Build the Standard
The Standard is built from two sources: what your leaders believe, and what your calls prove. Everything below is configuration the customer owns.
Leadership intake
Submitted · VP of Sales · Jul 22Thank them for calling, then ask what made them respond before any product talk. The letter got them curious about something — find it.
Agree, then ask one question about what they want the info to answer. The email is a door, not an exit.
Never argue rates. Reframe to what waiting costs them monthly — their numbers, not generalities.
Position the soft pull as the way to get them real numbers instead of guesses. Ask permission, frame the benefit, no pressure.
Get the spouse on a scheduled call. Never sell against the spouse — sell to the household.
Compliment the homework, then compare total monthly picture, not rate to rate.
One honest sentence, then earn the right to answer properly: 'depends on three things about your situation — can I ask them?'
Open with what's changed since they inquired, not an apology for the delay.
No guilt. Assume good intent, offer two concrete times.
Every call ends with a dated, mutual next step. 'I'll send some info' is not a next step.
Call evidence
258 calls analyzedRecorded LO calls, transcribed and analyzed. Stars are defined by outcome, not by name — what converters did differently on comparable calls.
Credit-pull rate when the ask is benefit-framed and permissioned vs. never asked. The single strongest conversion separator we measured.
Conversion when calls end with a dated, mutual next step vs. vague or none.
Tone and talk-time balance showed no conversion separation. They're scored (weight 1) but they are not what separates converters.
Leads with a real LO conversation convert 34.8% vs 4.9% without one — every behavior above compounds on getting the conversation itself.
The Standard
Standard v1 · Active10 scenario answers + 4 documents + 258 analyzed calls → 6 principles → 16 scored behaviors → 3 hard-fail flags.
- P1
- Diagnose the borrower's situation before quoting anything.
- P2
- Active listening is a behavior, not a personality trait.
- P3
- Objections are surfaced concerns — meet them with the borrower's own goals.
- P4
- Every call ends with a scheduled, specific commitment.
- P5
- Explain what the guideline says. Do not give advice you aren't licensed to give.
- P6
- No rate quote without a lock. No misrepresentation. Ever.
The Standard is data. The same behavior IDs power practice scoring, live-call monitoring, drill generation — and scoring our own AI caller. New best practices discovered on live calls flow back in as new scenarios.
Oxford Home Lending owns every input on this page.