The Modern Lending Live Show!

Geoff Zimpfer joins Alec Hanson's Modern Lending Live Show for a candid conversation about how both got into mortgage, how they built businesses through agent relationships and classes, and why going digital doesn't mean abandoning relationships. Good listen for LOs wrestling with how to blend old-school referral tactics with a modern personal brand.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Run a lunch-and-learn class for 10 agents on a topic they find valuable (marketing, buyer education, financing strategies). From each class, aim to set 3-4 one-on-one meetings and convert 2-3 into active referral partners. Repeat monthly until you have 15-20 agents sending 2-3 deals each per month.
• Build a top-100 agent hit list. Identify the top agents in your market and show up at their broker previews and open houses consistently — not to pitch, but just to say your name and ask how the market is. By the 7th-10th visit, they'll greet you by name. Only then does the relationship open.
• When approaching high-volume agents, don't lead with 'I'm a lender' or ask what lender they use. Introduce yourself by name only, ask about the market, and leave without pitching. Remove the threat so you become a familiar, trusted face first.
• Do 100 videos or pieces of content in 100 days to find your medium. Don't optimize early — just put in reps. Switch formats (video to audio, Instagram to LinkedIn) only after you're in the water and can feel what fits your voice.
• Build your audience in a channel you own (email list, SMS list) in parallel with social media. When Facebook or Instagram goes down, you need a way to reach your people that doesn't depend on a platform you don't control.
• Partner with a title rep or home warranty rep to co-host your agent classes — splits the work of getting agents in seats and adds a second relationship amplifying your reach.

The playbook

1. 1. Build a list of the top 100 agents in your market.
2. 2. Show up at their broker previews and open houses — introduce yourself by first name only, no pitch, no card required initially.
3. 3. Repeat visits until they greet you by name (typically 7-10 visits).
4. 4. Once recognized, invite them to a lunch-and-learn class on a topic valuable to agents (marketing, buyer financing education, etc.).
5. 5. From each class of ~10 agents, set 3-4 one-on-one follow-up meetings.
6. 6. From those meetings, convert 2-3 into active referral relationships.
7. 7. Repeat the class cycle monthly, compounding your referral base over 12 months.

Worth quoting

“It took my last loan officer two years to earn my business. Keep showing up.”

“The survival to success is not the fittest — it is the most adaptable to change to fit your current environment.”

Best for

LOs who are cold-calling or chasing agents and want a repeatable system to attract referral partners through classes and consistent visibility instead.