In times of uncertainty choose human connection over fear and isolation

In this edition of LiveTime with Alec:

• You will figure out if you are driving uncertainty.
• Bring the Good News!
• What service do you bring to your clients and those around you.
• Stop thinking about your content. Create HUMAN CONNECTION!

Episode Transcribe

Hey, what’s up everybody? Good morning!

What a wild ride this is. I am just shocked.

Shocked every day when I’m watching the change and the chaos, and the world just pivoting. Pivoting every moment, it feels like.Thanks for joining me live today. Would love to make this a little more interactive session. I got really inspired last night at like 2:00 AM. Could not sleep. Just had to…Hey, good morning, Richard!Could not sleep. Had to get my thoughts out. I was like, I’m going live today to talk about it because there’s a couple of things happening that are fascinating in this mini-quarantined world of safe distancing, and social distancing and all the things that are going on.I think we’re missing something. There’s a lot of mortgage professionals, because I’m connected to a lot of you and God bless you, you are amazing human beings. What I’m watching a lot of you do is turn the camera on, many for the first time. And it’s incredible and you’re leaning in and there’s probably… In my feed, there’s like tons of people who are like, cameras on, they’re like, “Hello! By now with the Coronavirus, you’ve probably noticed rates are going…And then they give their spiel. I love it. But I’m also a little bit, I don’t want to use the word turned off. It’s not that I’m turned off. I’m excited people are embracing the digital and the connection. But I don’t know if we’re missing it or not, or if you’re missing it or not, but answer this kind of truthfully, “Are you making intentional human connection?”You know, I think a lot of people right now, they’re doing the digital game because they have nothing else to do. You’re at home. You’re quarantined. So you’re just like, “Well, I guess I better film myself.” Because they’re talking to people. But are you turning around and calling people? Are you making real human connection? Because in a world of isolation, when we’re all pulling back, are you leaning in to human connection?I mean, there is no better time right now, if you’re a mortgage professional, than to pull up your CRM and just start dialing through the system. Everyone that you’re going to be talking to is at home, or maybe they’re at work. But they could be at home, quarantined with their kids because schools are closed and things are crazy and they’re trying to help their spouse or their wife or their husband manage the kids.Are you reaching out to say hi? I think in this time of isolation and fear where people are hoarding toilet paper… I don’t know. I don’t know. I think that we’ve got to lean into real human connection. You know, it’s funny, because for me, I’m a natural introvert. And everyone that watches this or has seen me talk is like, “No, you’re lying.” And I’m like, “No! No, no, no.”Stop judging introverts. We’re not just like, live at home and we put a blanket over our head and we hide out. The best definition I’ve heard of the difference between an introvert and an extrovert is that an extrovert receives and gains energy by interacting with other human beings and hanging out and partying and being with people. Whereas an introvert expends energy to hang out and to talk to people and to, you know, do this.And none of that has to do with, “Do you like hanging out with people?” Or “Do you like speaking or putting yourself out there?” Those two definitions, they don’t mean that stuff. But I love that because it’s true. For me as an introvert, I get energy. I have to recharge. I got to go have alone time. Whereas my wife, God bless her, she thrives in human interaction. If you ever hung out with my dad, Dan, whew! Talk about a guy who loves hanging out and getting energy off human interaction, he can go all night.So, in this time of isolation, when people are practicing social distancing, not going to social gatherings, some are even on shelter in place and they’re not talking to other people. How are you as a mortgage professional, as a relationship professional, engaging and connecting with your community?I don’t think a video on social media is enough. I don’t think it’s enough. I don’t think showing one more stupid candlestick chart is making human connection. Just going to say it. I’m just going to say it, “Stop it!”Or look, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe that’s working for you. And you’re creating dynamic human connection by posting the candlesticks and being like, “Look at the rates!”I think right now our communities may be focused on other things. I think that an intentional conversation and a call… Tell me if I’m wrong. I mean, you’re watching right now. There’s a bunch of you guys on Facebook and LinkedIn and YouTube right now. Comment. Tell me, am I wrong? Are people making intentional human connection? Are they reaching out to past… Not just with friends and family, which I’m sure some of you are doing. But are you doing it with your past customers, with your realtor community? I mean, I know people who aren’t going to open houses right now, so they’re not connecting with their realtor partners out in the wild.Jeff has an interesting question. The question I have today would be, “The mortgage-backed security market, and whether these instruments will be sold consistently and whether the market will dry up causing companies to fold, especially non- QM?”You know, I think Jeff, the questions you’re asking and exploring as a mortgage professional… We’re in unknown territory, unknown territory. I mean, we’ve never had the hype and fear of a pandemic virus like we do on the Coronavirus. We have no clue. You know, we have appraisers potentially canceling appointments and not showing up for our customers. We have recording offices and title companies working from home or shutting down or trying to like repivot. So they can’t help record the loans.It’s unprecedented times. I think in those times we can either try to stir the pot, and I see a lot of people stirring the pot. They’re posting things that in my opinion, drive more uncertainty into the market because they’re spinning up instead of being a force of calm and a force of human connection.I think if we could predict these things and if we knew what the future was going to hold, we would be capitalizing on it, leveraging it. We don’t know what the future’s going to hold. We know what today’s going to hold, right now, this moment. And Brooks on Facebook said, “Everyone’s posting, but not necessarily connecting.” Man, that is so dead on! So dead on.I’ve seen some amazing people talking about how with this uncertainty, are companies going to go under? Possibly, but man, we’ve survived so much more chaos in this world. We are hard hardened humans. We have the capacity to withstand tremendous hardship in our worlds, don’t we? We have amazing capacity. But it’s connected to our human connection. It’s not connected to our isolation.So circling back Jeff, to your question, “Are companies in a full, non-QM markets? Is there going to be a change?”Yeah! Can I predict who it’s going to be and what it’s going to… No! But are there capital markets issues? Are there hedging issues? Are there problems at massive scale that the industry and the nation is facing right now? 100%! What can you control in that space?I don’t think much, because I can’t control much. What I can control is my ability to connect with human beings and bring good news. And the good news for many of our customers right this second is they’ve got more equity in their homes than ever before. That’s a national statistical fact. They have higher credit profiles than ever before. That’s a statistical fact. And you have the ability to connect and serve them in the biggest financial debt of their life. But you can’t do that if you’re just posting videos about candlesticks. You can do that by calling them, by reaching out.I don’t know, tell me if you think I’m wrong and throw another comment in. I’d love to understand what your guys’ viewpoint is. And from an introvert who enjoys time alone, this is a tough time for us, for me, to make intentional human connections.I’ll be the first person to raise my hand. I mean, this is what was keeping me up at 2:00 AM last night was, I’m like, “When was the last time I called all the people important to me that work around me just to check in?” Not a work call, not a how are you doing this or how you solving this? But just to ask, how are they doing running their operation? How are their people doing? How can I be of service? How can I help? Man, I was totally convicted of it last night. And if I’m convicted of it, I know a lot of us out there aren’t doing it either.That’s my encouragement today. That’s my encouragement today. Keep posting on social media, please, and keep sharing education, please. But be focused on your comments and on your content.Are you driving uncertainty into the world? Are you driving confidence? Are you driving human connection? In a world where a lot of us are sitting at home, I think the time for human connection is more important now than ever. I don’t mean human connection, like posting a video on social media about the bond market. I think the average human being at home whose kids are there because they can’t go to school and their spouse is trying to figure out how to homeschool or how to deal with that. I think they’re way more focused on that than they are on the inverted yield curve or whatever else you’re spewing on your channel.Look, it’s not a judgment call. I’m not trying to come at anybody right now. I’m just trying to share a thought that I’m personally convicted by… Hey Gary!”Awesome message, Alec.”Thank you. Thank you, man.I think this matters guys, this matters. In a world gone crazy, you get the chance to be the human connection, the link in the chain to reach out to not just past customers, but your title company partners, your escrow partners, your realtor partners, your appraisers. When was the last time you called your appraisers to check in? And if you say, “I don’t know who my appraisers are.”How about your notaries?I think it’s low hanging fruit. I think that’s what real leadership means right now, is how much are you willing to drive human connection?That’s really all I have for you today. You know, I try to keep these relatively short. Today we’re at 12 minutes going so far. If you have questions about anything, I’m happy to answer them, but I think today the most important issue is, call someone. Really call them, FaceTime them. There are people out there who are struggling, who are sad, who are frustrated, who see that maybe this isn’t going to end anytime soon. That’s what we can do. That’s how we can make an impact. Drive human connection.I love you guys. Appreciate everybody jumping on and watching for a little bit. I hope you have a great day. I hope you hit the end of this video. You click it, sign it off and you go call someone and you tell them you’re thinking about them and you tell them you care about them, and you ask them how you can be of service.Have a wonderful day, everybody. See you, guys.