To kick off Season 3 of Batting 1,000 with Dale Vermillion, Dale sits down with Hunter Strong, a top-performing Mortgage Loan Officer at FirstTrust Home Loans. During the conversation, Hunter shares his journey from aspiring pharmacist to professional baseball player, and finally to a mortgage industry leader closing over 40 loans per month. With a unique approach combining hard work, dedication, and strategic relationship-building, Hunter offers invaluable insights for anyone in the mortgage industry.

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In This Episode

From aspiring pharmacist to top-producer (starts at 1 min)

Hunter discusses his initial career aspirations and how he transitioned into the mortgage industry.

Learning from the lock desk (starts at 4 mins)

Hunter explains how starting on the lock desk set the foundation for his success as a Loan Officer.

Building a high-volume business online and off (starts at 15 mins)

Dale and Hunter discuss the strategies Hunter uses to drive so many units per month, including landing a huge referral source through Tik Tok and driving 5 hours in a day to meet with a single broker.

Building a highly specialized team (starts at 24 mins)

Hunter breaks down how he's structured his team to ensure each member fills a specialized role.

Learning it's not about rate (starts at 28 mins)

Dale and Hunter discuss how Hunter addresses clients' concerns about interest rates and why he's learned to focus on payment, not rate, when selling loans.

Hunter's top tips for closing more loans (starts at 32 mins)

Hunter unpacks his top advice for closing more loans, including the importance of playing to your strengths, treating clients with respect, and building trust with your customers and partners.

When failure's not an option (starts at 36 mins)

Hunter shares some of the lessons he's learned from his dad and mentor that have helped to drive his professional and personal success.

Resources

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Soundbites

• "You have to be the smartest person in the