Posted by ikando on 8/14/13 11:06am
Msg #480444

Here's an interesting perspective--The Blink Factor

Found this on a marketing website, but could easily be applied to NSA work. Not to denigrate in any way those newbies who have other background skills. Consider this as a generic tale about experience having a value worth a higher fee.

Imagine for a second that you are a 16-year-old boy, just starting his junior year in high school, in bad need of a hair cut…

He does not want to look like a dork, but has NO CLUE how to explain the cut he wants to the hair dresser. (Most teenage boys don’t know how to talk hair at all.)

All that he knows is that he wants to look OK, fit in and not be made fun of at school.

So, this kid goes to a hairdresser with about 20 years of experience. Her name is known around town as being the best.

The kid sits down in the chair. He mumbles something or another about his hair.

The hairdresser says “Don’t worry. I know exactly what to do.”

You want this, you want that, shorter here, longer here, a little off the sides but keep the top…

YO!

What does the kid wind up with?

The perfect cut. He is happy. He does not look like a dork.

So the kid tells his mother, “wow, she took one look at me and knew exactly what to do!”

Exactly. That is the blink factor in action.

People with vast experience in their fields – they develop a skill set that rises far above their competitors.

So, would you rather get your hair cut by someone with the blink factor?

Or a newbie hoping she does not mess up your hair?

Reply by jba/fl on 8/14/13 11:16am
Msg #480447

Aw....c'mon - that newbie needs experience. She will be cheaper too if you negotiate right. Give her a chance now.

Reply by Scriba/NM on 8/14/13 11:58am
Msg #480457

It's Not About Being New - It's How You Go About It

When I contemplated getting into this business 13 years ago in California, I performed research and talked to notaries I knew (since I had been a notary for 15 years already) and asked questions and read what I could. At the time DiTech was a big-time lender and they called me one day and asked if I would like to start doing loan closings for them. I said I would like to do that and they sent me materials that I read, explaining how it was supposed to work and what they were looking for. They also supplied me with a emergency number that had a real person at the end of the wire.

I studied their materials, I asked questions, and I reviewed ALL of the material for the loan signing. I asked a lot of questions and went into a lot of detail. I already knew how to run a real business (my degree is in business administration) and having owned and sold previous businesses I was ahead in that area.

The long and short of it, I spent a lot of time learning - most (not all) of the newbies today just want to rush out get a loan signed, and when the money doesn't come flying in (because they didn't bill correctly or they accepted signings from horrible companies) they write articles on this forum moaning about how this or that company didn't pay them. Fine, you didn't do research, so you get what you deserve. Hopefully this downturn will flush a lot of them down the dumper so we don't have to hear about how they didn't get paid, how they can't turn their printer on or off, and problems with customers because they don't know how to handle people. (Borrowers are people - not all people are the same)

Newbies won't research for the most part. That's not to say they all won't. However, it seems to be easier to post a question that anyone with an internet connection could get answered, but they are too lazy to do that. If one has a technical question, that's great - bring it on, but we are inundated with dumb questions that have already been answered 2,345 times already, or they post complaints blaming the title company because they ended up in a cornfield (because they were too dumb to confirm with the borrower in advance or find out where they should be going.). Who in their right mind does that?

You don't know what you don't know (because you didn't bother to learn).

Reply by Bear900/CA on 8/14/13 12:04pm
Msg #480458

If you don't mind a purple mohawk. n/m

Reply by jba/fl on 8/14/13 12:07pm
Msg #480459

Summertime bliss! n/m

Reply by Karla/OR on 8/14/13 11:28am
Msg #480451

In my lifetime I have experienced my share of newbie circumstances. There are some that stand out more than others. I can only speak for myself when I was a newbie NSA. I read and read and read and read some more along with certification training. I asked question after question and when the day came when I did my first closing I was a nervous wreck. I printed the docs and went through them page by page becoming as familiar with them as possible. To the Borrowers detriment, my closings were longer than I knew they should be because I took my time making sure I did not miss anything on each page. I then went home and pawed through the package a couple of times before sending it on its way. Accordingly, I have maintained a very clean record of closings. I am very proud of that.

Had my early Borrowers have known that I was a newbie, would they have asked for some one more experienced? Possibly. I am the type of person, that if told in advance, I am being helped by a newbie I give that person a chance. Probably because I have been given MANY chances in MY lifetime.

Reply by Lisa Cirillo on 8/14/13 11:42am
Msg #480456

I, too, was a newbie, still consider myself new at being an NSA. I did the same thing as Karla. I am proud of my achievements as an NSA with a clean record of closing also. I have always been this way, my entire life. I like to get things done the right way, the first time around. I have made my share of mistakes and I have learned from them. I don't mind giving someone new a chance, they do need experience and with people like myself and Karla, it's the only way they get experience.

Reply by MW/VA on 8/14/13 1:31pm
Msg #480469

Good story. I remember all too well the issue of

"experience". When I graduated high school many years ago, that's all we heard. Prospective employers wanted experience. It was frustrating, of course, to figure out how you'd gain that experience if no one would give you a chance.
I was a newbie once, and respect the one's who are serious about this biz, and get training, etc.
I've mentored a few along the way. I would rather contribute to the success of the industry as a whole, than hoard all the knowledge I've picked up along the way.
We again can thank PAW for sharing so much of his experience with the rest of us. ;-)

Reply by JanetK_CA on 8/14/13 4:09pm
Msg #480511

Great story! I believe there is a time and a place - and a market - for each. In the parable above, if the 16-year old boy was just starting his summer and was planning on spending it surfing, his priority might have been to get the least expensive haircut he could, not caring about the results. However, there are times when experience - and the blink factor - are very important. For some people, they're at a place in their lives where they expect nothing less.

True in our business, as well. It might be because of who the borrowers are (e.g. VIP, high income, temperamental, etc.) or because of the complexity of the package. Or maybe even because of the desire to please a particular lender/broker. But sometimes, clients don't want to take a risk; they want their file handled by someone who knows "exactly what to do"!