Surprisingly, closing is the easy part of the mortgage deal. The harder part is making sure you, as an MLO, have the next one, and the one after that.
In this episode of AD Digest, Serena Diaco, Sales Trainer at AD Mortgage, speaks with Matthew Blackmer, VP of Business Development at West Capital Lending. Before mortgage, Matthew spent years in competitive figure skating, and he carries the discipline he learned into how he helps brokers and teams grow through partnerships and structure.
What Separates a Revenue Engine from a Good Month
A good month can happen by accident, but a revenue engine can’t. It depends on brokers trusting someone enough to hand over their goals and let that person map out how to reach them. That’s the role Blackmer has chosen for himself – he considers himself a revenue engine architect.
His growth at West Cap also comes from that trust. ‘Every single person who takes ten minutes to talk to me, I know that they want to be better, and it’s very easy for me to then believe in that,’ he says. In other words, belief comes first, and the results follow from it.
At AD Mortgage, we also aim to earn trust and develop strong relationships with the MLOs. Become a Broker Partner and receive access to an Account Executive who plans your growth with you.
Map Your Channels Before You Chase More Leads
When business slows down, most brokers assume they need more leads. Blackmer sees that as the wrong starting point. Before adding anything new, he wants brokers to look at the math they already have: how many attempts turn into applications, how many applications turn into closings, and where along that path people are falling off.
To do that, he breaks client acquisition into three channels, and argues each one needs to be strong on its own:
- Referral partnerships with real estate agents, financial professionals, and attorneys. These are some of the lowest-cost and highest-converting clients an MLO can enroll.
Perhaps that’s why 82% of mortgage professionals name relationship building and communication the top skill for broker success in 2027, according to AD Mortgage’s 2026 survey.
- Digital marketing, which should be judged by whether the content goes out consistently and whether the broker follows up with people who engage with it.
- Sphere of influence – the MLO’s own database, and whether they hear from that MLO often enough to remember them.
Blackmer has a simple way to check whether a relationship-based channel is working: can the broker show a real list of those relationships, right now?
“It’s one thing to just say I’ve got great relationships. Are those actually written out? Are they socialized? Are they real?” he asks.
If a broker can’t produce that list, the relationships aren’t a working channel yet – just an impression.
Fear is the Real ‘Lead Killer’
None of this works, though, if a broker doesn’t make the calls their business depends on. Asked where brokers lose the most ground, Blackmer points to hesitation. Worrying about coming across as too persistent or too pushy often keeps loan officers from following up when they need to.
“You’re letting someone else’s perception dictate how you’re going to do your business. That’s not why you’re here,” Blackmer says.
His advice is to keep the mission of getting borrowers into homes in view and let that outweigh the discomfort of one uncomfortable call.
Have a specific borrower in mind? Submit a scenario request, and let AD Mortgage’s range of programs help you turn that borrower into a homeowner.
Believe, Then Get Creative
Every piece of advice in this conversation comes back to belief: in the mission, in the partnership, and in the broker’s own plan. Without that belief, indecision creeps in. Blackmer’s closing point is that indecision is what keeps brokers stuck, no matter how uncertain the market looks.
Building a revenue engine means picking a direction and staying willing to try new approaches, instead of repeating the same routine and hoping the results change.
AD Mortgage is a wholesale mortgage lender. We work with broker partners nationwide and support their growth with training and content like the Digest series. Want the complete conversation, including Matthew Blackmer’s take on client acquisition math? Watch the full episode on YouTube and follow AD Mortgage on LinkedIn for new episodes as they drop.
