Relationships: A connection established by a discovered harmonic connection of a similar kind.
Working together achieves more as a team than one individual or a group of individuals can in a non-harmonic production line. www.southeastmortgage.com/UGA | 770-750-HOME Text UGA to 800-344-8788
Getting uncomfortable and making the decision to commit to a better career and family life has its rewards.
“Being reminded of how Southeast Mortgage helps leverage talented people makes my day. Our experience with newly hired Mortgage Originators is their production increases 30% on average due to our operations methodology, media, and sales support. Make the most of your career.” Cal Haupt
“I am completely astonished how my business has changed, for the better! We are taking 10-15 more PQ’s a week. We took 12 just today!! Beyond that, the culture you have created is truly remarkable. Thank you for taking a chance on me and for changing my life!” Jeffrey Hawks
We all know 2+2=4.
If your family’s future and your career depend on what 2+2 equals, you sleep well at night knowing the answer with certainty.
If your family’s future and your career depend on calculating the area under a curve, you may have some sleepless nights. Unlike 2+2, the variables that affect the area under a curve are not linear.
The Mortgage Business has constantly changing variables and you have to have certainty that your leadership can quantify the variables into an exact area aka outcome.
Everyone does not need to know how to calculate the area under a curve. Success only requires the team to know their part in the equation and trust the team accomplishes their respective task. Trust and respect is created when your team has a track record of being historically correct. Normally recessions determine the winners and losers; however, some careers do not have 7-10 years to find out.
Great sales people and great operations people are only as good as the team’s ability to adapt to the changing economy and environment. Being great requires a daily calculation of progress and ensuring certainty for the team and their family. Certainty eliminates stress and creates a great night’s sleep.
Cal Haupt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Mortgage of Georgia, Inc.
Passion is a feeling of intense enthusiasm towards or compelling desire for something.
The other day I had someone ask me what my passion was. I have always been a believer in letting my actions state my beliefs and or intentions. A good person does not have to state they are a good, their actions should speak louder than words and the difference they make in someone’s life is the measure.
As I reflected on what I am passionate about, I realized passion evolves with one’s life cycle and is not mutually exclusive.
As a kid, my passion was bicycles and motorcycles or anything else I could go fast on with little concern for safety.
In high school, my passion was football and having fun with my friends. Football opened the door to attend Georgia Tech; however, staying there was another more important evolution that had to be undertaken.
In college, my passion shifted from football to academics. I realized that the rest of my life depended on doing well in college and making it through Georgia Tech with the limited funds I had saved was a tenuous pursuit. Passion gets real when you will either sleep under a bridge or a roof. My path would be determined based on focus and my ability to obtain my degree. Reinventing myself from jock to a scholar was not easy; however, I always believed I could accomplish anything I set my mind to.
After graduating College, I learned valuable lessons about respect, team work, and how the economy works. Being the best was my passion after college. No matter what I was doing, I wanted to win with a singular focus like playing football. This mentality gave me glory; however, it created unintended collateral damage. As I matured and was provided some timely advice from my mentors, I realized sometimes you have to allow everyone around you to win before you can win in a sustained manner. Winning in business requires a team focus and slowing down before the finish line to help your teammates make it across the line with you. This creates a more robust win that builds a winning foundation instead of personal glory. A team win is by far the best glory and satisfaction I have experienced.
After a successful banking career and all the lessons both good and bad, my passion turned to Southeast Mortgage of Georgia, Inc., SEM. At first it was to show the Banking Industry and consumers there was a better mortgage origination business model that could be created between a Broker and Bank. All the knowledge I acquired at Georgia Tech and the Banks helped form a stable and effective production platform that disrupts competitors today. As my teammates from the banks began to join us at SEM, my passion evolved to proving my bank teammates made a great choice. I wanted to ensure SEM was a rewarding career and would be the last place they would have to work. They deserved to enjoy the benefits of ownership and secure their families future. Our days were normally 12 hours+ and many of us worked weekends. When we started to get a Sunday off, we thought that was incredible. For 15 years this was the routine, and we had a blast creating and evolving SEM into what it is today. I even enjoyed mowing our lawn at Club Drive until the shareholders said I was embarrassing them.
For the past 5 years, my passion is still focused on accomplishing the promise to my Shareholders. The evolution of my passion was bifurcated when my life was blessed with three little heart beats that will carry the Haupt name forward. They changed the way I view the world and simply made me a better person, manager, and friend.
Technology and my talented leadership team allows me to balance my two passions today. After I accomplish my shareholder’s objectives, my full attention will be on mentoring my kids to be good humans that are kind, considerate, and have the experiences needed to understand the diversity of our civilization and prosper in it.
Embrace evolution and enjoy the ride!
Vernon Chandler posted this image this morning. It reinforces an important belief that I live by. Vernon, Brandi, Jenna, Corey, Jeffrey and a few others had the opportunity to visit Cuba with a Partner of ours recently. Many would say they are too busy or my favorite TV show comes on tonight, SEM people embrace adventure and experiences. Complacency leaves the “Whatif” unanswered. Because we embrace new experiences and do not make excuses, we try new things. They now have some cool travel street credit. Americans who have visited Cuba and can speak first hand on a unique culture. The US has now closed that door. In life, some doors are only open for a finite time due to timing and opportunity aligning. Always explore, be bold, never regret.
I am not a big fan of canned quotes; however, this popped up and it resonated with me. It conveys a belief of mine and was the focal point of several conversations I had last week. I believe people should have the opportunity to grow their career and earnings each day they work rather than remaining status quo for years and decades due to complacency. “Without better soil, you will become pot bound and never growth no matter what you may be told. Great Talent Deserves Great Media to Grow.” Cal Haupt
Everyone talks about top Producers? Focusing on Top Earners would be a better ranking criteria for Mortgage Professionals.
People always ask me what SEM’s production is and I proudly tell them our Shareholders own the best margined business in the industry. Frankly, production does not pay the bills.
A Company’s ability to convert production to Revenue to Net Income is sustainability. No Debt and Vertical integration of services and functionality creates incredible efficiency so you can pay your team well and still post impressive earnings. Many Mortgage companies use bolt on services and non-direct secondary access which is expensive and wastes revenue.
If your margins are too tight and you fail to balance revenue to expense, your company will have to sell or close their doors as we continue to see. The key and art is to price at market and competitively adjust to earn your Partner’s business.
Over my 26 years, I have heard “my pay will blow your socks off”, “I make a lot”, etc. If you only play pick up basketball in your neighborhood and there was no TV or Internet, you would not realize there is an NBA.
Focus on what pays your bills. Trophies and Trips will not pay your bills. Earn and grow your business. Buy your own better travel experiences with better production to pay conversion. I know from personal experience none of the Bank Trips I won were half as cool as the travel I enjoy today.
Mortgage Originator’s are realizing they have to make changes with respect to what is the most beneficial goal for them. As our Originator population ages, preparing for a secure retirement has become a call to action.
Cal Haupt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Mortgage of Georgia, Inc.
Volume – Pay Shift