One Story. One Lesson. One Better Week.
I had a recruiting conversation today.
Like I always do, I came prepared.
I knew what I wanted to share about Partners Mortgage.
I knew the questions he might ask.
I thought I’d spend a good part of the conversation explaining why our company is different.
It never happened.
Instead, I asked him about himself.
I asked about his family.
He told me about his divorce.
Then he started talking about his 11-year-old daughter.
You could hear it in his voice.
She was his world.
So we stayed there for a while.
Later I asked what he likes to do when he isn’t working.
“I’m an avid hunter,” he said.
Now, I’m a kid from Brooklyn.
The closest I’ve ever come to hunting is looking for a parking spot at a movie theater.
But for the next several minutes, he taught me about deer, elk, gear, and everything in between.
I was fascinated.
Not because I was trying to recruit him.
Because I was trying to know him.
Somewhere during that conversation, something changed.
He stopped feeling like a recruit.
He started feeling like a friend.
And then something unexpected happened.
When he finally asked about Partners Mortgage…
…he had already told me exactly what mattered to him.
I didn’t need a polished sales pitch.
I didn’t need to guess what he was looking for.
He had written my presentation for me.
People ask me what my recruiting philosophy is.
It’s actually pretty simple.
I make friends… and then I do business with my friends.
Sometimes those friends become teammates.
Sometimes they become referral partners.
Sometimes they simply become lifelong friends.
When I joined Partners Mortgage, one of the first things I noticed was a simple phrase we use:
“You Matter.”
I remember thinking…
I’ve been trying to live that sentence my entire career.
This Week, Try This…
The next time you meet someone new, forget your presentation for a few minutes.
Ask about their family.
Ask what brings them joy outside of work.
Be genuinely curious.
You may walk away with more than a business opportunity.
You may walk away with a new friend.
And in my experience…
Those are usually the best business relationships you’ll ever have.