Loan Officer Life sits down with John Donnelly, Executive Director of Sales at Service First Mortgage (Dallas–Fort Worth), to unpack what top producers are actually doing right now—and how leaders can guide teams through the AI shift without stepping on landmines.We get specific: the moment John’s team used LLMs to prototype a better, in-house CRM in minutes, why that flipped their build-vs-buy mindset, and how they turned that wake-up call into a company-wide “reimagine everything” mandate—from content to loan setup to underwriting. We also dig into AI guardrails (including a formal company policy) so LOs don’t paste sensitive credit data into public models and create compliance nightmares.From the field, John breaks down what separates the “killing it” LOs from the rest: eight hours of focused outreach vs. 30 minutes of “prospecting,” voice and video DMs that actually get replies, and a simple quarterly plan that stops drift and puts reps back on offense. He also previews Service First’s Builder–Realtor Roundup at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth (Nov 19) and how to turn a tent-pole event into months of pipeline.We connect it to early-journey consumer engagement—meeting buyers at the point of thought with education, budgeting, credit tracking, and a tangible takeaway app that keeps you connected through the readiness window. Think “moat” around future clients, not a one-and-done pre-approval.Why this episode matters: consolidation and AI are changing the game, but human coaching plus smart tooling is the new edge. If you lead a branch in Texas—or anywhere—you’ll leave with practical scripts, policy ideas, and a weekly rhythm to win your database and your ZIP code.Keywords: Service First Mortgage, John Donnelly, Dallas, Fort Worth, DFW, builder relationships, realtor partnerships, AI policy for mortgage lenders, LLM CRM, voice/video DM outreach, first-time homebuyers, point of thought engagement, FinLocker/Buyer Vision, coaching frameworks.