LendingTree Flex Loan

Consumers may have started to ask you for a LendingTree Flex Loan. This is in direct response to a new advertising campaign launched on August 15th featuring the LendingTree Flex Loan. This promotion is designed to attract more refinance consumers by associating the LendingTree brand with attractive terms.

Example terms shown in the ads are based on an interest only product many of you are currently offering. Loan amounts highlighted are $175,000 with payments of $675 per month, and $200,000 with payments of $770.

Check out one of the landing pages promoting this product by visiting www.refi.lendingtree.com

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What's Important to LendingTree Consumers?

LendingTree closely monitors our customer's satisfaction of the service they receive from us - and from you. Our customer care department receives over 24,000 calls and emails each week looking for help with the mortgage process.

You might be interested to know that of all the customer complaints we receive which are directly related to individual loan officer performance, professionalism tops the chart.

Pretty surprising, huh? While many of us think that professionalism refers to a person's dress or appearance, LendingTree customers are clear that the ability to conduct business over the phone and through email in a professional manner is critical to your success in closing loans.

So what is professionalism? One definition offered by Merriam-Webster On Line reads "exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner." Here are a few ideas for projecting a positive professional image when you are not able to meet your customer in person:

• Phone Style - Project confidence and sincerity during your conversations. Never talk down or use terms that your customer may not understand. Be patient and give your client undivided attention.
• Email Style - Even though it's an email, use the same business etiquette you would use if writing a letter to your most important client. Don't forget to open the email with a greeting and conclude with a closing. Use complete words and sentences. Abbreviations like LOL and C'YA are not appropriate when conducting business
• Knowledgeable - Make the art of knowing your products, service, and process a top priority. A potential borrower is depending on it.
• Follow up - Set clear expectations of what to expect throughout the process. Pride yourself on meeting and beating those commitments, keeping your customer comfortable and informed every step of the way.
• Responsibility - Demonstrate responsibility for the whole process, particularly when issues arise. Commit to correction and never point the blame elsewhere. Doing so shows weakness and lack of control.

If in doubt - handle each customer interaction as though you are applying for a job. If you think about it…that's exactly what you are doing!

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New Consumer Tools!

LendingTree has developed four product guides that are available free to every consumer who has completed a loan request with LendingTree.

Guide to Mortgages
Guide to ARMs
Guide to Refinancing your Home
Guide to Home Equity

The guides will be promoted as an incentive for customers to complete a mortgage, refinance or home equity request.

The guides are available for loan officers as well. Imagine how you'll stand out if you email your LendingTree customers a free product guide - it takes just a minute but goes a long way toward closing the loan.

To download a free product guide, go to www.lendingtreetraining.com

Want to learn more about the LendingTree Knowledge Center?

Sign up today for the "LendingTree Consumer Education Toolkit", a free webinar conducted by LendingTree experts. This short online training will teach you more about the purpose of the tools available to you at the Knowledge Center. To register for the "LendingTree Consumer Education Toolkit" or any of our other LendingTree training webinars, go to http://www.lendingtreetraining.com/knowledge.asp#free

The "LendingTree Consumer Education Toolkit" is our featured webinar of the month!

As part of our webinar giveaway, you could win a $50 gift certificate to the LendingTree company store. Simply participate in this training and complete a short, online survey following the conclusion of the "LendingTree Consumer Education Toolkit." We will enter your name into a quarterly drawing for $50 worth of LendingTree apparel and merchandise. Sign up today!

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Views You Can Use!

Best Practices for Purchase

With more consumer demand for purchase, LendingTree is focused on helping our lenders close more purchase mortgage loans. A document is now available under the help menu in Apex that covers recommended practices to improve your success with purchase customers.

Task Queue

"Check All" and "Clear All" buttons have been added to the task queue to make it easier for you to select or unselect multiple tasks at the same time.

Apex Find a REALTOR® Service Link

The Find A REALTOR® link has moved up to a more visible location inside the auto-task to make it a quicker click through option while you are working with your purchase customer.

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LenderWeb Apex Tip of the Month -

View the QF details while manually posting an offer

A QF details pop-up link has been added to the offer tab in QF management. This will put the QF details at your fingertips while you decision the lead. No more toggling back and forth between the offer and QF detail pages!

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LendingTree University What's in it for you?

Check out our upcoming locations!

October 19, 2005 - Edison, NJ
November 16, 2005 - Atlanta, GA
December 8, 2005 - Houston, TX

LendingTree University is a day-long educational event, providing information and tools to make you a more successful loan officer! Designed to help you improve your performance and close more loans, these sessions are sure to motivate and inspire you to take your business to the next level!

The first half of the day is devoted to discussing best practices. Our "Best Practices Café" gives you the opportunity to participate in roundtable discussions with LendingTree experts and other loan officers - learning what works and what doesn't. This is a great opportunity to pick up some new ideas and tips on how to improve your business. This session is always a loan officer favorite!

The second half of the day will be devoted to providing sales techniques and training that will improve your performance. Designed specifically for you, the LendingTree Loan Officer, topics and presenters include:

• "Motivational Selling" - Ed Tate, Enlightened Leadership
  
  

  Ed will provide advice on selling effectively, staying motivated and being a peak sales producer. Ed is a successful trainer, author, international keynote speaker and executive. As an author, Ed co-wrote the book - Motivational Selling. For fourteen years he was a successful National Account Executive, selling over $500 million in products and services. He is also a contributor to the books: Stories Trainers Tell (2003, Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer) and The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters (2004, Career Press). Additionally, Ed co-produced the audio CD album, Speaking Secrets of the Champions.

• "Making the Call - Creating Success When Banks Compete" - Vernon Roberts, Founder & President of eVoke Learning
  
  

  An easy to understand call connection model is used as a foundation for walking though the activities that create successful client relationships. Loan Officers will work through challenging case driven activities and rehearse skills that they have learned. Vernon will lead this interactive workshop that deals with both the tools and the mindset successful loan officers use to create success. After the workshop Loan Officers will understand the effort and the steps that it will take to create success with mortgage clients
  
  

***PLEASE NOTE: Agenda will vary by location***

The cost is $245 per person. This fee includes breakfast, a working lunch, a post-training networking cocktail reception and parking.

Special savings are now being offered!

Buy 3, Get 1 FREE! Bring a group to take advantage of terrific savings. Are you a Gold Leaf Seal recipient? Your price is only $200, a savings of nearly 20 percent.

Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity!
REGISTER TODAY at http://www.lendingtreetraining.com.
For more information, contact us at loprograms@lendingtree.com

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Find a REALTOR® Access Change

If you’re having trouble accessing the Find a Realtor® site, it’s probably due to a recent URL change. Your manager has this new URL information or you can get help by contacting the Partner Hotline at

partnerhotline@realestate.com or call 1-800-DIAL-TREE (1-800-342-5873).

You will get the assistance you need to get logged in to our network of great real estate agents.

And don't forget - the Partner Hotline is always here to help you through snags when working with real estate agents in this program! We want to help!

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Sales Tip of the Month - Preparation!

Great sales presentations begin well before the actual discussion. Preparation is critical and it shows your customer that you value their time.

Be sure your offer presentation focuses on the benefits as they relate to solving your customers specific problem or need. They will appreciate that you took the time to recognize what's important to them and in their best interest. Being their consultant in a very stressful and important transaction is essential to gaining their trust.