Closing Five Loans from Teaching Classes

Louie Wickett shares how teaching just two agent classes and two first-time homebuyer classes generated five closed loans and opened the door to CE-certified teaching with a local broker. This episode is a practical case study in using pre-built educational content to replace cold-calling and lunch-and-learns. Best for LOs who are skeptical that classes can produce measurable ROI.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Schedule your next class before you feel ready — put it on the calendar and market it publicly so you're forced to show up and prepare. Louie says the pre-class dread disappears the moment the class ends.
• For first-time homebuyer classes, market directly to your past clients and ask your agent partners to promote to their databases — do NOT co-host with a single agent, which limits your reach. Louie's solo-marketed Zoom class pulled 25 attendees and converted 5 loans.
• Host a ChatGPT-for-agents class in person. Louie taught this class twice, got strong agent feedback, and it directly opened a relationship with a broker who wants him certified to teach CE courses statewide.
• Plan and publish your class schedule a full quarter in advance (like Mortgage Marketing PRO member Liz Lafore in San Diego does) so agents can register weeks out and you're accountable to the dates.
• If you run a branch, pair with one other LO in your office for joint accountability on class frequency — Louie and a branch partner committed to a minimum of one class per month together.
• Run the ROI math before your next class to stay motivated: 5 loans × $240K average loan × 1.25% = roughly $15,000 in commission from a single class event.

The playbook

1. 1. Pick a class topic from pre-built content (e.g., ChatGPT for agents, first-time homebuyer education).
2. 2. Set a date at least 2–3 weeks out and block it on your calendar.
3. 3. Market the class to your entire past-client and past-agent database — not just one agent's list.
4. 4. For multi-market coverage, use Zoom to reach agents across geographies simultaneously.
5. 5. Show up, teach, collect feedback, and debrief on what you'd market differently next time.
6. 6. After the class, follow up with attendees and track referral conversations and closed loans back to the event.
7. 7. Repeat at least once per month; schedule the full quarter in advance for maximum accountability.

Worth quoting

“The only one that's stopping me is me. I need to just do it and schedule it.”

“If you can bring something to them of value that's going to make them more money or save them time, it's going to put you ahead of the rest.”

Best for

LOs who have tried casual lunch-and-learns but never committed to a structured, repeatable class format with real follow-through.

Links from the show notes

• Mortgage Marketing PRO
• Louie Wickett
• Here