry consultants. Two have unique technical expertise of great value to LO’s and managers in such areas as database management (ACT!).
   4. New-Age Warriors--- a very recent module. I think this niche is virtually ‘untouched’ in our industry. My thinking went that there must be a huge untapped reservoir of new top producing LO’s with less than 4 years experience (so as to probable be too new for MOM’s Top Producer’s lists). Valuable ideas on the cutting edge! So I went with it and interviewed 18 LO’s…all recommended by large Mortgage Banking firms Regional Managers as tops in their field.
2. Premium Class Selections:
   1. Regional Manager Mortgage Talk--- RMMT consists of 45-50 minute in depth interviews with what we believe are some of the top Regional Managers in the industry. Fourteen currently reside on Regional Manager Mortgage Talk and others will be encoded/uploaded as they are completed. Only those recommended by their peers are eligible.
   2. The President’s/CEO’s Corner ---this is an ongoing module that first appeared in February, 2004. MortgageScholars will be doing a series of in depth interviews with as many of the top 15 ranked Mortgage Banking President’s/CEO’s as are willing to participate. We just inaugurated “The Corner” with a wonderful interview with the President and CEO of SunTrust Mortgage, Sterling Edmunds. Leo Knight, Jr., President and CEO of National City Mortgage recently followed.
   3. Top Performance Mortgage Talk ---we think you will agree that many, if not the great majority, of those potential candidates who might like to enter the origination field ‘haven’t a clue where to start’. Most of the LO’s we interviewed invariably said they just ‘stumbled’ into the profession! So we got 5 top retail executives and producers to give us their in depth views on what managers look for in their top producers. In addition, two Presidents’ of Mortgage Banking firms, who were themselves legendary producers, give an overall comprehensive view of the Mortgage Banking industry just to round things out. I wrap things up with a discourse on “The Best Years of My Life”, a homage to the concept of annuity incomes.
   4. The Consultants Corner ---this is an ongoing module that first appeared in February of this year. Our intention is to do a small series of interviews with the very elite group of consultants who operate in the retail origination Mortgage Banking milieu. First up was the great Pat Sherlock, President of QFS Consulting.
3. Platinum page:
   1. The Classic Download Center ---Avail yourself of the newest technology. With the click of a button, we’ll give you the ability to select 10 of the very best interviews in the MortgageScholars catalog. Every one a classic that will truly stand the test of time. Burn that CD, baby!
   2. Conversations in Video with the Greats ---UNDER CONSTRUCTION. I will be conducting unedited in depth interviews with the legends of our industry. Top 20 nationally ranked LO’s. Nationally acclaimed Branch and Regional Managers. President’s & CEO’s. The very best minds our industry has to offer. The elite sales motivators. All in never before seen stunning video. DVD’s coming too.
   3. Regional Manager Prospect Kits ---wouldn’t it be great if each of your Branch Managers had the ultimate ancillary tool to win hearts-n-minds in the ongoing recruiting ‘wars’ for LO’s? Fully customized with on-target ‘why our company is the best’ interviews from the President on down to each individual Branch Manager. I have already done this for two large Mortgage Banking firms.
   4. Jump-Start Talk---our newest and most technically sophisticated module. Our intention is to help jump-start your LO’s career. The premise of this module is based on two common-sense assumptions: One, over 80+ interviews in Mortgage Talk is ‘a lot of stuff’ [for lack of a better term]! Remember, our interviews are “in-depth”---that means most are at least 45 minutes in duration and often cover a myriad of subjects. Secondly, Branch Managers and loan originators have told us for some time that they would like some vehicle that would further define what each interview is all about. For example, a loan originator with two years experience might decide that they would like to expand from their traditional Realtor base and learn all they can about New Homes subdivision developers. One would have to pour through a lot of interviews to determine the ones of interest. Our solution was fivefold:
      1. First, we ‘sliced-n-diced’ over 53 of our most appropriate interviews to create a database covering 8 distinct categories:
         A) Realtors
         B) Affinity-CPA’s/Attorney’s/HR’s
         C) Builder/New Homes
         D) Condo’s
         E) Direct Marketing (Mail/TV/Radio, etc.)
         F) Past customers
         G) Customer referrals
         H) Other (sub-P/lots/2nd Homes)
         
      2. Second, we created a five-page explanation form embedded into our web site that has all relevant information about Jump-Start Talk, including a sample questionnaire. Branch Managers need only refer the LO to our web site…all the information is there. No wasted time ‘handholding’!
      3. Third, loan originators fill the questionnaire out on-line and submit to us electronically.
      4. Fourth, within a second or two we send back a specifically ordered list of interviews that match up with their stated goals. We call our unique and proprietary automatic-response software program “SCHOLARIZATION”. The response covers three basic categories:
         (A) General: we feel that there are 3 specific interviews that virtually every originator needs to absorb. Exceptional interviews by any standard. John Bianchi, now with Countrywide and Rod Flowers with SunTrust are excellent examples.
         (B) Primary interest: approximately 3 based on their area(s) of interest…deduced from their submission.
         (C) “Outside the box”: 3 interviews that should challenge every originators basic assumptions. Our way of sticking our nose in your business … professionally speaking, of course. Our choice.