Ep #28: How Robert Deiorio Went from $0 to $40M

Bobby D shares how he rebuilt his mortgage business from scratch in 2008 with zero purchase-loan relationships, grinding to $40M by 2016 through relentless presence at open houses and broker previews, a five-part weekly routine, and a team model using young LOs to work his 1,100-person database. Best for LOs who feel stuck at a production plateau or need a motivation reset heading into a new year.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Attend every broker open (Tuesdays/Thursdays) and every open house (Sundays) in your target geography — show up with water, chips, and pre-printed name-tagged company swag so agents remember your name without reading a card.
• Implement Bobby's 5-part weekly routine: Monday — call referral partners; Tuesday — send a text blast to all referral partners with a market update; Wednesday — 'gratification calls' to every active client in your pipeline, then call both the listing agent AND buyer's agent with a loan status update; add a Monday team pipeline review call; close every interaction with a handwritten thank-you card.
• For each referral partner, assign a unit target in your business plan (e.g., 'I need 5 loans from Jeff this year'), then map exactly how many coffees, calls, and touchpoints are required to hit that number — track it monthly.
• If a closed-office competitor is out of the territory on Thursdays and Fridays, concentrate your physical visits to that office on those exact days to fill the vacuum.
• When you hear an agent lost a deal because their preferred lender couldn't get it done, call that agent immediately and say: 'I heard you couldn't get that loan done — let me take a fresh set of eyes on it.' Use that opening to earn a first transaction.
• Hire 1-2 young LOs (22-26 years old) and have them run mortgage check-up calls through your existing database of past clients — script: ask about selling, buying, refinancing, or major expenses. Route any new purchase deals back to the agent who originally referred that client, and keep all refi/equity business in-house.

The playbook

1. Step 1 — Monday: Call all active referral partners; run a team pipeline review call so everyone is aligned for the week.
2. Step 2 — Tuesday: Send a text message to all referral partners with a brief market update or relevant tip; attend broker opens in your target area.
3. Step 3 — Wednesday: Call every client currently in your pipeline with a status update ('gratification call'); use the same call to update both the listing agent and buyer's agent on loan progress.
4. Step 4 — Thursday: Attend broker opens; if a competitor owns a nearby office but is absent Thursdays, prioritize that office.
5. Step 5 — Sunday: Work open houses — be visible, in branded gear, available by phone when agents call.
6. Step 6 — Ongoing: Write and mail a thank-you card after every meaningful interaction (calls, meetings, closings, podcast appearances, etc.).
7. Step 7 — Annually: Attend one live mortgage/sales mastermind event; return with exactly 5 implementable takeaways and execute only those 5.

Worth quoting

“The guys that worked the hardest on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Sundays get to do whatever they want on Saturday nights.”

“If I don't call them, Jeff, you're gonna. So I've got to make sure that they know I'm still around.”

Best for

LOs who have stalled at a production plateau (e.g., $20M–$30M) and need a concrete weekly activity framework and a database-reactivation strategy to break through.