Top Originator Spotlight: Daniel Brennan of Planet Home Lending

DB: I’ve seen loan officers start to make money and become successful then forget the foundations and principles that got them there. They lose momentum, take their foot off the gas or get complacent. Another thing I most commonly see is the lack of communication. Loan officers just feel like they do not have to get back to people or express their appreciation to their customers. They should regroup and refocus and ask themselves what have they been doing the last six months compared to the last year? Were there any changes in what they did or in their process? Are they just going to happy hours without making connections with people?

MPA: How do you encourage mortgage professionals to not give up?

DB: Having the principal background helps me a lot as an assistant branch manager, particularly with mentoring, because what I have done to mentor teachers can also translate to salespeople. Listening to people allows you to coach them in making minor or big changes and in getting back to what they need to do to be successful. As a leader, one has to listen to people and try to build them up. There are managers and there are leaders. Managers can work anywhere, but to be a leader you have to know your people and be in constant communication with them and understand where they want to be and how to get them there.

MPA: How have you built confidence and/or resiliency over the course of your career?

DB: I had pretty thick skin from being a principal since there is a lot of criticism that comes with that job. I just took that thick skin over with me to the mortgage business and learned how to be resilient. I had no other option given that I had a wife and two kids. I was, at that time, the youngest secondary administrator in what was a big school district. But the reason I was able to quickly get to the position of principal was that I was not afraid to go out of my comfort zone. Transitioning into being a loan officer was always about pushing myself because, unlike in education, there is no state pension, nor is anything guaranteed in this business. It is also about having good mentors and professional relationships whom you can call when you are down, who will be there to motivate and give your confidence back.