Client Spotlight: Dillon Stallings, Churchill Mortgage

We sat down and talked to Dillon Stallings with Churchill Mortgage, one of our clients to recognize how dedicated he is is to creating the best customer service experience possible and to show others, why they should choose Dillon when it comes to getting a mortgage. Check out his facebook here.

Churchill is the only mortgage company that financial expert and radio personality, Dave Ramsey, recommends on his show. This is because they’re serious about helping you get debt-free and achieve financial peace.

"Churchill Mortgage is a company you can trust. For over two decades, they have provided great service and the right tools to help borrowers achieve financial stability. Many companies define success based on the dollars coming in, but like us, Churchill defines success by the number of lives they change." - Dave Ramsey

Question 1: What made you get into the mortgage industry? What do you love best about working as a lender? 

I always like to say, “I didn’t choose the mortgage industry, the mortgage industry chose me”. I was put in touch with Churchill in my second semester of my senior year of college at Oklahoma Baptist University. I was regularly meeting with my finance professor to pick his brain about career opportunities after graduation. One day while meeting with him, he mentioned he had received a call the night before from an former student looking for an assistant to come work with he and another loan officer in Dallas. At time, I didn’t really know what a mortgage was and wasn’t super excited about leaving Oklahoma right out of college. Fast forward a few months later (and almost time for graduation), I accepted the job at Churchill. Two weeks after graduating, I moved to Dallas and began my journey in the mortgage industry.

Over the years I’ve found myself loving what I do more and more. The joy I get from helping families and individuals through a major decision and investment in their lives is hard to put into words. That in itself is what I love most about what I do everyday.

Question 2: What do you think makes you stand out from other lenders?

It’s so natural to compare yourself to others in the industry. I’m a firm believer, that if you’re the best in the room, go find another room where you’re not the best. It’s the basic nature of competition.

From time to time, clients and realtors will tell me that they’ve been frustrated with the lack of response and availability of the other banks/ lenders they’ve talked to/ worked with. I always let my clients and realtors know that I’m not just a 9-5 loan officer. Weekends, after hours, and (in the past) holidays, I’m available. That’s one thing that will always set me apart from my competition.

Second, I don’t really see myself as a loan officer, but more of an advisor when it comes to the mortgage process. If I can understand my clients goals, whether it’s short-term or long-term, I can help walk them through the steps on how to get there and the options moving forward.

 

Question 3: What does a day in the life of a lender look like? 

Every day has it’s own new to-do list and new set of people to call and help. No two days are the same. Ultimately, my days are spent (and not always in this order) calling new clients and referrals that have reached out with questions, talking with currently clients and providing updates regarding the process and the next steps, updating agents on the status of our mutual clients file, setting up meetings with referral partners, touching base with past clients to do a “mortgage check up”, and marketing myself to friends and the community through social media.

Question 4: What advice would you give to someone looking to become a lender?

You have to LOVE working with people. That’s number one. Between the colleagues around you, your operations team, clients, real estate agents, and title companies, you deal with A LOT of people. If you can’t work with people, you might not find the success you’re hoping for.

Second, the impact your advice makes on the families you work with is a BIG deal. Our clients trust us with one of the most important financial decisions of their lives. Understand that and cherish the responsibility.

 

Question 5: How do you define “success”?

To me, success can be defined in many ways and most of the time is relative. Ultimately, I feel my success comes from leaving people better off from the encounter. I believe the monetary “successes” in life, starts with caring about people. If I’m successful in helping people, I’ll be successful in business and financially.

 

Question 6: When it comes to marketing your own business, what would you say are the hardest parts?

Marketing for me is a never-ending puzzle. Finding your ideal audience and providing content that will attract those people to reach out is tough. Then keeping the audience involved with the most relative content and information. Yikes. Simply put, the hardest thing about marketing is that it’s never-ending.

Question 7: What made you choose CRoche Consulting?

When I first saw the presentations and listened to their approach to marketing, I was intrigued. I really liked how they sat down and just talked to me about my business and tried to understand the person behind the message. It shows when they’re writing up content.