Cancer, AI, and What's Next
Geoff Zimpfer returns to the mic after squamous cell carcinoma diagnosis, two rounds of chemo, and 30 rounds of radiation. He shares a personal update, thanks guest hosts who kept the show running, and introduces one concrete AI visibility tool LOs can use today. Listen if you want context on the show's direction or are interested in AI search optimization for mortgage.
Being forced off the hamster wheel gave Geoff clarity that AI-driven visibility — specifically showing up when buyers ask ChatGPT or Perplexity for lender recommendations — is the next frontier LOs need to prepare for.
Takeaways you can run this week
- Go to HubSpot.com/AEO and start a free trial of their Answer Engine Optimization tool. It shows your brand visibility score across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, flags whether mentions are positive or negative, and generates content prompts you can publish to improve how often AI recommends you.
- Use the AEO tool's competitor comparison feature: enter 2-3 local competing LOs or lenders and see exactly how your AI visibility stacks up against theirs — use the gap as your content roadmap.
- Pull the prompt suggestions the HubSpot AEO tool generates for your business and turn each one into a short-form piece of content (blog post, LinkedIn article, or FAQ page) aimed at getting AI engines to cite you when buyers ask for mortgage recommendations.
- Go back and listen to the six guest-hosted episodes published during Geoff's absence — specifically 'AI Mistake Killing Loan Officers in 2026,' 'How Loan Officers Are Losing Deals to a $20 a Month Chatbot,' and 'Why This LO Refuses to Quote a Rate' — for immediately actionable AI and sales content.
- Subscribe to HubSpot's 'Marketing Against the Grain' YouTube channel as a free ongoing resource for AI marketing education applicable to mortgage.
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“The bad news is I have cancer. The good news is it's treatable. The bad news is the treatment sucks.”
“There's a lot of noise when it comes to AI — you've got to be careful if it pulls us away from relationships, conversations, and being found.”
Best for
LOs who've heard the AI buzz but haven't taken a single concrete step to audit or improve how they show up in AI-generated search answers.