Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Shoemaker . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chris, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

Unfortunately for consumers, Corporate America gets a lot wrong. It’s not entirely their fault, and to be fair it is easy to slip into a pattern of not being super consumer friendly within the home loan industry. People are taking out home loans for hundreds of thousands of dollars, then paying interest on that for thirty years. There’s a lot of money to be made for the large institutional lenders and banks.. There’s also a lot of government oversight – rightfully so – which creates a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy. Massive banks, overwhelming government involvement, plus mountains of paperwork and audits. It becomes easy for someone in my position to get lost in the corporate run around of it all. I’ve discovered that by remembering the individual – the client – by working from their perspective is the only way to stay grounded. And people love it too, so it’s a win / win. I’d say it’s the number one reason my clients keep coming back. You just can’t treat people like a number in this industry. We deal with important life milestones. Who doesn’t remember their first house? Or even their second or third, and so on. It sounds simple, but treating people like people is what is often missed by Corporate America.

Chris, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I moved to Dallas in the summer of 2018. The time has absolutely flown since then. When I moved, I had already been in the home loan business for years – since 2012. However, I felt something calling me. I really can’t explain it better than that. I wanted to go to a larger market and make an impact, even if it mean starting over.

When I was doing home loans in Missouri, where I am originally from, it was often around small towns with blue collar folks, farmers, local school teachers, and all the fixings of a neighborly community. I would routinely go to someone’s home and help them gather documents for the underwriter.

When I moved to Dallas, I knew the key to my success would be to put that same level of effort in here. I now have multiple employees and we’re growing despite the tough market this year. It’s something we’re quite proud of. We love sharing in our client’s successes. Every now and then, I’ll still make a house call too.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I’m partial to believe that I’ve built a strong reputation within my industry and within our community. It’s something that you can hang your hat on, so to speak. I have built that on the shoulders of working hard, being genuine, and being willing to actually care about my clients well being. Easier said than done, I think, but if an individual can be true to those three characteristics, you will build business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth. Which when you think about it (well, when you think about it like I do) that’s also pretty optimal. Word of mouth and grassroots type prospecting must be the most inexpensive marketing there is. Not only that, but if someone goes out of their way to refer to you someone in their lives, you can bet that 90% of the time you’ll have an easy time converting those leads into clients – and I’ve noticed they’re often better qualified than the average client. Many people in my industry pay for leads, which can be wildly expensive, or spend tons of marketing dollars on advertisements, wining and dining real estate producers, and other prospecting. That’s certainly a viable business model. However, I think my way is easier – and it’s definitely less expensive. Less expensive is GREAT because that allows me to keep margins as low as possible, and in turn is why my rates typically lead the industry. I also enjoy meeting and helping the friends and family of my past clients. It’s so fulfilling to be able to do so. In fact, that’s got to be one of my favorite parts of the job.

Contact Info:

• Website: rdhloans.com/chris
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechrisshoemaker/
• Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/thechrisshoemaker/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgmFZ1eo3r_SZpPeRbVthQw