Hosanna, an Albuquerque-based, international nonprofit that produces Bible recordings in over 600 languages, expanded its services because the same alternative lender refinanced the mortgage on its building at a markedly reduced interest rate.

The Loan Fund’s mission is to provide loans, technical assistance and mentoring to businesses and non-profit organizations to improve the economic and social conditions of New Mexicans. Now the largest alternative lender in the state, it is also the only one that assists the non-profit sector. Its successful lending programs have earned significant recognition from the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce and the State of New Mexico.

“We owe everything to the New Mexico Conference of Churches and the Adrian Dominican Sisters,” says Loan Fund President/CEO Leroy Pacheco. “An Adrian Dominican Sister, Marie Luisa Vasquez, was one of several people from NMCC who formed our organization in 1989. She joined our Board immediately, and provided 20 years of dedicated service and guidance until she retired.”

Pacheco also points out that the Adrian Dominicans stepped in to provide The Loan Fund with its very first investment of $60,000.

“Because the Sisters were willing to take a risk with us, other faith-based organizations, foundations and dedicated individuals followed their lead. The very next year, 1990, our capitalization reached $350,000 and we were able to make our first six loans,” he adds.

Since 1990, TLF has made a cumulative total of over $44 million in loans, has helped create or preserve more than 6,500 jobs, and enjoys a 97.5% repayment rate from its clients. The current loan portfolio exceeds $11 million.

“We are grateful to the Adrian Dominicans for continuing to renew their investment with us,” Pacheco says. “We use the funds to make loans to hardworking people like Raul Aboytes - who have skills, passion, and a drive to succeed – and to non-profits like Hosanna that want to make the world a better place.”

As a boy, Raul helped his mother feed hungry customers in her one-room, home-based restaurant. The food business was not on his radar when he moved to the U.S., married and started a family. But noticing that his fellow immigrants were flocking to Mexican-owned food carts, Raul secured financing from The Loan Fund to purchase one. When his home-made tortas began “selling like crazy,” he became inspired to dream bigger. A second loan helped Raul pay off the first one in full and launch Jalapeño’s, which features his mother’s old recipes. He is now thinking about buying another cart and starting a second eatery.

Hosanna was founded in 1972 to provide a library of religious recorded material on cassettes. Its high-quality Bible recordings became so popular, that American and international Bible societies started asking for recordings in different languages for the huge numbers of people who are unable to read. Hosanna hires native speakers to make the recordings.

Loan Fund financing freed up funds to allow Hosanna to take advantage of new technologies to expand Bible listenership. Digital recordings and microchips inspired the invention of the “Proclaimer” and the “BibleStick.” Half the size of a shoe box and powered by both solar panels and batteries, Proclaimers are brought to groups of listeners in extremely remote locations. The size of a pack of gum, BibleSticks have been widely distributed to members of the U.S. military – especially in combat zones – and are now available to the general public. And the innovations don’t stop there: digital print, audio and video files have been converted into downloadable “apps” from the Cloud for mobile devices.

Hosanna’s Vice President, Clay Jackson, says he values Hosanna’s association with The Loan Fund “because our two organizations share similar values: changing people’s lives and giving them opportunities.”

Raul Aboytes is grateful that The Loan Fund supported his dream of financial independence. “We were broke when they gave us the loans, and we’ve paid them back. Without them, we wouldn’t be here.”

Sister Marie Luisa points out that she remained on The Loan Fund’s Board of Directors for two decades not only to represent the interests of her Order, but also because she was “very convinced in the vision of The Loan Fund; we always did what we said we were going to do. We’ve given a lot of people a start in doing something for themselves and others: they start a business, and then they hire employees.”

“We were becoming the truly public servant that we were called to be.”

For more information about The Loan Fund, visit their website, www.loanfund.org,  or call President/CEO Leroy Pacheco at 505-243-3196, ext. 25.

My staff and I at The Loan Fund feel a strong connection to this project because it is being developed just a few short blocks from our office on Fifth and Iron. Furthermore, Sawmill Community Land Trust is one of our successful long-term clients.

Since 1990, The Loan Fund has made loans and extended credit to Sawmill and other vibrant non-profits from Santa Fe to Sunland Park, all of whom are dedicated to developing affordable housing for low-income New Mexicans. Sawmill has been asked to lend its expertise to Barelas precisely because it has succeeded so well in its own neighborhood.

Consider this: since 1999, Sawmill has built 93 homes and two apartment complexes with 106 rentals and 60 lofts – and 46 senior housing units are currently under construction.

We applaud Sawmill’s new partnership with Barelas Community Coalition and Barelas Neighborhood Association, anticipate a very successful collaboration, and hope that this model can be extended to other neighborhoods in Albuquerque - and beyond.

"[The editor] was excited about the article and wants me to contribute quarterly or semi-annually on training subjects... Thanks for helping make me look good."
- Mary Lou Dobbs, July 2010.

    In the business world, some customer service representatives make blind choices to continue to operate with stale, dated attitudes and behaviors, such as “customers don’t really count” and not really listening when dealing with customers concerns. The danger of clinging to an obstinate behavior is that it blocks the development of customer loyalty; destroys long-term customer relationships, and prevents businesses from achieving their full potential.

    In my experience, “mumpsimus,” is rooted in fear. At birth, everyone is born with two fears: the fear of loud noises and the fear of being dropped or falling. All other fears are learned and then developed over our lifetime. Fear can be the most negative force in our lives, creating unintended consequences. Its many forms can include situational fear (such as fear of failure) or emotional fear (such as fear of being judged). Over time, this sense of dread is hotwired to our brain as an automatic disconnect.

Fear: No One Will Listen
    How many times have you started to share an experience of a difficult time with someone only to be interrupted, even before you finished your explanation? One of the most significant fears your customers have when filing a claim with your company is that you will interrupt them without allowing them to express the concerns and issues relating to their experience. If this does occur, then their fear of having their claims rejected will escalate. They may be reminded of other uncaring people in their lives or of a previously rejected claim.

    The consequences of an old mumpsimus behavior are that disgruntled customers stop doing business with your company without ever conveying their disappointment. It’s also true that claim adjusters have their own set of fears: of a hostile customer or one who may be unwilling to listen or respond to attempts to help resolve a stressful situation.

Claim Adjuster Attributes
    To answer this question, I cite the example of a company with which I have had personal experience: Allstate Insurance. I have purchased six different kinds of policies over the years from Allstate. It is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer and a Fortune 100 company with $133 billion in total assets, so I feel I am with doing business with a quality company. Of the company’s 70,000 professionals, 7,500 are claim adjusters.

    For this article, I spoke with Jose Cornejo, an Allstate market claim manager who lives in Albuquerque. Jose said he had been with Allstate in New Mexico for 25 years and was clearly enthusiastic about his opportunity to serve customers. Here are some of the questions I asked him:

Q: What has kept you motivated for all these years?
    Cornejo replied that a claim adjuster’s day spikes when there is a hail storm, snow storm, wind storm, automobile accident or death of a loved one. “My customers at the time of a claim are tuned to the radio station WIIFM (What’s In It for Me),” he said. “But I know that my focus and message need to be tuned to WIIFT (What’s In It For Them).”

Q: How do you accomplish staying tuned to their needs?
    “I listen,” said Cornejo, who believes that paying close attention and understanding the power of words enable him to put his customers at ease.

    Cornejo is in good company. Psychologists from Freud to Jung have observed that people who listen past the words to uncover hidden messages gain greater insight and understanding of not only the self but also others. Cornejo also makes use of what I refer to as “power phrases.” This entails framing a request in a way that makes it easy for others to give you permission to get what you want.

Would You Object?
    In the Allstate family, power phrases are used to enhance relationships with customers and co-workers, provide superior service, and even coach new claim adjusters to develop the skills to elevate the level of their customers’ experience. Cornejo uses power phrases to demonstrate his empathy to customers, and asserts that “it is a privilege” to do so because it puts him in the position of being a helpful advocate. He recounts a recent car incident with one of his customers:

    “I know how frightened you must have felt with a brick hurtling toward you on the freeway as your car was going 60 miles per hour,” he said to the customer. “I ‘m really happy you weren’t hurt, and that the damage to the bottom of your car wasn’t serious. Would you have any objection to sharing exactly what happened, in your own words?

    Cornejo then listens; his “would you have an objection” power phrase question allows the customer to relay his or her experience of the accident, with the fear, relief, and all of the other emotions attached with such a distressing occurrence. Only after actively listening is a claim adjuster able to assist the customer through the claim process. The expression of appropriate empathy instills customer confidence.

    The “objection” phrase provides the claim adjuster with a communication tool that builds a bridge of connection and a bond of loyalty that can last a lifetime.

    You may say that a power phrase such as this one is not for you. However, it’s important to remember that mumpsimus feels like being-stuck in an obstinate, antiquated behavior. When we instead set out to learn and implement a new skill set, we start to move in the direction of long-term, loyal, and committed customers.

    Mary Lou Dobbs is owner of Executive Benefit Strategies. This article is adapted from her book, “Repotting Yourself, Financial-Emotional-Spiritual Flow” (London: O Books, 2010). Before establishing Executive Benefit Strategies, Dobbs spent eight years working for Wells Fargo, coaching and training bankers on customer service. She may be reached at 505-688-6703; also visit www.repottingyourself.com or www.maryloudobbs.com.