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- [00:02]
A
What an honor to be sitting in the big capable shoes of Jeff Zimper, Mortgage Marketing Radio back on the airwaves and wishing Jeff well. He continues to battle cancer. And I just want to start this off with something he left with us on a past show and that was that the show must go on. These are his exact words. And it's not what's happened in life, but how you respond that makes all the difference. So I took a little bit of time out to follow the protocol that I've been given in terms of chemo treatments, two chemo treatments and then some. Jeff recently developed a high fever and had a very moving post on Facebook. And I reached out to him this morning and I said, I'm thinking about you, man. What can I do for you? Name it and I'll do it. And he said, can you pinch it for me on my show? And I said, done. Let me grab a guest. And not only did I get a guest, I have one of the most fabulous people and producers in our industry. Andy Beigel is a division senior vice president at NFM Lending. Let me just qualify this guy in terms of what he's been able to produce in three of the worst years any of us have ever seen. Okay, 2023, 289 units for $75.7 million. Okay, that's 2023, that was a terrible year. 2024, 278 units for 83.6 million. And in the year that just concluded, 2025, 302 units for $93 million. So yes, production is climbing and he is soon to be, if history is any indication, a 100 million dollar man. But let me just say that he's not just originating loans. That's just a portion of what he's doing as a leader of a team. He had a great mentor and we'll get into his whole story, but first, let me say hello to Andy Beigel. Andy, how are you?
- [02:11]
B
I'm doing great, Greg. I really appreciate you having me on.
- [02:15]
A
Yeah. When I mentioned that it was for Jeff and what he has been going through, you said, I'm in, put me in, coach. So you know, Jeff, we're all wishing you well, man. We all love you and appreciate your content and we're going to put on the show for you today. So, Andrew, let's jump right in. Where did it all begin? Because we have a lot of people listening to us here. Jeff has got an incredible following, but they're not all 96 million dollar people. Like these are people that run the Range. Right. And so let's go back to what got you into the business. What was that moment? And then we're going to talk an awful lot about your ascent through each stage of this process.
- [02:52]
B
Yeah, absolutely. So I started in the business in 2017. I didn't know what a mortgage was, but I had a buddy that was working in the industry and he seemed to be having a lot of fun. So I jumped on his coattails and started as a loan partner on a team, which was just a fancy way of saying you're going to cold call ad leads and set realtor appointments for at the time, the loan officer that I was working for, Daniel sa and you're going to learn mortgage. So I did that until 2019, April 2019. I transitioned to be a loan originator myself after learning how a mortgage worked, learning how to acquire referred business from Realtor partners and other industry, you know, advocates. And then I really had my ascent happen in 2020 and 2021. And unfortunately I didn't have any past clients to refinance because I had just started as an originator in, in 2019. So while everybody was catching, you know, the money falling out of the sky with refis, I was chasing down realtor partners, having zoom calls with them because, you know, Covid prevented in person meetings and really just building my book of business on the purchase world while everybody else was chasing down the, the easy money. And so 2020, I did maybe like 230 units in my first full year as an originator. 2021.
- [04:44]
A
You gotta stop there, stop there, stop there.
- [04:46]
B
Yeah.
- [04:46]
A
That's incredible. Wait a minute. In your first full year as an originator, you closed 230 units?
- [04:53]
B
Yeah, 230 purchase units.
- [04:56]
A
Okay, we have to unpack that. Like how that is like a dream. How. What are some of the things that you did to speed up that track from a guy, from someone just getting into the business. Most people, when they're just getting in in their first full year, closing a couple loans a month, you're. You're closing 10 times that in your first year.
- [05:17]
B
Yeah, the. I think the biggest thing that helped me excel in the growth of my purchase business is following a process and having a skill set that I was just 100 dialed in on, you know, and that was being super diligent on clean scripting with my intake calls, mastering my consultations, when it came to presenting loan options for clients, retaining clients, you know, with the contract transition, converting realtor partners, you know, and how do I host a meeting with a Realtor and pitch them on, giving me a chance. You know, I had some extensive, you know, realtor retention strategies that, that I executed on and then really just building out additional pillars of my business and structuring my week appropriately. I feel like those were really the things when I think back on that I just was 100% dialed in on and focused on in my business instead of getting sidetracked with everything else that the industry throws at us or everything else that might look like the newest, shiny, hottest thing thing.
- [06:36]
A
So when you look at those different steps in the process that you say were the key to doing 230 units in your first full year as an originator, not even, what, three years into the business at that point? Four years. Yeah. How long were you in Loa for?
- [06:53]
B
20 months.
- [06:55]
A
Got it. So when you look at this process that you just described, what would you say to, you know, like, if you had to pick a couple for somebody, for somebody listening that's trying to make that next leap, whatever it is. What are like two. I know they're all important, but like, yeah, yeah, Extract two that are like key, key. Where you saw the biggest needle movers.
- [07:20]
B
I think the most important is practicing scripting. And a great example, actually. Tom Brady jersey right behind you. You know, Tom Brady doesn't just show up on the football field and learn how to throw a ball when he's in the game. You know, he threw the ball a thousand times at practice that week or more before he actually stepped on the field. And he threw the ball 100,000 times or millions probably before he even got to a Super Bowl. And what I see in the industry a lot of times as I bring on originators and mentor them is they don't ever practice. Nobody in our industry practices, but they want to be great. And so in my dreams, literally sleeping at night, my wife would wake me up and tell me, andy, shut up. And I was like, role playing. The rate rebuttal script. And in my dreams and I just practiced so hard on getting the basics down because what I've noticed about this industry is that it's just a culmination of doing a lot of the basic things 1% better than everybody else. And if I do a hundred things better, I'm a hundred percent, you know, superior when it comes time to show up to the game.
- [08:44]
A
That was so strong. Is that. Is what you just said scripted?
- [08:49]
B
It should be, but it was, it wasn't.
- [08:52]
A
That. That's incredible. I mean, prac practice. If I can be 1% better than everybody else, then I'm cumulatively 100 better than everyone else. The Tom Brady analogy is. Is great too. So scripting.
- [09:06]
B
Scripting was. Is. Is my number one recommendation for new or seasoned loan officers. Right.
- [09:12]
A
What is it? What does that look like? Like, you talk about scripting. Is it. Is it the same predictable. Do you try and go down the same scripting path every time you talk, or does it depend on the personality on the other end? Like, what happens if you have somebody that's really conversational, very gregarious, they like to small talk, and here you are looking at your script, but then you have someone else. It's very serious. You know, let's talk about the rate. Let's talk about the terms. I'm talking to the bank down the street.
- [09:39]
B
So, yeah, I think it's. I think it's having a road map. You know, I never had a desire to want to stay on the exact script the entire time that I was on a conversation. But just having the first 30 seconds of the introduction. What are we going to go over on our call today? It's an intro call. What is the outcome that we're looking for in the call? Right. And just creating a clear roadmap of what that client can expect from you moving forward and then having scripted, you know, pieces for objections. You know, what's your rate? What are your costs? You know, all of those things. Just having an outline of what to say so that when you are faced with that rebuttal, you can answer it confidently and you don't sound all over the place or like you don't actually know what the answer is, and then getting them back on track with where the conversation actually needs to go.
- [10:38]
A
So will you set that table in the beginning? Hello, Mr. Jones. Great to talk to you. Here's what I hope to accomplish on this call. Please tell me what you hope to accomplish. Like, do you get right into that? Is that how you do it?
- [10:49]
B
Absolutely. Every single 30 seconds of the call. The first 30 seconds is the same with every client. I don't care if they're an analytical, you know, actuary or they are a salesperson themselves. When I'm making an introduction, it's the same scripted 30 seconds at the beginning of a call when somebody asked me what my rate is. It's the same exact scripted rate, objection and rebuttal, and a couple of other pieces through the process. You know, when I'm delivering our unique selling proposition at the end of the call, the three things that I can guarantee them and the two things that I want in return. So, you know, just having some highlights that I stay scripted on that give me a road map of, you know, what the sales cycle looks like.
- [11:38]
A
Is the rate the most consistent objection that you've got to talk about?
- [11:44]
B
If. No, I don't feel like it is, because when I lead with the intro, it's already eliminating the rate objection by letting them know, hey, we're going to get to that point at the end after we determine what your profile looks like, identifying your goals and reviewing next steps. Yeah.
- [12:03]
A
So in other words, you take that off the table by saying, I need to get accumulate all this information to be able to get to that part in the conversation. Because obviously if they are going FHA or dpa, it's a lot different than if they're going conventional. Right. So.
- [12:16]
B
Right.
- [12:19]
A
And when you do get into the rate script, when that does happen, when I do say to you as a client, andy, I love you, you've told me that Your rate's roughly 6 and 3/4 percent. I've got a friend that just got, you know, an eighth or quarter lower than that down the street. What do you, you know, how do you tackle that?
- [12:42]
B
It's a great question, Greg. I'm glad you asked. As a nationwide direct lender, we have access to every financing program available in the industry. Ultimately, when it comes time to lock in your interest rate, we're going to lock you in at the lowest, most competitive rate for your specific situation. That being said, we want to get a full picture of what your goals look like and what you qualify for. So that way we can set you up for success. When did you say you were looking to purchase a home?
- [13:10]
A
Yes. And that's that. That's the part where you get them back on track.
- [13:13]
B
And that's where I get them back on track. And then somebody says, well, I got offered a 6.3, you know, or a 5.5 or whatever the case is. Great. We have access to those options as well. I'm going to show you exactly what it's going to take for you to get those options or better based on your goals and your qualification. Because I can give a client a 5.5 also. They just might have to take it on a 7:1 arm or they might have to pay a point to get down, you know, or whatever the case is. Right. I can offer the same exact rates as everybody else, so I never really get in this bad. And then I have a loan consultation with them. Right. Where I educate them on what does it take to get to a 5.5 that their buddy just got. Well, this is what the market is today. This is your lowest cost option. This is your 5.5 option. Hey, I even have a 5% option all the way over here. Right. But here's what it takes to get there. And once you educate the client on what that looks like, it builds a lot more confidence from their side and clarity on maybe why their friend got the 5.5.
- [14:24]
A
So it's a full consultation.
- [14:26]
B
It's a full consultation.
- [14:27]
A
And that, and that help. That helps. Right? You take your time now. Now you just did. You know, I've got to go back to the numbers here, but in 2025 you closed 302 units. That's you closing those loans. So are you, are you personally talking to every one of those clients up front with, in running this or do you have a team that supports you?
- [14:48]
B
I have a phenomenal team now that supports me as well. I have three loan partners who also have consultations. I still do a lot of consultations. I did over a hundred, you know, consultations last year myself and closed over a hundred of those loans personally. I do talk to every client though that works with us and then I also manage a branch of 10 loan originators to help them.
- [15:18]
A
We got, we got to get into that because as a, as a leader of nfm, and I should say we are at the half point of, of mortgage marketing Radio Jeff Zimfer. We love you buddy. This is Greg Share, pinch hitting from NFM Lending. We have Andrew Beigel on the line here. He's a division vice president of NFM Lending man who's grown year over year, three straight years in a row who just told you that he's got 10 loan officers. He went from an LOA in 2019 to a guy that's got, who's doing 300 units himself for close to 100 million and has 10 originators under him. And we're going to get into that. We have to get into that. Right, but there's still a few more things that I wanna, I wanna talk about here. Because to have three LOAs as your business starts to ascend, I would imagine letting go of that control has got to be a real thing.
- [16:17]
B
Yeah.
- [16:17]
A
As you're, you're tasting success, you want to hang on to that success. You develop this line of dependability and integrity that your referral partners are used to seeing on the other end of the phone and all of a sudden now you've got a loan partner that's going to be handling that because you can't scale to 300 loans a year handling it all by yourself. Not if you want any quality of life. So what can you tell us about that process? And, and is there any advice for those people that are maybe struggling or, or about to cross over that Rubicon that might be able to make it easier for them? Like, in other words, if you knew then what, you know, now kind of thing?
- [16:55]
B
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, when it comes to building a team, it is one of the hardest parts of this business. That's why you don't see a lot of high producing teams. Because as the originator, you've developed these relationships with your referral partners, you've developed these processes. Most loan originators create processes that aren't scalable or, you know, able to be delegated. So you have to be able to create a repeatable process that somebody else can follow to train them. They have to practice their scripting daily, and, you know, they've got to practice their skill set daily. But then you also need to. This is the most important part of building a team is you have to create a positive feedback loop from your loan partner or your loa to the client and. Or the referral partner. So when my loa talks to a client, we're ensuring that after that conversation, the client is circling back with their realtor and letting them know, hey, I had a wonderful conversation with Logan and we've got everything taken care of. So now we're effectively creating trust between Logan and the realtor partner via the client and showing that Logan is capable and able to take care of their clients, although Andy was the only one that had done that in the past. So creating the positive feedback loop from the client to the agent about your team is the most important part if you ever want the opportunity to be able to delegate those leads and those clients to others. Because if you don't, then the moment one thing goes sideways, your agent comes back to you and says, hey, Andy, I only want you taking my leads. If you're unable to do that, that's fine. I'll find another lender partner. But if they've already heard five other times that Logan has been taking excellent care of their clients, they don't care.
- [19:08]
A
How do you create that feedback loop? Close that link in the chain for me. Is that. Are you asking the client to hey,
- [19:14]
B
for the secret sauce?
- [19:15]
A
Greg, if you're liking how this is going, can you please let. Can you please let the agent know you say that to the client?
- [19:24]
B
This is. This is the secret sauce. Man, you really. You really want it all, huh?
- [19:28]
A
Well, I mean, this is. Dude, this is. This is all about Jeff Zimmer, bro.
- [19:31]
B
I. I'm here for it. I'm here for it.
- [19:33]
A
So we're all here for Jeff. So let's go, and then I'll do it. Then we'll pivot into another area because we still have one other thing to tackle that we left unpacked, and then we'll jump into what this team that you have. My goodness. You're closing 302 loans a year by yourself with a team, and now you've. You've got 10 LOS. Did you say you've got 10 loan officers under you now?
- [19:54]
B
Yeah, 10 loan officers.
- [19:56]
A
We'll get into the minute. Let's talk a little bit about that secret sauce. You don't have to open up the bottle and pour it all on the table, but give us, like, a tiny
- [20:03]
B
little sprinkle, you know, in honor of Jeff and. And you asking me to do this. I'll. I'll pour it all out because here's the actual differentiating factor as well as most people don't actually execute on things. So everybody's going to listen to this, hear it say, oh, yeah, that sounds wonderful, but nobody's going to actually execute on it because they're not going to be held accountable. And that's why I continue to stay at the top and keep rising.
- [20:29]
A
But. Sounds like a challenge.
- [20:31]
B
It's a challenge.
- [20:32]
A
Radio. Let's go. Let's rise up, people.
- [20:34]
B
So at the end of the conversation, we always deliver our usp, which is our unique selling proposition. We're going to close on time. We're going to proactively communicate, and there will be no surprises. Greg, the only two things that I ask for in return from you is that if you know anybody else looking to buy, seller, refinance, don't keep me a secret. And after this call, if you could just do me a huge favor, if you could just let your agent know that we connected and we've got everything squared away and we're taking great care of you. That would mean the world. Can you do that?
- [21:11]
A
There it is.
- [21:13]
B
Boom. Somebody's going to give you their verbal commitment. Most people want to be a man or a woman of their word. And so after the call, they're going to reach out to their agent, say, hey, I connected with Andy. He's taking great care of me. Thank you for connecting us.
- [21:27]
A
Yeah.
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B
You know how many positive feedback. Yep.
- [21:32]
A
Closes that. Closes that link and. And gets that good feedback Loop. Now I had. We'll go backwards just one more second.
- [21:38]
B
Yep.
- [21:39]
A
And we'll go forwards. I had asked you, like you, you went over a pretty robust set of, yeah. Checkpoints where, where you do something. And I had said to you, well, what are two things out of those seven or eight that you mentioned that really move the needle more than others? You, you pointed out one incredible thing. That's practice. Loan officers don't practice enough. Not enough practicing of scripting, not enough practicing of consistency. Give us one other area.
- [22:13]
B
I think, you know, you'd have to argue that the realtor conversion, you know, and getting a referral partner is obviously a very important aspect of this business. So similar to my intake call, similar to my loan consultation, similar to everything that I do, there's a scripted process to my realtor meeting and how I go through that, the questions that I ask the Realtor and being able to convert them to send me a lead, that's all I need is a chance. And once I get that opportunity, I'll execute. And so to be able to convert a realtor and to get an opportunity, you have to do two things. Well, you have to get them to like you. Obviously, that's, that's very important. But you also have to be able to show them that you have a process that you'll be able to deliver on that helps their clients achieve their goal of winning an offer. And so in that realtor meeting, I'm going through things with that refer, potential referral partner and showing them conversations that we have with their clients, how their client can be as competitive as possible in a multiple offer situation, how we can pre underwrite the loan to ensure a quick closing, which will obviously make their offer more competitive, you know, and a handful of other things. But that is what I would say is also, you know, second most important part of building your business. On the referral purchase side, are you
- [23:56]
A
still prospecting at your level?
- [24:00]
B
I need to be, but I haven't. Just because we've been building the branch the last couple of years.
- [24:07]
A
Yeah, it's hard to do, but I'm sure that if you do, if you deliver this level of excellence that you're defining here, and clearly you have, the proof is in the pudding. Right. Your ascension speaks for itself. I would imagine when you do good things for the agent, that they're telling the agent next to them and that you're getting opportunities in, in that way. Okay.
- [24:31]
B
Yep.
- [24:31]
A
Very cool. Now let's talk about this, this branch that you're building. So you started out as an LOA for 20 months, you're, you're, you're learning how to spell mortgage, right? And then your first full year, you do 230 units and you've never looked back. 2023, you did 75 million. 2024, you did 82. 2025, you did 95. And clearly I'm not even going to ask you if you're gonna hit 100 million because duh.
- [24:58]
B
Yeah.
- [24:59]
A
But in the midst of all this growth, you also have a team of 10 LOS right now, and I'm guessing they know scripts pretty well, that you, you took what you learned from the professor and became a master. And now you are a mentor to them. So let's start with what production did this branch do take you out of it in 2025?
- [25:25]
B
Yeah, last year the branch did 250 million units on 870 or 250 million in volume on 875 units. I was, like I said about 300 of that.
- [25:42]
A
My goodness. So you, so you are getting, you're only a third of the production at this point of a branch you built.
- [25:52]
B
Yeah.
- [25:52]
A
And how long did it take you to build that branch to go from 0 to 10?
- [25:56]
B
I started our branch in 2022.
- [26:01]
A
That's incredible. I mean, it. People talk about, oh, this, this pie is really shrinking. Oh my goodness, you know, should I even stay in the business? And what about AI and, and what about these realtor partnerships with los? And you're, meanwhile, you're sitting here just barreling through proving that none of it means a damn thing. Yeah, that's, that's incredible. So you're, you're, you're an amazing story. Right? And I know you had a great mentor in Daniel Saw, who runs a billion dollar division for NFM Lending. And when he first got to NFM in seven years ago, he was, I don't know, maybe 80 million. Yeah, you know, he's, he's more than 10x that. So clearly a process really works. Tell us about the los. Like, not names or anything, but how often are you teaching them? Yeah, yeah, and, and just tell us that.
- [27:03]
B
Yeah, we do a lot of training, we do a lot of development. Our goal is not to get a lot of people, but to help those people grow. And so we do a dedicated 10 hours of coaching per month with every loan officer. So we have a Monday skills skill set workshop, we do a Tuesday sales meeting, and then we have, you know, monthly one on ones with each originator. So we're putting a lot of time and effort into the development of each loan originator. And some of them. One of them that I always love to give an example of, is Ryan. He. We hired him when he was 22 years old, fresh out of college. He also didn't know how to spell mortgage. And, you know, he's 26 now, did 125 units last year on his own, working on building a team. Right now. We just set some goals this year, which are exciting. We've got a couple.
- [28:08]
A
Start him as an loa.
- [28:10]
B
Started. He started as a loan officer right out of the gate. He said that he. He was a very ambitious kid. And.
- [28:19]
A
Well, how did you feel about that? Knowing that you came up a certain way. Right. That you know that, hey, this process works. So this is where I would imagine the natural inclination is to say, look, I know this works. Look at me.
- [28:30]
B
Yeah.
- [28:30]
A
So was that it. Was that a moment where you had to, like, check that at the door and say, if you really want it that badly, come on in?
- [28:36]
B
Yeah, that's what it became. I tried to pitch him on being an LOA for me, and he's just a young, ambitious guy, and he's a hustler. He's a smart kid. And he just was like, I think I can be a loan officer. And I was like, all right, well, let's do it. He was the first one that we hired, and. And then shortly behind hiring him, we hired Diana, who's just a rock star as well. She did, you know, $24 million last year on, like, 90 some loans. She's a young hustler as well. She's been in the business about four years total. I think five years. Maybe this will be her fifth year. So.
- [29:18]
A
And you're in the Columbus area or outside?
- [29:21]
B
We're right in the middle of Columbus.
- [29:23]
A
Yeah. So here's a. Here's a what I think is a fascinating question. And you got three LOAs, right. To help support your personal business of.
- [29:33]
B
Yeah.
- [29:34]
A
300 units a year, which is climbing.
- [29:36]
B
Yeah.
- [29:37]
A
But then you also have these los. And you're taking them from scratch and building them up. And so I think a really fascinating question is what are the characteristics that these people need to have to convince you that they're worth your time? Because obviously your time is very valuable. So what are some things that you look out for? You're looking for. Some people look for athletes. Some people look for scholars. Some people look for math majors, engineers. What does that playbook look like?
- [30:10]
B
If somebody is willing to work hard and they are open to coaching and being told what they're doing wrong and making changes, that's all that we're looking for. I can teach somebody how to do a mortgage. You know, mortgages are relatively easy nowadays. You got aus, you got AI, you know, but are you somebody that's going to work hard? Are you open to feedback and coaching and are you a likable person? Like when I sit down and interview you, am I looking to try to end the meeting or am I actually enjoying the conversation that we're having and, you know, losing track of time? Because I'm just so intrigued because if you can hook me on those things, then you can hook a potential realtor, partner and referral source on sending you a lead. And if you're going to work hard, that's what this business takes early on, then I can teach you what a mortgage is. We have the systems, we have the processes, we have the tools, you know, to be able to develop somebody.
- [31:21]
A
Now you're, we're going to have people listening to this that go, that's the kind of leader I want to follow. And you're in Columbus. Do you ever consider taking on people that are not it right inside of your footprint? Have you branched out? I mean, there's nothing you haven't accomplished yet that you've set your mind to. So is that something you've done yet or are willing to do? If for the right person, that's the
- [31:40]
B
next phase, you know, the expansion and the growth.
- [31:44]
A
Maybe it starts right here, right now. Maybe this is the beginning of that.
- [31:46]
B
That's true.
- [31:47]
A
I'm afraid to ask you how you're feeling right now about this conversation. Is this one of those conversations you want to end or is this one of those conversations where you want to keep going? Don't tell me the answer. Please don't tell me the answer. I think, I think I know, but I, you know, if it's not what I think it is, I'll be, I'll be absolutely devastated. This has been such a fascinating 30 or so minutes with you. I know how much Jeffrey appreciates this and, and how much I appreciate it and, and Jeff, we're all pulling for you, brother. We're thinking about you, we're praying for you. I know you're a strong guy and look, we got your back, man. This has been a great conversation. We're continuing this mortgage marketing radio legacy right here, right now. Andy Beigel, Defender Division vice President of NFM Lending with Greg Share, pinch hitting for Jeff. I think we're, we're all done. Andrew, thank you. Brother.
- [32:42]
B
I appreciate it, Greg. It's been great.
- [32:44]
A
If, if, if people want to get a hold of you, you want to throw out your email or, Or a number or. You know what, what do you want to give them?
- [32:51]
B
Yeah, yeah, they can email me at a bagel that's B E I G e l@nfm lending.com or on Instagram. It's just Andy Vigle.
- [33:04]
A
Yeah. And you. You married your high school sweetheart, didn't you?
- [33:08]
B
Fifth grade. She's been. She's been my only girlfriend and Definitely.
- [33:15]
A
And she's in the business. She helps.
- [33:17]
B
She's in the business. She's. She's the beauty and the brains behind it all.
- [33:21]
A
I can attest for both of those things, having. Having gone to the Kentucky Derby with you a couple of years ago, which was one to remember.
- [33:29]
B
That's right.
- [33:30]
A
All right, guys and gals, appreciate your time. This has been a pleasure and an honor to sit in for Jeff Zimper. Get well soon, brother Andy. Take care. We'll talk to you soon.
- [33:41]
B
Thanks, Greg. Thanks, Jeff.