An entrepreneurial spirit has always been with Adriana Bates and has fueled her for over 10 years in the mortgage industry. Two years ago, she decided to take the brave journey into business ownership and joined the broker channel so she could put her skills to the test. In a short time, she has quickly established herself at Clear Mortgage as one of United Wholesale Mortgage’s Top 20 Purchase Loan Officers in Missouri and Kansas and a Scotsman’s Guide Top Producer.
What interested you in starting a career in the mortgage industry?
The mortgage industry interested me because of my passion for building systems and attentiveness to the loan process.
What’s a career highlight you’re most proud of?
I’m proud to be a national speaker in the mortgage industry and a published author for mentorship in loan originators. Recently, I have also received my own segment on the CNBC show, The American Dream.
What’s unique about your business?
At Clear Mortgage, we are not just about getting a transaction completed, but about the whole experience. We want our clients to be raving fans.
If you could change one thing about the mortgage industry right now, what would it be?
It’s important to educate clients to understand the loan process and for loan officers to understand each client’s unique situation.
What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve faced in your career?
One of the reasons I started Clear Mortgage was to get around big-box lending. Our transparent lending and passion to advise clients of the impact of their mortgage decisions have proven that we can achieve our “why” even when it means going against the grain.
Where do you turn for leadership advice?
I turn to respected leaders in our industry for advice. Why reinvent the wheel? If someone has succeeded before me, I would much rather copy what they do than figure it out myself. I also read leadership books including Good to Great by James C. Collins), Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and most importantly, books by Dale Carnegie.
What is your business philosophy?
I believe in treating consumers the way we want to be treated. Also, having a process and system in place to ensure that every client receives the same high level of service every time.
What are the biggest challenges facing mortgage brokers & what’s your advice for overcoming them?
One of the biggest challenges mortgage brokers face is feeling like you’re on an island and not having a corporate headquarters to go to for sales, motivation or operational training. But utilizing AIME as a core group of industry professionals to mastermind and network with can really help. Also, being pulled in 90 different directions can take quite a toll on brokers, but we can overcome that by having a great management team.
If you could go back to your first day in the industry, what advice would you give yourself?
The people that get you from point A to point B are not the same people who will get you from point B to point C. Also, don’t grow too fast!