The road to success in 2007 is as simple as deciding what you want to improve from 2006 any creating a blueprint and there is no better time than now to start

While some of us may be experiencing slow months in January, we can use this “down” time to analyze more profitable approaches to doing business in 2007.

Recently, I sat down to review my sales and YTD profits for 2006. This was suggested years ago by my accountant and I have been doing this every month since. The benefit of this type of measurement is that IF there needs to be any corrections, those corrections can be done BEFORE your goals get too far off track. The same is true with every aspect of your business.

Some of the most important consideration are:

• Are your marketing dollars producing a profit
• Which advertisements produce the best results
• Are you converting your leads efficiently
• What type of clients do you work best with AND what type of clients do you enjoy working with best
• Is your office operating efficiently
• Is you office filled with negative moods from staff
• Do you need to hire more staff OR is your staff a drain on YOUR profits
• How can you use your time better to maximize your desired results
• How can you make your business more fun.

These are very simple but often overlooked questions that ALL loan originators should consider. As you can see, some of these considerations are about the environment in which you work which is a very big indicator of success or failure.

Are there any things you would like to add?

Remember, we are in a great industry. Sometimes a little extra planning can make a tremendous difference in how we view each day and how profitable the upcoming year will be.

By Brad Cooper

Brad Cooper is a nationally recognized mortgage expert and is the managing owner of Cooper Financial Solutions.