The $1.5 billion Loan Officer, Shayla Gifford

Read time: 2 minutes

Dear LOs, friends and people who had their tongues in knots when they were asked "what are we?"

While writing her story, I couldn’t help but feel Mitch Hedburg’s one-liners spirit rocking in it. 

“An escalator can never break, it can only become stairs. ” 

“Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a weak guy, all day”

Artists like Mitch compress words but maximize emotion and understanding. LOs like Shayla Gifford just do the basics, but with finesse, strategy and consistency.

Our hero: Shayshay

She:

• Started off messy, clocking 12 to 15 hours of work a day.

• Has successfully originated over $1.5 billion in sales

• She constantly originates over $100m every year

• Originated $40m with no assistant and no processor back in 2009

• Is an exceptional host

The Rough Start

Shayla grew up in Reno, Nevada, and attended the University of Arizona. She dropped out in her first year despite being on a scholarship.

Why you may ask? Because it was so slow for her, in her words she was a fish out of water. Struggles of the A students, huh!

After dropping out, she went into sales. Surprise surprise, it’s not your ideal sales job. It was a multilevel marketing gig for weight loss pills! Now pick up your jaw. 

During this time, she bought a Rolex and a V12 convertible Mercedes, all while sharing a room with three friends and sleeping on an air mattress.

Four years later, she threw in the towel, sold the Mercedes for a Hyundai, and fate led her to the lending space.

Climbing up the Ladder

Her journey to the top was so easy.

I’m bluffing, it was everything, but.

For starters, she had to deal with some douchebag bosses and had no mentors. That notwithstanding, she still originated $40m as a solo producer. In 2009, during the HARP 1.0 initiative Flagstar bank events closed her branch when she had 31 loans on board.

She was back to her peak by 2011

At her low messy moments, she had a very cyclical business. She:

• Had very few consistent referrals

• Was constantly looking for the next business 

• Wasn't tracking leads or conversations

The top originators are human after all.

What is she up to now? Currently coaching over 40 LOs. She is building a movement of badasses loan officers ready to soar at shaylagifford.com

Did I mention that she is a swiftie?

• Together with her family they had the (literal) 1 in a million chance to attend the Eras tour.

• She rocks golden locks and a beautiful smile. Talk about never running out of style

I could write a book on Shayla but I won’t, not today. Let’s close this up with a few nuggets of wisdom from the Super LO:

On team production: She constantly coaches and motivates her team to push production because it's the coaching that built her.

What propelled her as a new LO? Being a host. Hosting events and being the facilitator made the world view her as a leader’

Her secret weapon: Tracking! Tracking the calls and appointments everyday. It allows her to escape the rabbit hole of ‘active instead of productive’.

Her advice on life: Everyone is struggling. Focus instead on more meaningful interactions in every chat

“If we’re all God’s children, what’s so special with Jesus? ”

Sexy LOs share! Whisper us to a friend or two.

P.S. If you are a Mortgage Coach and enjoy my style, you can hire my pen to build your own community here. Only 3 slots available.