As I read the Chrisman report recently, the number that jumped out was that loan production per loan now tops $12,000. The first thing I thought of was that some components' costs in the mortgage processing system had increased recently. The bigger problem is the need for more volume, where companies decide to keep their team size the same. Instead, they're choosing to keep the same loan production teams, even though the production is nonexistent.

Companies are trying to keep their staff on, hoping to catch the ride of lower interest rates or more loans in the second quarter. But, unfortunately, the reality is that it is a crapshoot in some cases where no one knows what will happen.

I know firsthand speaking to people about how their companies need to make hard choices in the coming days, weeks, and months so that the company can stay afloat during these times.

To those folks, everyone needs to pick their heads up and look around as to what they are doing or what they could help to generate more revenue for the company, either reduce losses to the company or just flat out remove expenses. Check the blog for a post about finding money in three accessible places in every organization. I hope you read that and take immediate action.

I want you always to remember that things can always get worse! You can walk out of your house or office and find someone, usually within a few minutes, who has something worse than you right now. That is not to take solace in their misery but to remind you that life is fragile, and so is business. Therefore, you must make choices every day with the best possible information that you have, along with the best possible resources.

You must start if your team is discussing something other than this topic right now. However, if your team needs help with what to do, call me, and let's chat. I have partnerships with providers that give free trials for up to 90 days to get business intelligence data, upgraded workflow visualization, and the ability to support tier 1 support issues to keep your most talented administrators focused on their most important work.

We all must focus on what we have right now to make the most of it because nothing is guaranteed. If something is not working, you must decide to pivot and then analyze. If that does not work, pivot again, and keep exploring. Coming up with alternative ideas is typically not the most challenging part. The hardest part is making the decision.

#workflowology Larry Bailey Mortgage Workflow Partners Inc.