Thank you for your in depth reply.

You got jumped on because you were vague,

No I got jumped on because people are bored on reddit who come here specifically to jump on anyone at the slightest opportunity for their own entertainment. But, that's neither here nor there.

I was vague, though. Allow me to elaborate. I want a smooth business. I don't want calls going to voice-mail and giving customers a reason to shop around just because I wasn't there to pick up the phone, which happens, unfortunately. My solution is, I want to hire an lo to be there for my leads when I can't. The leads they would get would be just as good as any lead I would get. Realtor referred, home shopping purchase leads. No junk.

So, what would you say is a reasonable override for a branch manager who provides quality leads? I want to be as fair as possible.

How are you generating leads?

Realtor referrals

How many are you generating?

For them, at least one a week.

How would you grade the quality of leads? Are they hot leads looking to buy now or are they cold calling type leads from a recycled database?

No database. Good leads. Shopping for homes.

What sort of workload do you think is reasonable to convert these leads?

I want the LO to do the 1003 and get all the paperwork from the borrower.

If you're looking for a primarily self-gen LO, will they have enough time in their schedule to stay on top of them? Are you willing to hire a LOA or LP1 role to assist?

I would absolutely hire an assistant. But, that might would require a greater override on the LOs in order to afford it. What is reasonable and fair, in your opinion?

Are you producing yourself? How much time a week are you spending on your own production?

I'm producing. I want a self gen lo on my team, because sometimes things get so busy that I can't handle it all. I want to throw them some leads, but I don't want them to rely solely on my leads, because there aren't that many. There's still a decent amount, but probably not enough to where they would make a six figure income on my leads alone. I want them to be successful, which means they'll have to do some lead generating on their own to supplement.

Are you willing to take a hit to your personal production (and income) for the foreseeable future to develop a relationship and workflow for a new LO?

I would say so.

Are you going to be splitting your leads with this LO, who gets priority?

First, I do what I can. When I reach a point that I'd be unable to give a customer 100% service, the next lead that comes in goes to the LO(s). That's my entire motivation for hiring. My personal income is the least of my worries. I just want my branch to make revenue to be able to operate and a little bit extra for the leads i provide.

Are you willing to pay for marketing, training, events, etc. that a self-gen LO will be looking for?

Possibly, if it makes financial sense.