TruView Lending · Loan Officer Playbook
Earning the referral before you ask for it
Three moments across the file where the referral gets earned and asked for. Read how it sounds, then write the version you can say out loud without reading.
Do not memorize these word for word. Borrowers hear a memorized script instantly, and it costs you the trust the script was built to earn.
Read the language once. Then close it and write yours in the way you actually talk. If a phrase feels awkward in your mouth, it is wrong for you, even if it worked for someone else.
Highlighted phrases are the load-bearing ones. Change the wording around them, keep the idea.
1Initial consultation · opening two minutes
Set the frame
You tell them how your business works before you have done anything for them. That honesty is the whole move.
How Tony says it
Before we get into everything, I want to share something about how I work.
A large part of my business is built through referrals from clients and people I've had the opportunity to help.
Obviously, I haven't earned that from you yet. We just met.
But one of my goals throughout this process is to give you such a great experience, to educate you, communicate with you, and really help you navigate this, that by the time we're done, you would feel completely comfortable introducing me to a friend or family member who needs help.
I'd much rather spend my time taking care of people like you than spending my time trying to find strangers to do business with.
So I haven't earned the referral yet, but my goal is to earn it.
Fair enough?
Then move straight back into the consultation.
Another way he frames the same thing
Look, I know I haven't even closed your loan yet. So I get that. But I do want you to know that my business is based on referrals.
And so my goal throughout this whole process is to orchestrate an experience for you that makes you comfortable referring your friends and family to me. That's why I do it the way that I do it, right?
I know I haven't done it. I haven't done anything. I haven't even pre-approved you yet. But I do want you to know that the experience I'm going to put you through is an experience that I hope gains your trust to the point where you feel comfortable referring your friends and family.
It's okay to say, I haven't earned it yet, but I want to. My goal is to earn that from you.
Why it works: admitting you have not earned anything removes the pressure, so nothing here sounds like a pitch. It also sets the standard you will be measured against for the rest of the file, which is exactly the standard you want to be held to. Ending on a small question invites a yes and hands the floor back to them.
Write your opening frame. Include: how your business runs, that you have not earned it yet, what you commit to doing, and a short closing question.
2Pre-approval · gathering final docs
Ask on the gratitude trigger
When they thank you, they are telling you the experience landed. That is the opening. Ask right then, while the feeling is live.
How it sounds
Client
Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I'm so excited!
Loan officer
Of course! My pleasure. I'm excited for you too, and I'm looking forward to getting everything wrapped up and meeting with you next week.
By the way, is there anyone else at your school who's been talking about buying a home, or might be starting the same journey you are?
Let them answer. Do not fill the silence.
If anyone comes to mind, I'd be happy to help them figure out their next steps too. You can always just connect us by text.
Why it works: the ask rides on their excitement instead of interrupting it, and "by the way" keeps it casual enough that a no costs nothing. Naming one specific circle gives them somewhere to look instead of scanning every contact they have, and a text introduction is a small enough favor that they will actually do it.
Write your version. Include: what you say back to their thank you, the one specific circle you name, and how easy you make the handoff. Swap "school" for whatever fits the client in front of you.
3Handshake
Ask, then show them how
Plant one more seed for the conversations they are about to have with friends and coworkers. Then tell them exactly what an introduction looks like, so nobody has to invent it.
How it sounds
Loan officer
And then I want to plant this other seed. When you guys are putting this together and you're talking with different friends and coworkers, if someone says, hey, we're thinking about buying a house, I would love an introduction.
And would you have any concerns introducing me if you hear someone else in a similar situation wanting to buy?
Let them answer.
Client
Yeah, I actually have a colleague I can think of.
Loan officer
You do? Oh, right on. Sweet. Well, if they want to talk, a three-way text is usually the best way to introduce us. Just text them and me together, and tell them a little bit about the adventure you've been on.
Why it works: the concerns question surfaces hesitation while you are still standing there to answer it, and a client who says they have none has just committed out loud. Then you name the exact mechanic. A three-way text takes ten seconds, needs no permission from the other person, and puts you in the thread instead of waiting on a name and number that never comes.
Write your version. Include: the situation they should listen for, the ask itself, the question that checks for hesitation, and the exact steps of a three-way text.
Put it together
My referral language, top to bottom
Write all three moments as one flow, in order, the way it will actually sound from the first consultation through the handshake.