Plaid Pants, Tiger Woods, and Watching Golf on TV. Birdie or Bogie? – VIDEO

In this latest episode of Small Talk Shop, our hosts Rachel Crooks and Mary Kate Traficano take us behind the scenes of a recent Hands-on Training (HOT) at First Citizen’s Bank in Raleigh, North Carolina, to talk with some of Sagent’s amazing customers. But this time they’ve put a twist on the conversations. If you guessed – yep, it’s a golf theme. 

Let’s get into the episode… FORE! 

Our hosts begin with Robert Reiter from Servion. Mary Kate asks Robert if there’s been times in his career where he needed a mulligan – for the non-golfers, a do-over. Robert explains that he’s been focusing on scripting with Servion for about 5 months – which requires intense focus and attention to detail. He does admit that and there’s been a few times he needed a second chance on projects (0:54), but that’s beause he wants to ace his competition and serve his customers in the best way possible. 

Next, Rachel and Mary Kate connect with Doreen Thomas from Click n’ Close, and Aaron Shippee from First Citizens, to play a game called “Birdie or Bogie” – one of my favorite parts of this episode. 

And sticking with the golf theme, our team asked Doreen and Aaron some questions to determine if they approve (birdie) or disapprove (bogie). Doreen says that putt-putt, Arnold Palmers, Scotland, and driving a golf cart are birdies, while Tiger Woods, and watching golf on TV are solid bogies (1:43 and 3:07). But one of our participants put plaid pants in the birdie category….interesting case, but to find out who, you’ll have to watch. 

Aaron then shares a time when he needed a mulligan when both he and his wife lost their jobs nearly 20 years ago. During this time, loss mitigation became more common in the industry, which gave Aaron a chance to get a new job in a slightly different field (4:21). When asked if he thinks the mortgage industry has changed significantly, and would be better equipped to handle something of that caliber, Aaron responds:  

I think that there’s been a lot of things put in place to help borrowers that are distressed keep their homes or transition gracefully out of their homes if they’re in a situation where they just can’t afford it anymore. (5:25)

Next, for their “smart segment,” Ebony Owens-Culcu from Dollar Bank is ready for her shot at a hole-in-one. Ebony expresses that she’s absorbed so much on the first day of the training: from setting up systems to learning how to better optimize them for both the internal teams and the customers they serve. She also highlights the connections she’s made: 

I’ve made some really great connections that I hope will last for a long time, and you know, just continuing to network throughout the process. (6:11) 

When asked how she stays on-par with the industry, Ebony shares that her job requires a lot of ongoing self-education: 

Our job requires a lot of ongoing education. I get notifications from my industry partners, like the insurers, and professors. Sagent also provides a lot of information and latitude through their support systems, so that helps. (7:04)

Check out the full episode below for more insights from the HOT attendees: