Product-Expert Advisor Positioning
Win trust by turning product knowledge into deal-level guidance
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 94%
Davis frames differentiation as a progression from product knowledge to trusted advice. First, learn the available products well enough to answer questions and structure transactions that a client or referral partner cannot solve alone. Then make that expertise accessible by picking up the phone and helping assemble the deal rather than merely offering generic service. The referral partner evaluates competence in real time, much as a patient or investor assesses a surgeon or financial advisor. If the originator appears uncertain, the partner will seek a more credible expert because the transaction may represent that month's income. Product mastery therefore produces trust; practical structuring turns trust into a closed deal; customer-first treatment and sustained effort support repeat business.
Origin
Extracted from Coffeez for Closers, where Tom Davis described the skills he believes distinguish successful mortgage originators.
Core principles
- 01Act as an advisor rather than a service vendor
- 02Know the product well enough to structure difficult deals
- 03Make expertise visible in live customer conversations
- 04Treat the customer as you would want to be treated
- 05Pair expertise with consistent effort
How to run it
- 1
Master the product set
Learn product rules and use cases deeply enough to recognize viable structures. Davis says product knowledge and expertise are what set an originator apart.
Pro tip Study beyond headline eligibility so you can work through unusual borrower situations.
Watch out A referral partner can sense when the originator does not know the product.
- 2
Respond as an advisor
Pick up the phone and diagnose what the partner or borrower is trying to accomplish. Move the conversation from service claims to informed guidance.
- 3
Structure the transaction
Use product expertise to help put together a deal the partner may not know how to structure. Translate rules into a workable path to closing.
Pro tip Explain why the proposed structure fits rather than only naming a product.
Watch out Do not project certainty when the product does not fit.
- 4
Earn repeat trust
Put the customer first, treat them as you would want to be treated, and follow through. Consistent competence gives partners a reason to call again.
Pro tip Treat every difficult call as a demonstration of reliability.
In the wild
Davis compares an originator with a surgeon or financial advisor. When a realtor has a transaction that may determine the month's paycheck, the realtor is likely to trust the originator who knows the product and can structure the deal rather than someone who sounds new to the space.
→ Visible expertise increases the chance of the referral call and the completed transaction.
Common mistakes
Selling service without expertise
Davis says service alone is insufficient when the client needs someone who can structure the transaction.
Sounding uncertain on the call
The referral partner can sense weak product knowledge and may take the transaction to an expert.
Treating advice as a handoff
The method requires active help putting the deal together, not simply naming a product and stepping away.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for sales professionals handling technical products where the buyer or referral partner needs help making the product work.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for sellers unwilling to build deep product knowledge or take responsibility for deal-level guidance.
From the transcript
“be a a uh an advisor to your referral Partners an advisor to your clients”
“help them structure loans help them put deals together that maybe they don't have the expertise”
“know your products inside and out treat your customer like you want to be treated put them first every day”
From the episode
Getting Deep with Tom Davis