Miss-Delectable
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http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Loan+officer+focuses+on+deaf+and+hard+of+hearing+people&articleId=1e97dab5-e2a6-42cf-bd01-2640f61f56d3
Loan officer Eric Eliason's phone makes cold calling so successful his bosses are looking to get more; the only problem is finding people who can operate them.
Eliason, 27, of Farmington, doesn't use just any phone to talk to his clients; he uses a video phone and serves the deaf and hard of hearing community by using sign language. So while many loan officers making cold calls will be awash in hang-ups, polite kiss-offs and worse, the people Eliason calls are so surprised to get help from someone they can talk to, they're much more likely to stay on the line.
"Over the regular phone, the one 'yes' you get is after 100 calls. Over the video phone, it's one out of three," Eliason said, adding, "I almost feel bad for the other loan officers."
After joining Dover-based Arista Lending Solutions as a rookie mortgage specialist about four months ago, Eliason sought a niche, a way to find and retain clients that would make his new career a success. About 80 percent deaf and a sign language speaker since he was a child, the answer was clear.
Few loan officers serve the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and many of them are in the dark about what their options are when it comes to refinancing their homes, Eliason said. Recognizing an under-served population, Eliason set out to capitalize and has found many in the community have had trouble in the past.
So far the result has been a great success with Eliason signing up five clients in July, a good number for even a seasoned loan officer.
Arista co-owner and sales director Paul Gaudet said Eliason's numbers have been impressive and he is looking to hire more loan officers who can use video phones because the deaf and hard-of-hearing community is under-served and more likely to use a company that has people who can communicate with them.
"We'll fill the office with video phones if it works," he said.
Refinancing is a complicated process, but is made even more so when the loan officer and client don't speak the same language.
Velma Wright, a hard of hearing client of Eliason's from Port Charlotte, Fla., said she had problems in the past dealing with hearing loan officers with whom she simply didn't feel comfortable and who didn't make enough of an effort to inform her of her options.
"All my life, when I wanted to buy a car, many times people would just write stuff down and do all their calculations and they would never explained anything," Wright said. "They would say here and expect me to sign something."
At 75, Wright said she faced a tough situation when she refinanced her home last month to pay off credit card debt. She knew she was in dire financial straits and had no problem telling Eliason so, but said she would not have been as open with a hearing person.
"With Eric I thought I could be very blunt about my problems and with hearing people, you can't," she said.
The difference is not just a language barrier, it's an understanding of what it means to be deaf and to communicate using signs, Wright said, noting that many deaf people are frustrated dealing with loan officers and banks.
For example, Eliason said, deaf people do not like using typing devices to communicate by phone because it forces them to use a language they're not as comfortable with, as opposed to video phones, which allow them to sign.
Because of the differences in deaf and hearing culture, Eliason said he makes it a point to tell his clients all their options and to explain them thoroughly. He said many clients tell him they have signed mortgages or loan agreements in the past despite never understanding them and simply hoped everything would work out.
"Nobody sits down and takes the time to explain everything to them," said Eliason, noting that his job is made easier because he can see if his clients are frustrated or don't understand what he is talking about.
A former case worker for Granite State Assisted Living, Eliason said he understands the obstacles many deaf people face: no interpreters, frustration on the part of loan officers and a lack of understanding. He said he hopes to get his name out into the community to serve more people and plans to attend the American Sign Language Expo in Los Angeles next month.
But Granite State Assisted Living CEO Clyde Terry said that although he applauds Eliason, he is wary of sign language-using telemarketers targeting the deaf and hard-of-hearing community using video phones.
"If it's opening up communications options to people of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community that's a positive step, but like any consumer enterprise, it's buyer beware," he said.
Loan officer Eric Eliason's phone makes cold calling so successful his bosses are looking to get more; the only problem is finding people who can operate them.
Eliason, 27, of Farmington, doesn't use just any phone to talk to his clients; he uses a video phone and serves the deaf and hard of hearing community by using sign language. So while many loan officers making cold calls will be awash in hang-ups, polite kiss-offs and worse, the people Eliason calls are so surprised to get help from someone they can talk to, they're much more likely to stay on the line.
"Over the regular phone, the one 'yes' you get is after 100 calls. Over the video phone, it's one out of three," Eliason said, adding, "I almost feel bad for the other loan officers."
After joining Dover-based Arista Lending Solutions as a rookie mortgage specialist about four months ago, Eliason sought a niche, a way to find and retain clients that would make his new career a success. About 80 percent deaf and a sign language speaker since he was a child, the answer was clear.
Few loan officers serve the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and many of them are in the dark about what their options are when it comes to refinancing their homes, Eliason said. Recognizing an under-served population, Eliason set out to capitalize and has found many in the community have had trouble in the past.
So far the result has been a great success with Eliason signing up five clients in July, a good number for even a seasoned loan officer.
Arista co-owner and sales director Paul Gaudet said Eliason's numbers have been impressive and he is looking to hire more loan officers who can use video phones because the deaf and hard-of-hearing community is under-served and more likely to use a company that has people who can communicate with them.
"We'll fill the office with video phones if it works," he said.
Refinancing is a complicated process, but is made even more so when the loan officer and client don't speak the same language.
Velma Wright, a hard of hearing client of Eliason's from Port Charlotte, Fla., said she had problems in the past dealing with hearing loan officers with whom she simply didn't feel comfortable and who didn't make enough of an effort to inform her of her options.
"All my life, when I wanted to buy a car, many times people would just write stuff down and do all their calculations and they would never explained anything," Wright said. "They would say here and expect me to sign something."
At 75, Wright said she faced a tough situation when she refinanced her home last month to pay off credit card debt. She knew she was in dire financial straits and had no problem telling Eliason so, but said she would not have been as open with a hearing person.
"With Eric I thought I could be very blunt about my problems and with hearing people, you can't," she said.
The difference is not just a language barrier, it's an understanding of what it means to be deaf and to communicate using signs, Wright said, noting that many deaf people are frustrated dealing with loan officers and banks.
For example, Eliason said, deaf people do not like using typing devices to communicate by phone because it forces them to use a language they're not as comfortable with, as opposed to video phones, which allow them to sign.
Because of the differences in deaf and hearing culture, Eliason said he makes it a point to tell his clients all their options and to explain them thoroughly. He said many clients tell him they have signed mortgages or loan agreements in the past despite never understanding them and simply hoped everything would work out.
"Nobody sits down and takes the time to explain everything to them," said Eliason, noting that his job is made easier because he can see if his clients are frustrated or don't understand what he is talking about.
A former case worker for Granite State Assisted Living, Eliason said he understands the obstacles many deaf people face: no interpreters, frustration on the part of loan officers and a lack of understanding. He said he hopes to get his name out into the community to serve more people and plans to attend the American Sign Language Expo in Los Angeles next month.
But Granite State Assisted Living CEO Clyde Terry said that although he applauds Eliason, he is wary of sign language-using telemarketers targeting the deaf and hard-of-hearing community using video phones.
"If it's opening up communications options to people of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community that's a positive step, but like any consumer enterprise, it's buyer beware," he said.