When Debra Killian first stepped into the mortgage world, she quickly realized there was a gaping hole in the industry’s approach to training. Sure, everyone wanted results, but few prioritized actual education. Fast forward 25 years, and Debra has built an impressive career tackling this exact issue. For mortgage brokers eager to grow their businesses, Debra’s unique approach is a breath of fresh air, combining practical training with strategic relationship building. Let’s explore her methods and discover how they can help brokers create a sustainable path to success.
A New Kind of Mortgage Training
Debra’s journey started in the accounting field, but she soon found herself in mortgage origination, where she saw how lacking the training programs were. “Production was all they focused on, not competency,” she says, pointing to an industry-wide issue. This realization led Debra to build her own educational programs, the flagship being her “First Year Mortgage” program. It’s designed for new loan originators, guiding them from the licensing stage all the way to mastering the art of the mortgage business.
According to Debra, the industry’s obsession with sales often overshadows essential skills training. Her program addresses this by focusing on competencies that foster confidence and effectiveness. “When people know what they’re doing, they feel good about it, and production naturally follows,” she explains. Debra’s approach helps brokers meet their sales goals while staying grounded in best practices and ethics—elements that build a long-lasting, reputable business.
Transforming Realtor Relationships with the Instruct Program
Let’s face it, the typical approach of wooing realtors with donuts and lunches feels outdated. Debra has an alternative with her “Instruct Program,” which helps mortgage brokers build meaningful partnerships with Realtors by offering them something of real value—education. “Why bring donuts when you could teach them something valuable?” she asks, underscoring a point often overlooked.
The Instruct Program empowers brokers to offer continuing education (CE) classes to real estate agents, adding value and credibility to their interactions. It’s a win-win: realtors receive useful training, and brokers have the chance to position themselves as industry experts. Debra walks brokers through the CE certification process, enabling them to provide mortgage-specific content that realtors can actually use.
The program includes a mix of online self-study modules, live webinars, and personalized coaching. Debra also ensures that brokers are equipped to tailor their classes to their local market, explaining, “If you can get in front of 50 or 100 real estate professionals as the expert, the business connections will follow.” This approach provides an authentic way to build credibility and trust within the real estate community without needing to push for sales.