🎣 Qualify the Person Before the Deal!
Why Their Thinking Matters More Than Their Documents In loan consulting, we’re taught to qualify the deal — run the numbers, collect the documents, check the credit, verify the income. But here’s the reality most consultants learn the hard way: 📌 You can have a borrower with perfect credit, strong financials, and a rock-solid property or business… and still watch the deal fall apart. Why? Because deals aren’t killed by spreadsheets — they’re killed by people’s decision-making habits, follow-through, and mindset. 🧠 Mindset and “Decision Energy” Matter First Before you spend hours structuring, quoting, and pitching a loan, you need to qualify the person sitting across from you. Ask yourself: 📌Do they answer calls and emails promptly? 📌Do they flinch when you ask direct financial questions? 📌Do they procrastinate on simple requests? 📌Are they decisive, or do they drag every decision out for weeks? 📌Do they respect the process, or constantly push for shortcuts? A client’s decision energy — the speed, clarity, and commitment with which they move — is a more accurate predictor of deal success than their balance sheet. 🚫 The Risk of Skipping This Step If you skip qualifying the person, here’s what happens: ✅ You burn hours chasing documents they’ll never send. ✅ You tie up your lender relationships with dead-end files. ✅ You waste pipeline space and mental energy on deals that won’t close. Every week you hold onto a “perfect-on-paper” but unready client is a week you could be working with someone who’s ready to fund. 🔍 How to Vet Mindset Early Step 1 – Start with a Low-Barrier Test 📍 Before requesting every document, ask for something simple — a PFS, a rent roll, or a bank statement. 📍 See how fast they respond and how clean the file is. Speed = interest. Delay = warning sign. Step 2 – Ask Open-Ended Process Questions 📍 “What’s your timeline for funding?” 📍 “What’s your backup plan if this loan doesn’t go through?” 📍 “How quickly can you get me X?” You’re listening less to their answers and more to their tone and confidence.