LTB's proprietary Loan Officer Assessment Test (LOAT) is a proven tool that enables us to accurately gauge a Loan Officer's individual talents as well as those areas where there might be room for improvement. Whether you're new to the business or a seasoned pro, results from the LOAT allow us to point you in the right direction on the Pyramid of a Complete Loan Officer, which defines the crucial milestones that each loan originator must master on his or her road to success.

In this week's Toolbox Tutorial, we'll show you how to complete the LOAT and what to do with the results to maximize your LTB experience and ensure your success over the competition. Once you begin this journey, your business will never be the same!

First, go to the homepage and click on the “What is the Pyramid?” tab underneath the Pyramid in the upper right-hand corner of your screen, and watch the video.

This video will give you a better understanding of how each level of the Pyramid relates both to your career path and to the content available within LoanToolbox.

Next, return to the homepage and take the LOAT exam. Click on the “Take the LO Assessment” tab to begin. Your undivided attention is crucial to obtaining an accurate assessment, so please be sure you have at least 30 minutes of privacy to get through the multiple-choice exam of just over 120 questions. (This test may only be taken once every six months, so please give it your best effort.)

Select the answers that best apply to your abilities and/or your business.

Once you have completed the LOAT, your results will be recorded and color coded within each of the 7 tiers of the Pyramid. The different colors on the Pyramid indicate your skill level in that specific area, with red being an area(s) that needs the most focus and dark green the area(s) in which you excel. Yellows and oranges are your mid-range area(s). You may follow the links on your Results page to the section(s) of the Pyramid you'd like to address.

For the above example, we'll click on "Leadership & Team Building."

As you can see, the test results in each section are broken down further into subcategories within each tier. In the above example, our weakest area was “Team Communication” according to the LOAT. Because of this, a direct link to an area of the website with tools and resources is provided to help you improve in this area of business.

However, if you need more help focusing on specific tiers of the Pyramid, and you're not sure where to begin, LTB recommends starting with The Five Steps to Success, which is available in each section of the Pyramid of a Complete Loan Officer. The Five Steps to Success are also covered in detail in the 2008 Toolbox Tutorial Lesson Two. For more help evaluating your scores and developing an action plan, do not hesitate to contact Member Services at (877) 684-8665 (M-F 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT). Once you have mastered the Pyramid, you will become a master of your business, as well.

See you next Wednesday for another Toolbox Tutorial:
Lesson Twelve: LTB's Lead Follow-up Campaigns