Building Trust and Relationships in Commercial Lending

In this episode of Love Your Sales, Leighann sits down with Dan Hanson, a commercial lending officer with Kohler Credit Union. They dive deep into the intricacies of building successful relationships in sales and the importance of authenticity when dealing with clients. Dan shares insights from his 21-year career, discussing the value of networking, the role of mentorship, and how to balance professional goals with personal integrity. The conversation emphasizes the significance of giving back to the community and the shared mission of helping small businesses thrive. Additionally, Dan offers practical tips for young sales professionals on how to harness their people skills for career success. Don't miss this enriching dialogue that combines practical advice with inspiring stories from the field.

 

Contact Dan –

LinkedIn – Linkedin.com\danjameshanson

Email - dhanson@kohlercu.com

 

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Robb Conlon – Intro and outro – Westport Studio - https://www.westportstudiosllc.com/

 

The Brave Ones – Instrumental Version Song by Jan Sanejko - https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/the-brave-ones/119489

 

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Leighann Lovely: Welcome to another episode of Love Your Sales. I am joined today by Dan Hanson. He is a commercial lending officer with Kohler Credit Union with vast experience in cash flow management, merchant services, treasury management, and commercial lending. He can originate SBA loans, both in 405 and 7a products, as well as in commercial and investment, real estate, equipment, [00:02:00] and vehicle financing.

I am so thrilled to have Dan join me today because I'm excited to talk about the nuances specifically in the business that he's in. So welcome Dan.

Dan Hanson: Thank you, Leanne. Great to be here. And I appreciate the conversation today.

Leighann Lovely: Yeah. So you have what, five years in your current industry, but you're no, spring chicken when it comes to sales 20 years.

Dan Hanson: Yeah. Just over 21 years, going back to 2003 and I graduated with my undergrad.

Leighann Lovely: Awesome. So let's, let's dive in and, uh, let's talk about sales because, well, that's the topic I love to talk about. First, Why don't you, you know, kind of introduce yourself anything that I missed on that short little brief introduction?

 You know, let's, chat. Let's.

Dan Hanson: Yeah, yeah, you pretty much nailed it. It is the it's the 504 product on the SBA, not 405. Yeah. Oh, minute detail, but, [00:03:00] um. Yes, as a commercial lending officer, you know, I've worked with businesses and investor groups specifically in my role currently, just in the real estate transactions.

Mostly I should say mostly, you know, I've done work with previous FIs where I have. Worked with businesses on their treasury management, you know, the fraud protection mitigation side of things, as well as, uh, payments and also merchant services and, you know, credit cards and everything. So I've got a, and the reason why I think that's important is because in my current role, while I'm just focusing on lending, I'm able to talk to business owners about their overall business and what I can do to either introduce them to people in my network, such as yourself.

Or give my own advice on things or opinions and, mostly introductions. So, uh, it's really served me well. Again, I focus primarily right now just on lending, which is my favorite side of the business. Most of the transactions I do a real estate and the reason why I love that is everybody understands it right?

There's an appraisal value that everybody understands. This is what we [00:04:00] need and this is how the, uh, this is how the cash flow supports the property. But I, you know, as you mentioned in the bio, I can do equipment, financing vehicle, all that fun stuff. I can do lines of credit. I can do a B rock on an investment property and then the SBA catches kind of everything else.

Leighann Lovely: Very interesting. And something that we were talking about prior to jumping on here was that, you know, Hey, I'm a business owner. I need a loan. I'm just going to walk into the bank and, um, I'm going to talk with this person, but you kind of mentioned that, you know, that's, that's not really how your industry works.

So let's, let's talk about that.

Dan Hanson: Yeah, I think, you know, when people think about banking, they don't really think about sales necessarily, uh, especially in my role. It's different on the retail side, right? You know, if you're going to get a car loan, you know, oftentimes, if you're a member of a credit union, you're going to call them 1st, you've got a relationship with them.

You know, somebody at the branch, you know, that's just kind of, how it goes on the commercial side. It that's that's not it entirely. Uh, you know, I don't [00:05:00] get anybody calling into my office, you know, asking to buy a 1Million dollar car loan. Property, so it's really about forging those relationships, both with networkers and referral sources and also just with the business owners themselves.

So I have a very tall order and I've set a lot of lofty expectations for myself about getting out and meeting new people and I will meet anyone. I don't care if you've got a muffler business, or you're a personal trainer that goes into people's homes, you have value. And I would love to help in any way that I can.

It's all about helping small business owners specifically, but you never know what that's going to lead to. So, it has served me well by never saying no to a meeting, because I oftentimes. We'll have that introduction and nothing will happen for 18 months to 2 years, but it's being there at that right moment when they are ready to purchase something and they think of you and that's where, you know, kind of the rubber hits the road.

So, you know, I've networked with a lot of [00:06:00] people on your show. You know, Ben Zhang comes to mind. He's an absolute serial networker. He's just wonderful. Great referral partner. And he's out there. Forging new relationships and bringing me along, which is great. And vice versa. So I think the, the, the notion that, you know, we just sit in our big offices and, and count beans is kind of a misnomer.

Uh, in my role, we're out there, you know, killing what we eat.

Leighann Lovely: Amazing. So, you know, the, the common theme, um, of every single person practically that has ever, that I've ever spoken with on, You know, my, my podcast here is that networking, communication. Talking with people, putting yourself out there is one of the most important aspects to being successful in sales, right?

I mean, it's, it really comes down to who, you know, but your industry is niche. It's not like, I [00:07:00] mean, it's not like I'm, even considering right now going and buying a property or a vehicle or, you know, my business. And in fact, As it stands right now, I'm like, well, I'm just going to stay remote forever.

No overhead. So you're really looking at the long game, the people who may not even know that one day they need you.

Dan Hanson: Yeah, and it's been on the lips of the mouths of the people that are talking to those business owners like you, know, you're constantly talking to business owners or sales executives.

And at that moment, when they say, you know, we had a really good year and our accountants recommended, we buy a building to offset some, you know, whatever. Then you're like, oh, I've got a guy for that. That happens all the time. And to be honest, I think back to how you and I met. I don't know if you remember this, but, I, I just joined the.

Brookfield chamber, which, you know, I think we were both very fond of and still are, and you, it was like, 1 of the 1st meetings I had attended and you were named a new member of the [00:08:00] year, uh, and your 1st year. And I was super impressed by that. And then just hearing how many things you attended in that 1st year, how many 1 on 1s you had, how many relationships you built that was like.

I need to meet this woman. And so I gave you my card and I cornered you for lunch very shortly after the pandemic. Not sure if you remember, it's a Bravo at Brookfield Square. But yeah, I mean, being with like minded people like you, understanding that, Yes. It's a numbers game where you just need to meet a broad, very group of people, but having, you know, meaningful connections with a, with a good, small group of people is so key.

Leighann Lovely: Yeah. Wow. I, do remember the first time that we, we met, but I did not hear the story as to why, but you're, you're absolutely right. The more people that know you that, and that follows you. And because when we first met. I'm trying to think of the job that I was at at that time. That was a couple of [00:09:00] jobs ago.

Dan Hanson: Right, right. Yeah.

Leighann Lovely: And, and those networks, those relationships, and I doubt that you remember the job that I was, and maybe you do, but, it, that job has been long gone. You're not going to call the company I used to work at. If you need help with something related to, you're going to call me and that's the beauty of building basically a sales force of people out there who literally are just referring business because they like you.

I mean, I'm, assuming here at this point, Dan, that you like me.

Dan Hanson: Yeah, I'm a big fan.

Leighann Lovely: It's an entire sales force of people out there who basically are saying, Oh, Hey, I, and you brought up Ben Zhang. And even when, when I interviewed him, he made the comment, I want to be the guy that knows the guy. [00:10:00] That knows the guy that knows the guy like that is my entire purpose. I want to be that guy that knows the guy and I want to be the person that knows the person that can help no matter what the problem is.

And that's that the beauty of that. of when you surround yourself with people who are all saying, yeah, I want to be that person too. Like if you need something, I have a Rolodex. But here's the part that could hurt is if all of the sudden you drop off, you disappear, somebody is very likely to be able to slot themselves in and become that person.

So how do you make sure that you continue to remain the person that knows the person and stay. On top and top of that list of the people that.

Dan Hanson: It's such a good question, man. It's such a good question. And, um, it takes work. [00:11:00] And I often liken this to relationships with friends. It's not, it's not unlike each other.

So I'm a very social person, very outgoing. I thrive on being with people. It's my, you know, I don't golf alone. I don't go to the movies alone. I don't eat alone. I have to be with people. So, uh, as a result, I've met a lot of friends, thankfully, and kept in touch with almost all of them because it takes work.

And what I mean by that is whenever I think of somebody that I haven't talked to in a while, I will immediately send them a message. And, you know, and again, I'm speaking strictly with friends, but, um, you know, I'll just say, Hey, how's it going? You know, how's your mom or how's the thing or where have you been lately?

You know, whatever it is. And I'll try to make plans. I'll try to hey, you know, let's golf. Let's get lunch. Let's do something And and it's the same with businesses and networking partners when I think of them I will I will drop a line and it's just in different forms then so oftentimes i'll send them something on linkedin Say, hey, I thought of you read this, check this out, [00:12:00] or I'll actually do personal cards, which I love and I typically do that 1 or 2 times a year.

Just do a mass mailer of personal cards while write out individual notes to people and send them a thought of you. Let's keep in touch. You know, here's my number. You know, we haven't talked to whatever it is. And with the advent of all the social media, you can reach people any number of ways and not be too invasive.

So, I just think it takes a little work. But I think you're right. The other the other side of it is, and what serves me so well. So, I was a member, I still am a member of 5 chambers and I've done the BNI. I've done, you know, uh, different, you know, I've done Rotary. I've done all the things, right?

All the networking things. And I've taken what I liked and emulated those. Things and formed a group of my own. And so right now we're 11 people. We, we meet once a month, the first Tuesday of every month that we met yesterday and your name came up, uh, actually outside of this podcast, somebody in my group said, Hey, I'm talking with Leanne, you know, [00:13:00] what do you guys know about her?

And I was the first to say, she's delightful. I'm going to be on a podcast tomorrow. And then another of the group members said really glowing things about you that I can say, I'll say off camera. So the name's not out there. But anyway, we took the things that we liked and I, and I brought Ben and Nate fair with me and we started with 3 simple rules.

We have to like, you as a person. Uh, that's the 1st 1 I want to hang out with you socially 1st, you know, no matter what, when you join the chamber, there's a, you know, we used to get 75 people at breakfast in Brookfield and no matter how amazing the chamber is. You know, oftentimes there's like 1 person you're just like, not jiving with.

You're like, I'm never going to refer to that person. So we had to start there. And then the second thing is you have to be open to both give and receive referrals. You know, I, I brought somebody into the organization early on and then they were like, okay, I don't have any capacity to take any new clients.

And I said, okay, I'm sorry. You got to leave. We need to be able to send you stuff. It was very good.

Leighann Lovely: You gotta leave.

Dan Hanson: I took them to lunch and it was a [00:14:00] nice breakup, but you know, I'm paraphrasing, uh, for time's sake, but you know, we had, that's, we're all in the network to give people business. And then the last thing is we had to primarily work.

 And for the most part, all 11 of us almost work exclusively with business owners. So those 3 things have served us really well. And also bringing people in 1st, we don't we back into the person, not the industry. Okay, so I love this person. What they do, does that work with us? And that has also served well to invite people in.

And so that's the work, right? And surrounding yourself with the people that want to be, like you said, those mass networkers. And it's been amazing.

Leighann Lovely: That's awesome. And I like how you kind of broke that down, that analysis of, like, it doesn't make sense to have somebody there And I guess the other thing is why are you there if you can't take on more business?

That's the time where you're, you should have your head down focusing on what you can do [00:15:00] or focusing on executing on the business that you have and figuring out how you can take on more business. As a business owner, that's what I'm going to be doing. Like if I'm at capacity, I need to figure out how I can scale to, unless, and again, let me, let me back up.

If you're happy, At that capacity, you're not, you have no desire to scale. Then why are you out there? But if you do want to scale to be bigger, then you should be figuring out how to do that before you're back out there networking, because then it's, I feel like it's, I shouldn't say it's a waste of time.

I was about to say it's a waste of time. It's never a waste of time to create relationships. It's never a waste of time to continue to nurture that network and stay in front of people. But if the sole goal of a group that you're part of is to take on new, you know, new business and pass [00:16:00] new business.

Yeah, you're right. It's not beneficial to the people in that other group. So I commend you for making sure, you know, Hey, these are the boxes that everybody needs to check to be here. Let's make sure that we're staying on point.

Dan Hanson: Yeah. And, uh, we've had, we had, you know, a really good conversation and, and it was basically, made aware that the group was so good.

He just didn't want to say no. You know, it was, um, it's been amazing. Honestly, I can't tell you enough. Like it's been one of the things that, that buoys me because my industry is subject to a lot of different economic factors and there's ups and downs and, you know, real estate bubbles and all of that. So, being with a group of, uh, like minded individuals that have your back.

Has been the best part of my working career. And so it's, you know, we've got a, we've got a mission statement. We've got officers. We track absences. Uh, we've done, guest speaking events. So, you know, we brought in Derek debris. I think I introduced you to him a while ago. And he did a free seminar for, you know, [00:17:00] business owners.

We ended up bringing 50 business owners and I catered lunch. You know, they all got swag and they got a free 1 hour seminar. It's amazing. We've done charity events. We're actually going to do a guest bartending event for the Wisconsin division of Oprah, which is the ovarian cancer research alliance.

So part of our mission statement is that we're dedicated to steward the business owners in the communities in which we live and work. And all of that comes back to giving back. So I've got a tattoo on my arm in Irish that says, To those much is given, much is expected. I feel like I've been given a tremendous amount in my life, you know, started with, I think, the great foundations that allowed me to be successful.

And so I want to give back, you know, and here's the time to do it. And now I have the means and the energy. And so all of us are very good about giving of our time, especially amongst the group members in our various fields of expertise, both to each other and their clients.

Leighann Lovely: I am a huge believer that what you put out into the world, [00:18:00] what you give to the world comes back to you.

And I see it in those who are so generous in giving. The people who are so unbelievably generous, so, I mean, the, the kind of people who you look at and you talk with, and you're like, wow, this person would literally give me the shirt off their back if I needed it, are the ones who rise to the top.

 It's not something you can teach. It's something that is just in them it and it's, um, and they really truly are the ones who, and I'm not talking about rising to the top and they're millionaires and they're, but they're the people in the community that their names are the ones who are being thrown around constantly.

The Ben Zangs of the world who, if I called him today and said, Hey, I need this. He'd be like, yeah, I can. And it's not like he's, he's my best friend in the world. He is truly a [00:19:00] business associate that I have met who has become a friend. And it's, it's the people like you who are giving your time, your energy, because you're capable of doing that.

And it's, and, and the success follows. And it's amazing to see and watch that. And then you see those who are just getting by that you can tell just a little bit that their intent is Much more selfish. And I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that in sales. We have to be a little selfish.

Our intent is to sell, make the company money. That's the goal, but as salespeople, we need to remember that our product is not for everybody. And that selling them, selling on, you know, selling somebody on [00:20:00] something that may not be perfect for them, in my opinion, is, is not ethical. I don't think it's moral.

 And that if we as salespeople are willing to explain that to somebody, Like, Hey, this product is probably not right for you as much as it hurts the first time. And it did the first time I had to go, Oh my gosh, my product is not right. And they are ready to say yes, but like, this isn't right. It's they're not going to be happy.

They're going to leave. It was so liberating and it felt good at the end of the day. I mean, not for my, my pocketbook. But it felt good at the end of the day to know that I did the right thing. And guess what? Another sale came along that was right. And I was thoroughly happy, thoroughly thrilled that the match was made.

Dan Hanson: Yeah, oftentimes the best thing you do is just open another door for somebody, right? You [00:21:00] know, I, what I say to people is it's not a no, it's just a not me. Uh, I can't do this for you, but here are two other people that I want to introduce you to that might be able to help. You know, I don't want to ever over promise, but, you know, the commercial lending world on the underwriting side is, uh, pretty foreign to most people.

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Dan Hanson: I would say, you know, if you go out and buy a house, right, they're going to look at your DTI. They're going to look at your credit score. They're going to spit out a rate and there you go. You kind of pre qualified. It's so much different on the commercial side. You know, we put together. 5060 page what we call LPs or presentations basically for each credit that we look at and we get in and in my specific shop, we're credit experts.

We dive in and we understand everything about the industry 1st. You know? All right. This is, uh, you know, let's just say it's a manufacturing business in Waukesha County, right? We're going to do all the research on those specific things in the, in the county and the industry itself and what the trends are.

Obviously, we understand everything about the borrower. And then we just kind of, you know, work into the numbers just to see if it makes sense because [00:22:00] ultimately, you know, what our concerns are as a lender should be the concerns of the, you know, the borrower. Right? Um, you know, just because you're putting your money on the line, so are we, and, you know, and we're slapping a lien on your property.

So we want to make sure that it's a good investment for both of us. And that's the hardest thing for people to understand is they just have it in their minds that they want to buy this building. You know, at any cost, seemingly, and I'll make it work and I got this asset and it has to be good for me.

And what I have to tell them, and this is similar to what you were saying when you have to say no to somebody is you say, this is why right? Give them the why behind what for these 4 reasons. It doesn't make sense for you or I to enter into this transaction.

Leighann Lovely: And absolutely. And that builds your, your know, like, and trust the trust factor in that right there is that all of the sudden you've just made them trust you that much more. And even though you aren't going to be doing business with them right now, you've just become a trusted [00:23:00] ally in their network. And.

When somebody comes to them and they, you know, and they say, well, where did you get this loan done? They're very much more likely to say, well, you know, I originally went to Dan Hanson and we couldn't do business together, but. Here's this gentleman. I, I got mine from XYZ, but the reason I, you know, went to them is because I had this situation, blah, blah, blah.

You now become a trusted ally despite the fact that you're not even doing business with them.

Dan Hanson: Yeah.

Leighann Lovely: That's powerful. That is really, really powerful.

Dan Hanson: Yeah, I, uh, I firmly believe like what you said, you know, what you put out. If you do the, do the right thing, First, like you said, the money will follow, ultimately for me, it's also just sleeping well at night.

You know, I have two young kids, a wife that I adore, you know, my life is really good. And I know that, um, if I do the right things during the day, that they'll be proud of me, no matter [00:24:00] what. I also, I have to say, because I think this is so important, you know, you, this is, I'm sure geared towards sales executives and salespeople, you know, kind of in the, in the bullpen, uh, alike.

I have the best boss in the world. He is not only is he a credit wizard. So I can bring him the most complicated deals and he can see through it. He understands what it's like to be a human and understands what it's like to be in my role and doing what I'm doing. And he affords me the luxury of autonomy, which is great.

Because, you know, I said to them. If I don't make my numbers, feel free to come down on me as hard as you want, but I'm going to hit that number. You know, last year I hit my goal by June 1st. This year I hit my yearly goal by August 1st. Um, last year I hit the team goal by myself by October 1st and then they raised my goal 50 percent and I still hit it by August 1st.

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Dan Hanson: I want to win and I do think sales is a competition, right? And it is a, it's a game and we got to win. But I can't. Reach as far as I can if I didn't have the [00:25:00] amazing boss that I do. And I think that goes true for teachers, for mentors. And for parents, I was able to reach as far as I can because of my parents.

They set me up for success in so many different ways. Not the least of which is education. You know, I got my MBA back in 2015 when I kind of pivoted and changed careers. You know, and I was able to do that. Because I already had my undergrad that they helped me with and obviously student loans and all that fun stuff, but it's just so key that I think, you know, for salespeople, young salespeople, especially, you know, listening to the podcast, just find the manager that that allows you to be who you are, but also coaches you and teaches you in the right way.

Leighann Lovely: And that's, and I just want to make a comment to what you just said, that coaches you and mentors you in the right way, which is, is. Has been a rarity in so many, so many situations that there are, there are managers out there, sales managers out there who [00:26:00] have never been sales people. And here's the strange thing is that when you, if you have a great sales person and then you put them in a management role, Often they struggle because they are true through and through sales people.

 But if you have somebody who understands sales and let me tell you, my, my father was a, mediocre sales guy, but he was a amazing sales manager. Just like that is when he rose up and because he understood how to sell. But he was a strategic thinker and liked to put all the pieces together and support people versus going out and selling himself.

 It's a hard, it's a hard thing to do when you're, when you're young, moving into a sales position, ask questions. It is okay to [00:27:00] ask, and if you're asking questions and getting pushback, you're in the wrong place. If you're asking questions and you're getting a leader who is engaged with you and coaching you and teaching you, you're in the right spot.

And Matrix, yes. They exist. They exist so that we are able to gamify it, make it about beating yourself, not the company, not, you know, if you make it about winning against yourself. It is way more fun because we have to figure out how to track a salesperson and everybody's like, Oh, I've got a, I have these matrix that my company's holding me.

I have to make so many phone calls. You know what? Yeah. In the beginning, that's what it's going to be about. But once you start hitting every one of your goals, your manager is going to stop looking at those. They're not gonna care. They're gonna go. Okay. Okay. Wow. Um, you're you're [00:28:00] meeting all your go They will stop looking at those numbers and they're literally gonna go.

Okay, you know what you can do whatever you want I'm here to support you in any way I can and that manager will start just removing roadblocks if they're a good manager That's what they'll do. They'll sit back and go Dan you go and do your job You call me if there's something that's in your way If you have a problem, you call me and I will make sure to remove that obstacle for you.

If they have the power to do it, there are certain industries where there's roadblocks and there's red tape for reasons to regulate and blah, blah, blah. But the greatest sales managers sit back and wait for their salespeople. Well, not all the time they check into, but for their salespeople to call them and go, Hey boss, man, I got a, I got an issue.

And that's when that manager goes, let me figure out how to fix it for you. Quick and now so that your job is as easy as it possibly can be to sell and make money for the [00:29:00] company.

Dan Hanson: Mm hmm.

 

Dan Hanson: Yeah, you said something that I say all the time and I've seen it so often that the best salespeople are automatically promoted to sales leaders or managers and that is so deserving, you know, oftentimes it's expected, you know, you earn this and that's what we should do.

 But the best salespeople oftentimes can't teach what they do. Correct? And then,

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Dan Hanson: 1 of the things I really wanted to talk about is, you know, for young people, maybe tuning in getting into sales and why, for me, it was. You know, I love talking to people and I love meeting new people and making relationships.

That's really what, you know, kind of turns my butter. I also realized early on I didn't have any hard skills coming out of undergrad. I wasn't an engineer. I wasn't an architect. I wasn't in the content getting my CPA. I call those kind of hard skills. Those are things you go specifically to school for. I had people skills, which is again, something you can't teach.

So I knew that very early on if it was something I was passionate about, and the [00:30:00] coaching and the training was adequate, if not excellent, that I could be successful because I have my own internal barometer. Nobody's going to be harder on me than me. Right, I'm going to, you know, if they tell me to make 10 phone calls, I'm making 20 all the things right that that's an internal engine that, you know, again, just just you have or you don't.

So, I think, you know, for people coming out of school, not knowing. What to do if you've got people skills, if you're not afraid to meet people, to make phone calls, um, you know, if you're not afraid to learn, especially it is such a great career and it can spurn you into so many different directions. Right.

I've run businesses before, you know, I've been in charge of P and L's, you know, north of 3 million in revenue. You know, I, like I said, I got me MBA back in 2015. So I understood finance. You know, and so I think banking was an easy transition for me, but I started in sales, you know, and I've, you know, straight sales, product sales, whatever, you know, service sales.

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Dan Hanson: So for me, it's about also knowing that you can reinvent yourself, you know, so many times. Uh, usually [00:31:00] every year I go and speak at a middle school and I say that exact same thing. I think one of the worst things we do is ask kids, you know, when they're 17 years old to try to pick. What they want to do with the rest of their life, right?

Just, you know, try it. Uh, there's a book called ready, aim, fire. Or ready, fire, aim, excuse me, where, you know, have a bias for action and try things. And then figure out what you liked, what you didn't like, and then kind of refocus and recalibrate. And I think that's so key for young people and especially young salespeople.

You can reinvent yourself so many times.

Leighann Lovely: Absolutely. What I wanted to be when I was 17 versus what I am today, I mean, I wanted to go, I wanted to be a police officer.

Dan Hanson: I can see that.

Leighann Lovely: I mean, very not at all, like not even close to what I was originally planning. And then I was going to be a computer programmer. Then I was going to be an accountant. No, it was an accountant, then a computer programmer. Then I went to school for business emphasis in human resource management. And now [00:32:00] I run a sales company.

Like how many careers can one person have in their lifetime? And in the reality of it, that's not really. Abnormal.

Dan Hanson: No, I think it's the norm.

Leighann Lovely: It is the norm at this point. I mean, I'm a, I'm a highly educated woman that just didn't have a straight path to where I'm at, but I do not regret a moment of the path I took because it's brought me to where I am.

And, every moment of my path, I learned something simple as that.

Dan Hanson: Absolutely.

Leighann Lovely: So I'm, hey, I'm, I'm glad I'm not a police officer.

Dan Hanson: I think we all are.

Leighann Lovely: Yeah.

 

Dan Hanson: I don't know. I certainly know. I didn't sit back when I was 17 and think, well, I want to be a commercial banker someday. That was not the sexy dream I had.

Marker

Dan Hanson: I'll tell you this. I've never been happier in my professional life than I am right now. And that's been for the last few years. Number 1, the job that I [00:33:00] do in helping business owners. Number 2, my boss, who's incredible, as I mentioned, and number 3, working for an organization that I do that, you know, really means what they say.

I've worked for big, you know, financial institutions. Uh, and the message is lost, but, you know, being with a smaller institution than I am with today, it is a stark contrast, and it's such a fresh, amazing outlook. And I couldn't be happier. And I think that shows when I'm working with clients, right? When I'm more than happy to, to engage with them and bring them in and understand that they're going to get the service that I think is what they should get.

So anyway, super happy.

Leighann Lovely: Well, this leads into us wrapping up where you get your 30 second shameless pitch. So please.

Dan Hanson: Yes, she's a, you know, I should like to talk about myself more given my profession. Ultimately, I just want to be what Ben said, the guy that knows the guy. But with respect to what I do on a daily basis, know that I'm going to get in and understand everything about your credit request so that I'm the best advocate that I [00:34:00] can be for you.

 Not only am I going to, you know, work on the actual. Uh, request itself. I'm going to try to understand your industry, what you're paying points are, you know, what, what's the trends, what's the future outlook? I have, you know, countless, tools at my, uh, disposal that I can, you know, kind of look at to understand where the industry is headed.

And primarily real estate is the easiest thing that people can understand. And so I love working on real estate transactions. I work with a lot of investor groups. That, you know, have multiple projects that we work on together, because ultimately I'm not transactional. Right? I do want to have repeat customers and work on different things.

And for instance, tonight, I'm going out with 2 clients. They invited my wife and I out to dinner. You know, there were, we just closed on a property a couple of months ago, and they're bringing their wives and we're all getting together. Right? They become friends. So, I hate to say that I'm a generalist, but, you know, as my bio pointed out, I can do everything.

You know, if you're a business owner and you want to buy, uh, you know, a [00:35:00] giant piece of equipment for your manufacturer, I can do that. I can get you, you know, vehicle. Uh, I can do he locks or B lock, excuse me, and lines of credit, you know, the real estate, obviously, and the SBA side allows me. To work with acquisitions, you know, I've done franchise acquisitions.

 I've, you know, what, what, what's unique about the 8 together is that it allows you to do a real estate transaction with what we call blue sky or kind of, you know, that uncollateralized, you know, business startup costs. So it's been, uh, it's been amazing. I'm super happy what I do. I have a huge engine and passion for learning, learning.

 I have a personal motto. You know, that, um, that I will always stand by is that, I'm constantly learning, to just brought in my, my reach and what I can understand. So ultimately I just want to be the best partner I can be.

Leighann Lovely: If somebody wanted to reach out to you, how would they go about doing that?

Dan Hanson: Yeah, so my email is pretty easy. It's D. Hanson at Kohler. C u [00:36:00] dot com, which is the letter D. Hanson is H. A. N. S. O. N. At Kohler. K. O. H. L. E. R. The letter C. The letter you dot com. I do also give out my personal cell, which some people might think is strange, but it's the best way to get a hold of me. Text and Email and calls are fine.

It's 414 526 3565.

Leighann Lovely: Amazing. And those will be in the show notes. And Dan, I really appreciate you coming on today. This has been an awesome conversation.

Dan Hanson: Yeah, it shouldn't have taken us this long because I'm a huge fan of yours and you know, we go back years and I'm really a big fan of what you guys are doing.

So thanks for having me on.

Leighann Lovely: Yeah.

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