FBAA's Top Broker Podcast. Settle More Loans!

This week we have Jeremy Fisher, managing director at 1st Street Financial, based in New South Wales, and Australia's most awarded broker. Consistently writing over $300Mil year in year out. With his company's loan book in excess of $4.5Bil, he would be Australia's most successful broker.

In this episode, we look at how to become a billion dollar broker and discuss strategic ways to win by the end of this episode you're going to feel confident in crushing it after possessing the keys to success.

Jeremy, your philosophy is if you're not getting two referrals for every client you're assisting you're doing something wrong, how do you achieve this?

So it's about what you could be doing better to get more business. Everyone does things differently and I rely on the fact that if I provide great service to my clients they will refer their friends and family. I don't look for the next deal, I just focus on the existing client and the deal at hand. I also don't sell based on rates, anytime I get a referral its from my service and knowledge. I've always invested my time in ensuring that my clients get great service and knowledge.

Do you prompt or ask for a referral?

Never! I'm probably the worst salesman out there. I have friends who do ask, like at the bottom of their email and that's a good thing to do as a broker. But for me, I'm not that way inclined. My comfort zone is to provide great service, which will lead to referrals.

What does great service look like?

It's simple things like getting back to the client on the same day. The majority of clients, it's a big black hole when it comes to getting a loan approved, I want to help them understand that process.

You said you don't sell on rate, how do you do that? What do you sell on?

I sell on knowledge, you want to be that person that knows more than the client and these days clients can be quite savvy with getting online and seeing what's out there. But it's knowing that you're confident in your conversation around lenders and why they suit them. Obviously, the rate comes up, but it's being about more than just home loans too. I don't want to say 'no', that I can't help them, so I'll always find someone who can look after them. They know they can come to me for anything and everything.

You're an expert problem solver, is that why people also refer to you?

I always want to have a solution and I accept the fact that I can't do everything, but I want to have somewhere to send clients if I can't help them. My clients refer me due to how simple we make it seem no matter how complicated it is. I will do everything possible to take the stress off my clients.

How do you make a complicated loan process seem simple?

It's just time in the game, knowing when to walk away from the deal, this is the first thing I learnt. Having a relationship with key lenders, while you may have access to over 40, you can't have a good relationship with everyone, so choose which select lenders. Do all the hard work up front so then when you are at the time of the application it's a seamless process. BDMs are a great support person in the office; they become a secondary assistant to us.

With those key partners, how do you treat them? Like a referral partner?

There are no long lunches etc. For me, it's just about providing them with respect and good business. I think over time you build a relationship with them this way.

What advice would you give brokers looking to double their volume in settlements?

I'm a believer in hard work, service the heck out of your existing clients. Don't rely on just one or two referral partners, I have a dozen or more that I work with. My time is spent throughout the day working on initiatives with my contact book to keep in touch with existing clients, those that are a work in progress and then working with referral partners. After hours it's compliance and processes. I'm trying to do less and less over time but I work long hours. To me, a typical day is 7am – midnight and that was the norm.

Everything I do is with clients front of mind and making sure I keep to touch points between us. We're not just sending out stock standard RBA terms, we're keeping up to date with what's going on in the industry and what's changing. We're on the front foot with changes and it's about keeping us as the first point of call for our clients. It's not just about writing loans.

The main takeaway points from this episode are:

1. Don't sell on rate, sell on service
2. Make the home loan process easy and simple for your clients because this is what they'll remember
3. Work like hell because it's the only way you'll get ahead.

We're back with Peter Vasillis, based in Sydney. In this episode we chat about how putting your clients needs first it allows your business to come first and many ways to become a trusted advisor. By the end of this episode you'll find more of a purpose on how to get ahead.

You started Black and White Finance, eight months ago yet you've been nominated for two awards, how have you done this?

The main reason behind this is because we care and put clients first and foremost, always. We started this and tried to see what would be the most pivotal factor on what contributed to success, and we genuinely are about people.

You're all about giving back to the community, how does this help differentiate your business?

Conversion and settlement rates aside, we're proud of the impact we've had on the impact on the local community. We've provided educational resources, through our website and social media to help our clients. Through this communication, we hope to appeal to all different Australians. This focuses on the trending topics of the time, like to 2017 federal budget etc. we include views from outside professionals like accountants. We believe that if we can become a trusted source of expert insight, then clients and potential clients in the future will use our content and hopefully use it on an ongoing basis. We see this as an important part of our business because then we have regular interaction.

What are the biggest challenges you faced from banker to broker?

It was frightening and an intimidating time for us. I went from being in a comfortable position, to going out on my own and taking a huge risk. At the same time I was excited to finally implement my ideas and work to my own set of standards. To now go out and succeed on my own has provided me with a real sense of accomplishment.

Finally, what advice would you give to brokers about to enter the industry?

First, it's to develop a 5 to 10 year plan, and then go to the granular – 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, get a mentor and seek guidance. It's going to be hard work, but it's so worth it in the end. Also educate yourself, read as much as you can and don't stop reading. Work experience is also good. If you did start out doing a degree, it's also important to get a bit of experience, this is so important especially credit experience putting deals together from a credit perspective. I've seen this in different roles those with credit knowledge have bee the most successful in our industry. Actually buy a property yourself; get that experience of going through the finance process. This makes a huge difference because you can understand what its like to go through the process.

In summary, three takeaway points from this episode:

• Put your clients needs first, sometimes the extra mile pays off in the long run
• Give back to the community with education
• The most successful brokers are credit experts, learn your craft through reading and learning.

Hank Hong (affectionately known as Hank the Bank) is a multi-award winning mortgage broker from Vault Lending Solutions based in Sydney and is one of the most recognised names within Australia in our industry.

In the first part of this episode with Hank, we look at how you can create your own luck, discussing the importance of tracking your own progress and success. By the end of this episode, you'll be confident in knowing exactly how you can create consistency in your settlements and be in control of the outcome every step of the way.

In part two, we look at how you can remain front of mind with your clients while discussing the importance of a solid contact program. By the end of this episode, you'll feel empowered about how you can create a solid business structure that will withstand the test of time.

A quick snapshot of Hank:

I've been a mortgage broker for about 8 years, I'm currently running a partnership with a new gentleman and previously worked with a very well established mortgage firm for 7 – 8 years prior to that.

How did you get into the industry?

My story is quite different, I was 18 and studying at university. One of the guys I was studying with asked me if I wanted a job. I stayed there for 6 months cold calling the white pages and I realised I was working for a mortgage manager.

You eventually worked your way through?

I did three years as a basic receptionist doing data entry work and after that, I worked as a credit officer. After that, it was 7 years with Home Loan Experts and now for the past 8 months I've been working on my own company.

In that journey what sort of groundwork did it do for you?

The hardest thing about running a business now, is running a business. The past positions I was always just a contractor or an employee, but you have to build up a few more skill sets to run it.

What was the hardest skill to develop making that transition from employee to business owner?

You have to keep yourself accountable. Working as a contractor your employer is always giving you targets and quotas. But for your on your own business, you've got to make yourself accountable.

What do you do?

At the moment I have an 8 to 4 rule. We have to submit $8Mil and settle $4Mil a month. If we don't reach it we have to make the difference up the following month.

What do you do to control that? Actionable items?

Well, we reach out to referral partners and existing clients. If you build up a book and are currently contacting clients there are always more points to get another referral.

When you get a coffee with a referral partner, is it social or business?

It's absolutely social.

They know why you're there. You know why you're there.

They're all referring business to you. Ask a couple of questions about clients and still link it to business, but the best referrers out there become friends. Working in different industries and departments, friendship is key.

Trust is important in this process. There's a high chance the referral partner has three or four other mortgage brokers chasing them for business, so if you don't have that friendship in place it's less likely you'll get the referral.

What's your daily routine?

5am I'll go through all my emails. My email rarely goes over 5 emails. I use my inbox as a task reminder too. I start downloading all the applications and documents from emails.

7:30am Go to the office and get a coffee.

9am I'm already calling the banks regarding bills I need to chase up.

I'm ready to go by 830am and then chase the bank at 9am.

What would you say to brokers working 9am – 5pm?

If you want to be a self-employed broker you need to understand that you might have to go outside the normal hours. This isn't a 9-5 job.

What has this allowed you to do?

I reply back to my clients faster and I can do more business. If you work hard you make more money. You've got to hit the ground and get those loans.

When you reply to your clients, you give them a timeline?

There are a few things I do when a client's email comes through I'll reply back 'received'. Every email that comes through I'll give them a timeline too. Even if they say thank you I'm always the last person to reply back and sometimes even with just a smiley face. My task is always being the last person to reply on the email chain.

What's your end of day routine?

I usually finish at around 3pm or 4pm and I go home and watch cartoons. This is how I destress because I've done all the work during the day. By that time of day, everything's done and the banks close at 5pm anyway. I'll check emails but wind down watching cartoons.

You've got a journal that you throw all your issues into?

This is so important for all brokers. By the end of the day, you have deals that have been headaches. Write it down so it's stated and get it off your mind. When I'd look back a few months later I'd realise those issues then weren't that bad, but when you're right in the middle of the 'headache of that client' it can seem dire straights.

Journaling compartmentalises it.

My three takeaway points from this episode are:

1. Keep yourself accountable – have goals and minimum benchmarks for everything in your business.
2. If you're short on leads, contact old clients and ask the question, you'll be surprised how many introductions you get from past clients.
3. If you're not working 12-hour days, you're not a broker. There's more competition with online brokers but nothing can beat hard work.

Tell us your three takeaways, share them on our private Facebook – TopBroker.com.au and you'll be able to join.

Mathew Crossly is a mortgage broker for Coronis Finance based in Brisbane.

In this episode, we look at how certain processes allowed Mat to double his settlement volumes in less than 12 months. We then discuss the importance of outsourcing your low dollar producing activities and how to do it. After listening, you'll leave feeling pumped about how you can double your settlements with these key steps.

Over the last 12 months you've managed to double your settlements, how did you do this?

Really simply, after looking at our processes and systems we redefined them and created more of a structure.

You used to be a bit against automation, why is that?

In the bank world, it was all in my head. I was running around like a headless chook and there was no CRM system so I thought that was how it worked. I also had the belief that lending is always individual and every scenario is different. But I was fortunate that 18 months ago I had the opportunity to work with Connective to build out our CRM system and put some structure in place. We flow charted out the loan process and it was something that took 3 – 4 months to do, but then we built a very structured process in the CRM and it changed my day-to-day world completely. I couldn't survive without it now!

Essentially you have a system where each client gets the same service, is it where the lead comes in and a process is followed each time?

Absolutely we put the client into the CRM and depending on where they're up to in the cycle, we go down a specific track. It will always end up going through the same 24 steps in the process no matter where they're at.

From that, can you identify areas in your business where there are bottlenecks that need more systems in place?

Yes, the great thing is we can pull reports and see where things are staying in one status for too long it's very adaptable. We're constantly tweaking it and adding new things like automatic emails and updating it.

The setup process was one day a week for 3 – 4 months and it was a long process to set it up, it's not something you do overnight. I wasn't a fan of doing it but I realised we needed to have a standardised process, any successful businesses in the world, like McDonald's, you fundamentally end up with the same thing because of the processes involved.

Where to now with this system?

One of the things it's enabled us to do is double the size of the team, from five to 11 brokers in one year. It's given us a better ability to manage and view that and standardise the outcomes and service levels, it also gives new brokers a guide in terms of expectations and how to be successful.

So when you built out this team, you then looked at a back office?

We don't have separate team members for every step so what we've done is outsourced all the data entry. We have a team who do the paper or electronic file with the client, then that gets uploaded to the CRM. Apply online is built and we get all the green ticks so we're removed from that no dollar activity and we can spend time with the client nurturing them.

How hard was this to build?

We engaged an overseas firm to help us with it, we are 18 – 24 months into that journey. The first six months were difficult as they didn't know what we were trying to do and we didn't know how to communicate in terms of our expectations. It was about finding a process that worked for both of us.

What would you say to brokers about automating the back office?

The biggest thing is, understand your process first because trying to bring an external party into your business to do something can be difficult to step them through with them if you don't have it set up. We found there were not a lot of operators that were willing to share with us how other brokers were working with them, it's more "you tell us what we need to do" style.

A lot of brokers would question, is it worth it? Has it increase productivity?

100%! The fact that I can settle $5Mil a month consistently and not be stressing and still be mentoring five guys is so worth it. Early days, it's a hard slog but you need to have that process in place to make things run smoothly. I remember every other day fighting a fire with banks and now that rarely happens as we anticipate things better and don't allow problems to occur.

Finally, what advice would you give brokers who are just entering the industry?

A big regret of mine was that I stayed with the bank for too long, getting out there and doing it is the big thing. It is getting tougher and tougher and if you have no experience I would be working with someone else like an assistant or some form of sub broker. Trying to go out by yourself now without a great mentor is difficult.

In terms of brokers at the beginning of their journey, it's about looking at the referral relationships different to the traditional ways. I've learnt amazing things from accounting and financial planners in terms of debt structuring and different aspects of lending.

In summary:

• It's all about the process - developing, maintaining and constantly reviewing your process allows you to deliver a consistent result each and every time.
• Understanding that success isn't an overnight game. If you want to double your business first focus on the backend from start to finish.
• Outsource the low dollar producing activities, identify areas where other people can assist and you can outsource to them.

Tell us your three takeaways, share them on our private Facebook – TopBroker.com.au and you'll be able to join.

Mathew Crossley is a mortgage broker for Coronis Finance based in Brisbane.

In the first episode with Mathew, we look at how top brokers can get more referrals from their business partners and discuss the importance of becoming a trusted advisor. By the end of it, you're going to feel confident in knowing how easy it is to generate more referrals and have better conversations with your online business partners.

In the second part, we look at how certain processes allowed Mat to double his settlement volumes in less than 12 months. We then discuss the importance of outsourcing your low dollar producing activities and how to do it. After listening, you'll leave feeling pumped about how you can double your settlements with these key steps.

Let's start with a quick snapshot about you?

I work at Coronis Mortgage and Finance, we've been going for a bit over 3 years. We're part of a bigger real estate group, 22 real estate offices all company owned, 9,000 property management and the second biggest in Australia.

The finance business was set up as a way to grow that full-service property service solution with Coronis. We started at zero - three years ago and are now sitting at a little over $300Mil book in that time, with 10 other brokers, five of which I mentor. We're kicking over $20mil a month in settlements too.

How did you get into the industry?

I finished university studying hospitality management in the UK. I then moved to Australia with my fiance and started working with Westpac in the call centre. I didn't realise until 2 weeks in that it was home loans I'd be doing. I progressed from there for 12 years and went to Darwin, worked as a lending manager up there. Luckily, then the GFC bypassed Darwin, and then I moved to Queensland and spent 4 years in a partnership role, finally going out as a broker.

The best brokers all have routines, what's an average day for you?

I'm an early riser, I'll be up by 6am and sometimes I'll go to the gym or spend time with the kids. I'm always in the office as early as possible.

The first few hours of the day is emails and doing tasks for the day, I believe in having things automated with our CRM. From there it will vary day to day but it might be prospecting, appointments and lodgements.

What does prospecting look like for you?

Being fortunate to be part of a real estate group, there's internal and external prospecting that I do.

External involves new clients, nurturing what we've got in the pipeline and staying in contact with them.

In order to get those opportunities I spend a lot of time with the internal client (being the real estate agent) in our business, we attend a lot of training events, day to day in the office following up on sales, their open houses and seeing how we can add value and find opportunities for lending.

I know as part of your routine you've got a value add for your referral partners?

We do, so every Monday and Thursday morning we have a sales meeting in the office. Part of that is running through two things – one, being referrals; what they're up to, where they were good and bad. The other side is just industry knowledge; how we can help them have better conversations with their existing and potential clients, rates and so on, service levels with banks and where we're seeing things with valuation. It's all finance and real estate relevant conversation.

A lot of brokers have issues with referral partners, one of the things is - they have a different meeting, more of a social style one. It sounds like your meeting are very structured and about adding value, how do you get more referrals from partners?

The biggest thing is the value add. The value add is not that we provide finance, but it's helping them get the listing over the line or the sale. We look at where the client might need more information to feel comfortable, so the actual value we add is helping them with their job, our outcome is a by-product of that, focusing on them more than us. Because if they have finance fall over they have to remarket the property, it's not a nice process for them, and trying to sell a property a few times is time that they could have used elsewhere. So our goal is helping them avoid that - a big value add.

So when you are catching up with a real estate agent, you're coming in a way that helps them grow their business through your services?

Absolutely! Now there is so much competition and other means available to deal with finance and it's all about the value we add to them.

A lot of brokers think they need to pay referral fees, what do you pay yours?

Nothing! We might buy them lunch or coffee but there's no monetary payment in what we do, it's a challenging mindset. For us, if someone is referring us for money they're not referring the right client for the right reason. The biggest thing is the value add where we're helping them get a sale. Real estate agents are earning 2 – 3% commission in sales and that's pretty good income, if we can help them earn that commission through the house that's a bigger referral fee rather than a few hundred dollars from a loan that may or may not go through.

You need to know what you're talking about with referral partners, have you seen a difference in the service offering?

The advocacy is different and the way the agents talk about you and introduce you to the conversation is through their own trust rather than them seeing dollars in their eyes.

What's your way to add value to real estate agents?

The vendors or the potential vendors are where the opportunity is. The people that are potentially thinking about selling – three to 12months want to know what their house is worth but don't think about it from a finance point of view. We get a lot of introductions in that earlier piece to help foster that relationship to give the sellers that comfort to know what they can and

The people that are potentially thinking about selling, from three to 12 months, want to know what their house is worth but don't think about it from a financial point of view. We get a lot of introductions in that earlier piece to help foster that relationship to give the sellers that comfort to know what they can and can't do.

Getting contracts over the line is a big thing we do, but helping them actually find the next seller and property come to market is just as important. If I said give me 25% commission on selling that, that's a lot of money, so that's where we can have the synergy of not paying as we add back into the equation through helping them get the property to the market.

It comes back to being a trusted advisor as they're genuinely advocating your service as they see the value all around. It's a different mindset to have, the easy thing is to give money for business but short term that might be okay but what happens when the next person comes along and offers more money?

Essentially by taking away the money, you're making the agents realise the value you bring so when they are referring they come from a different mindset, as they have to inherently understand the service you're bringing.

The more intelligent agents see the value of how if the person you're talking to goes to another broker they may already have another real estate agent, so it's about the full circle of the process.

In summary:

1. Understand how you can add value to your referral partners, each one will be different so you'll first need to understand what it is about them and how you can link in your services to add value.
2. If you focus on commission based referral partners, you'll find you're a commodity and easily replaced.
3. You must become a trusted advisor, an easy way to do this is by keeping your business partners in the loop with all the changes on a weekly basis in lending. Lending is changing rapidly, so update them each week about it.

Jayden Vecchio is the Director of Red & Co Finance and is based in Brisbane. He was the FBAA Commercial Broker of the Year in 2016, and has been named on The Advisor's elite list multiple times.

In part one of this episode with Jayden, we're going to look at habits of success, from being mentored to managing the mind. These tips are going to make it easy for you to get ahead, take control of your business and create your own success.

Following on from this, in part two - next week's episode, we look at simple marketing hacks you can use to generate more leads. We then discuss the long game in marketing, and what that means for you. By the end of this episode you're going to feel pumped knowing how easy it is to generate new leads and marketing habits with these tips.

Why don't we start off with a quick snapshot?

My name is Jayden Vecchio and I'm the director of Red and Co, we started four years ago. We began purely as a finance business but we've expanded out to include property advisory and real estate services, we now work with all types of clients from first home buyers all the way to developers in Brisbane.

How did you get into the industry?

I've been a broker for four years and before that I was in the banking system for four or five years, I started straight out of university, where I studied business and IT. In my last year, I was nervously thinking what I wanted to do and I knew that I liked banking and property, I tried a few graduate programs and didn't do too well. But I joined the QUT mentoring scheme and got partnered with Tim Brown in the industry, who was working for Macquarie Bank. Tim enabled me at the time to bounce ideas off him for my resume and helped me understand what life after university would be like.

Through that, and getting to know Tim I was fortunate enough to be offered a job at Macquarie Bank and that's how I got into the finance industry

What has having a mentor done for you?

For me, my career started off the back of a mentorship and I've adopted that approach for getting into the industry. Even today for my business, we do a monthly advisory board where we catch up with two directors, one's from the retail industry and the other is a partner at a law firm and they're semi mentors of our business. It's an unpaid thing and we get to bounce ideas off them like marketing and staffing advice. That experience is invaluable because often they've been through it already and really, I wouldn't be here without it.

With a mentor, do you think that's fast tracked your progress?

Definitely, after leaving the bank and it was just me as a broker, with my laptop and business cards, so I didn't know what to do next. I had my 90-day plan and I knew what I had to do but it's always quite daunting knowing what's next. Within four weeks of becoming a broker, I started working with MPA and hit up the top 10 brokers of that year and got a coffee with one of them. I could have wasted a lot of time spending money on advertising and a website, but he said go out there 'press some palms', make yourself known.

Without my mentors, I couldn't have done what I've done; they helped me learn from their mistakes.

It has been said that having a mentor is like chopping a tree down - with a mentor it is with a sharp axe and without is a blunt one.

You're into self-development do you put a set amount, like a wage towards it?

It's like anything if you don't think about it you won't do it.

You can get to the end of the year and say look I haven't read a single book or listened to an audio book, so make time for it. I spend about 2-3% of my income on self-development that's attending webinars and conferences etc.

I know initially, it's so easy to get access to free information, but what would you do with it?

Well, you can Google how to be a great mortgage broker and obviously, there's the Top Broker site. But I was reading it and not digesting or implementing it, so for me in that first year, having a mentor involved in my business gave me something to be accountable for and make sure each week I was seeing it through.

The power of coaching is important and even subsequent to that I've had different coaches from different industries, from real estate to marketing to HR. That again can help fast track what you're doing. As such as you can read and try and do I yourself. There are only so many hours in a day and what might take you a few hours on the Internet, instead with a mentor, might be a half hour phone call, yet weeks of value in.

So don't discount the value of investing in yourself.

Jayden, you're a big believer in focusing on your health?

It's like the saying 'healthy body, healthy mind', again, in the beginning, I didn't feel that bad having worked big hours, long days and weekends, it didn't matter I had my mind set on my goals and where I wanted to be.

Now as my career has progressed with a family and being married, I can't justify working 14hr days and not sleeping on the weekend.

So my solution is that every day I wake up at 5am and exercise, if I don't, I can't concentrate. I'm foggy and not sharp. Doing this the morning exercise means that I feel amazing and I am more organised with my entire day.

When you work, I know you're big on having structure, a lot of brokers find it easy to get off course. Tell us about keeping on task?

Every day I'm diligent on setting myself up for success before I go home from work I set a list and deliverables for the next day, it's usually four or five things.

The second thing is once I've finished my exercise I'll go through and focus on my mindset, looking at what I'm thankful for.

As a broker, you can hit the office in the morning and get one bad phone call which will cause you go to off the rails. Now because I've set my direction and I know what I need to do, I hit the office in the right headspace and have more control over my reactions.

If you set the fundamentals right, it helps you stay on course.

I know you do focus on what you're grateful for, in this in the industry, it's very easy to get off track and feel bad about anything that has gone wrong, how do you do that? Do you have a gratitude book?

Yeah I have a basic template I fill out every day, it's just three points I'm grateful for it can be personally or professionally, it really grounds you for the day. When things go off track, which they always do, you can go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Setting those foundations in the morning helps set me up in the right mindset for the day.

So you start the day with exercise you then manage your mindset, how do you finish it?

The same as how I start it, I'll wrap up what I need to do tomorrow, as a broker it's so easy to take problems home and then I'd find I would get into arguments with m y wife etc. one effective way is writing down what I need to do tomorrow, once you do that it takes it off your mind and you don't think about it.

Sounds simple, but something you have to do, I also write down three points that went well that day and then review my goals. This is something I'm really big on, having one, three and five-year goals, that's also breaking it down to 90-day goals, goals for the month and the week.

Thanks for sharing those insights Jayden.

My three big takeaways were:

Mentorship – mentor will give you direction and allow you to bounce ideas off them, sometimes you think there's a marketing trick when in actual fact it might be simpler than that

The second was self-development, if you're not investing in yourself you're missing out a big opportunity

Structuring – finishing the day before it starts, write down a list of things you need to do and only look at the high priorities so if you do veer off course you can identify it and get back on track.

Tell us your three takeaways, share them on our private Facebook – TopBroker.com.au and you'll be able to join.

Jayden Vecchio is the Director of Red & Co Finance and is based in Brisbane. He was the FBAA Commercial Broker of the Year in 2016, and has been named on The Advisor's elite list multiple times.

In part one of this episode with Jayden, we're going to look at habits of success, from being mentored to managing the mind. These tips are going to make it easy for you to get ahead, take control of your business and create your own success.

Following on from this, in part two, we look at simple marketing hacks you can use to generate more leads. We then discuss the long game in marketing, and what that means for you. By the end of this episode you're going to feel pumped knowing how easy it is to generate new leads and marketing habits with these tips.

We're back again with Jayden Vecchio, in this episode we look at simple marketing hacks that generate you more leads, we then discuss the long game in marketing.

So Jayden, you were a banker before you became a broker, what was that transition like?

It was not bad…. Just kidding, it's been great, it's good being liberated from the banks. Four years ago when I left that safe and secure job, it was exciting but at the same time, overwhelming, because at the bank there was a PR and HR department yet as a broker you wear all of these hats. Like most people, it was just me, my laptop and business cards and a dodgy website.

Over the last few years, it has grown to the point where I have realised that it's more about building a business with marketing. This is something people may struggle with, because we're gifted at structuring deals and sales, but marketing is that weird left brain thing that not everyone feels comfortable with. I was like that, it didn't always mesh well with me but I knew I had to focus on it to take my business to the next level.

What did you do initially? Marketing is such a broad subject?

Well it was just me and my business cards, and marketing was something I did on the weekend because I didn't want to spend money because it's about doing dollar cost productive activities. If I can be out writing a loan or helping someone out and earning the commission on that, I'm better off than using two days to work on a website or pamphlet.

So you get experts to do that and advise you?

Yeah exactly, I'm not an expert, when I started I knew nothing about branding and it reflected how it all looked. So one big takeaway thing I've learnt is that you need to be clear about whom you're speaking to. When I started I was doing loans for everyone, first home buyers, commercial property developers etc. and I'd deal with anyone. The first lesson I have learnt is that in today's world you need to be clear about who you are speaking with and your branding.

First home buyers and investors are different, so different strategies need to be used to target each of them.

It sounds like you've put a lot of time and energy into your brand, what are some things you've done that have really made an impact?

So the most effective things are those you wouldn't realise, and I'll happily give them away.

Initially, as I said, a business card, a laptop and a website was all I had, since then I've worked with great marketing companies and the single most effective piece of marketing I've ever done are black tight-ish gym shirts with our logo on them that we wear to the gym and I give to customers.

When you're working out people are chattier than normal and it's amazing the referrals I've picked up going to the gym by wearing branded shirts.

It's easy to overcomplicate it, you don't need to spend a lot of money but these gym shirts have been great.

Another one was branded pens, have you ever thrown a pen away that works? We give our clients pens and again, it's amazing how often people see it and read it.

Easy marketing!

What about in the online space? You've got a podcast 'The Rentvesting Podcast' it's one of the top 30 business podcasts in Australia?

The online space is huge, content marketing is about giving away videos, blogs and info through social media, while the content might not directly promote your brand it indirectly builds a base/community which allows you to market to them in the future.

I started The Rentvesting Podcast 18 months ago and it talks to young investors and it's pretty simple just 10-minute episodes but it gets people engaged. Now we have about 10-15k listeners per month.

So a lot of brokers are going to think, I'm going to create a podcast and all I'm going to do is say 'Here are the best rates and this is why you should talk to me', what do you think they should do?

Well, marketing sounds a bit like double-dutch and like jibberish sometimes, but with content marketing, unfortunately, it's a long way around. You can't start a podcast or blogging and expect people to throw their loans at you. It's a part of a wider marketing strategy long term. Like you Josh, we're not in this for the next 6 to 12 months we're talking 10-15 years down the track. It's about building a sustainable business and a brand. However with the podcast, it now gives me permission to talk to the audience as its broker, so really, I've become their broker before actually being their broker.

For example, I had a dishwasher that broke, and I had to get a new one. Instead of being like my parents and going straight to the shops, I jumped straight online and looked around. With marketing there are three stages a buyer goes through, the awareness stage, where you look around, the next stage is evaluation and look at reviews whether you like it and if it's a good price, then it's the purchase stage where you buy.

It's the same in our industry; our clients don't just wake up one morning and say I want to buy a house. They usually start researching home loan options 6 – 12 months out. So the whole idea with content marketing is becoming their broker in the awareness stage. Because then once they've been listening to my podcast and reading my blogs, it's more likely they'll go for me over others.

What about search engine marketing and podcasts, what do you prefer Google verse Podcasts?

It all comes down to one thing and that's trust. Would you trust your own mother or father's recommendation to buy something or would you trust a billboard?

Doing content marketing, whatever the format, while it is a slow way around, you're investing 6 – 9 months with that person, building trust which leads to a higher conversion rate. Instead, if you go for a scattergun approach with a billboard it won't convert as high. Content marketing is more effective because of the high level of trust involved with it.

My big takeaway points:

1. Engage in expert advice, you don't need to do everything, there are people out there who can help you hone your message and assist with your marketing.
2. Don't be all things to all people because, in the end, you become nothing to everyone.
3. Marketing doesn't need to be complicated, simple things like shirts and pens work well too!

Tell us your three takeaways, share them on our private Facebook – TopBroker.com.au and you'll be able to join.

Dino Pacella is a BDM for a non-major bank and is based in Western Australia. He was named the FBAA's BDM of the Year and is the founder of the National Finance Brokers Day

In this episode, we look at exactly what successful brokers do differently and discuss the importance of becoming an authority on social media. After listening, you'll realise how easy it is to generate leads via social media and become an expert online.

Dino, from your experience, what separates a successful broker from an unsuccessful one?

We've spoken about being consistent and routine and most successful brokers are educating their clients or prospective clients in a number of ways. Whether that's through social media or contacting them directly. A lot of it is around showing them your knowledge and helping them get to the outcome they want to get to. Those successful brokers are honing in on the educational piece for their clients and really making a name for themselves. Showing them that the lending aspect is easy but why exactly you're an experienced broker and how you're going beyond assisting with their needs and leveraging your contacts and referral partners too.

Identifying other needs for the client is important too. For example, if you're doing residential lending, good brokers find out other opportunities like whether the client is self-employed, there are more opportunities there. Think about it as - I'm not just a mortgage broker but expanding my service proposition to what I can do for the market. Not just a one-stop shop, a good broker is well rounded.

How do you see exceptional brokers communicate their wealth of knowledge?

An easy way is through social media, it's so powerful and you can reach so many people.

A good example is through content marketing, brokers being able to sit down and put their thoughts into their own article and sharing that out to their audience. This can be added to their website, through Facebook, LinkedIn, wherever the majority of your consumers are. Choose the right platforms to share the right content.

If I go back to some exceptional brokers, they're doing it daily. Going back to consistency, social media without consistency only has the media aspect and no social aspect.

What have you seen successful brokers do when they've implemented it on a consistent level what has it done to their business?

Those doing it daily and sharing their knowledge via content marketing is aimed at the people who are seeing their news feed come up daily and what they're doing is, keeping themselves front of mind. Testimonials and reviews back this up too and prompt those seeing you, to refer you to their friends.

1. Knowledge
2. Personal approach

Public Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, the good ones are leading clients into their business. If a broker is on the road and they've done something fantastic for their clients, it's about sharing this and getting them to do a testimonial for you. Get them to do it right there, like a 20-second video on your phone and post it right away.

Facebook Live is another one. A lot of brokers are scared away by this, but if you've got the knowledge base, which most brokers do. You'd be comfortable talking on a one on one basis, so as long as your knowledge is there, it's okay to make a few mistakes. When people are on social media they're there to be entertained, get value and find newsworthy articles. If it's meant to be perfect they'll turn on the news, instead of going to social media.

So the focus of social media is to create yourself as an authority and show your clients the ability to interview you before they meet you?

Absolutely, I can't remember the last time I made a large purchase without doing research through the internet, it's not like I've gone, okay, I'm going to buy a car, that's the first car I'll see so I'll buy it. It's about reading testimonials and getting a feel for what they're doing.

This also helps brokers find their perfect match of a client because they know exactly your services.

Finally, what is the number one takeaway that brokers can action to increase their social media presence?

If a broker is going to post on social media, ask yourself about whether the audience seeing the post will get value, it doesn't need to be a 100% strike rate but as long as they're ticking that box. Ask yourself if it's something within your realm and expertise and if you are adding value.

Value, expertise, consistency = go for it. If it ticks those boxes then it's worthwhile posting consistently to create strong messaging and helping the consumer understand what you stand for.

Key takeaway points:

1. Educating your clients in all ways, look at the process, not just the loans. i.e. The auction process.
2. Looking at the clients needs holistically, rather than just looking at the transaction they want assistance with looking at their business, commercial needs and either introduce them to someone who can help or help them through it yourself.
3. Becoming an expert online, become an authority in your niche so when client's need help they'll come directly to you.

Tell us your three takeaways, share them on our private Facebook – TopBroker.com.au and you'll be able to join.

Three Things Every Top Broker Need to Nail to Become Unstoppable & Secrets to Becoming a Social Media Guru with Dino Pacella | Top Broker

Dino Pacella is a BDM for a non-major bank and is based in Western Australia. He was named the FBAA's BDM of the Year and is the founder of the National Finance Brokers Day.

In the first part of our talk with Dino, we look at what makes a broker unstoppable and discover the three key areas that top brokers nail - day in, day out. By the end of this episode, you're going to feel pumped about how you too can be unstoppable, with all of the steps handed to you.

Following on, in part two, we look at exactly what successful brokers do differently and discuss the importance of becoming an authority on social media. After listening, you'll realise how easy it is to generate leads via social media and become an expert online.

For those who haven't heard of you, can we have a 60-second snap shot?

I'm a business development manager with a non-major lender in Perth, I've been doing it for four years. I am so passionate about the third party space, and I've set up National Finance Brokers Day and it's purely to raise awareness for the work finance professionals do. I'm passionate that I get to work with brokers every single day and every day is completely different to the previous one, which makes our industry so unique. I love being able to really assist someone through a serious transaction.

How did you get into this industry?

I've been in finance for about 12 years and a lot of that time I spent in the direct channel where I basically went through and learnt the trade. When this opportunity arose four years ago, I had a good relationship with my state manager who is now my current boss. We had numerous discussions about joining the third party space, what it would look like, and what I could bring to the table. I was a bit hesitant at first but I'm glad I took the leap of faith.

Dino, one of your favourite quotes is "When you're good you study the competition, when you're great you study yourself, when you're unstoppable there is no competition", this is a beautiful quote. How have you seen yourself translate in our industry and more in particular with mortgage brokers?

Broking is such a competitive industry, whether you're a one man band or working with others. We have about 15,000 brokers across the country and it may not seem like a lot, but for what they're doing, to get above the noise and stand out, it is a difficult thing to do. It was easier now than 5 years ago with the likes of social media and the voice you can portray out into the market place, so I think if you're looking at being great, yeah that's good people will start looking at you to find out what makes you great, but when you're unstoppable you're not looking in the rear view mirror you're looking straight ahead and if you ever look back o see where you've come from you'll see a row of people lining up to be a part of the action. However it is easier now than 5 years ago, with the likes of social media and the voice you can portray out into the market place. So I think if you're looking at being great, yeah that's good people will start looking at you to find out what makes you great, but when you're unstoppable you're not looking in the rear view mirror you're looking straight ahead and if you ever look back o see where you've come from you'll see a row of people lining up to be a part of the action.

So I think if you're looking at being great, yeah that's good, people will start looking at you to find out what makes you great. But when you're unstoppable you're not looking in the rear view mirror, you're looking straight ahead and if you ever look back to see where you've come from, you'll see a row of people lining up to be a part of the action.

Whether you're a broker or a lender in the intermediary space, it's so critical to stand out above the noise and using your voice and knowledge are key aspects in order to do that.

What do brokers to do make them unstoppable?

I've seen a lot of brokers across the country that are proactively contacting clients whether it's for new leads or focusing on their existing portfolio, but they're sitting in that 'great' basket. It's about being proactive, whether brokers are looking at bringing on new clients or retaining clients that are flowing out the back door. Brokers that are starting to become unstoppable in the industry are doing three key things to do this.

The first one is their knowledge, now I'm not talking about given they deal with probably over 30 lenders on their panel that they know every single one in and out (given the complexity of the lending environment we've seen over the past 6 – 12 months). I'm talking about if they are sitting with a client and the client is talking about the lending and they're ticking those boxes - they're starting to identify further opportunities where the clients can potentially see themselves in, from a financial position.

Whether that may be investment lending or extending the family, the broker is placing the package around the knowledge they know to suit the client's immediate needs. Looking at elements like the lending aspect, and whether that's retail, SMSF, commercial lending, whatever that may be, then they are starting to dig a bit deeper.

They might be doing that needs analysis, but once they've done that they're taking this to the next level. They can see the clients goals for the next 12 months and give them a plan to get into place. Because often the client might not know they need a financial planner etc. until that point.

So Dino at that stage it no longer becomes about the rate, it becomes about where their needs and goals are and how this bank or lender can help that client achieve it.

Absolutely.

It's all about them finding out that clients goals and into the future as well. So the knowledge base becomes extremely valuable in the brokers' portfolio and the way they deliver that to their client base.

Secondly, in that area another part of those key ingredients is consistency. If a broker is going to be doing proactive calls and they want to retain their portfolio there are two ways they need to do this. One, is ensuring they are touching base with new clients and they are bringing them into their business quickly.

Two, is ensuring their existing portfolio is kept up to date and having a strong structure in place to make sure their clients are front of mind. So if their clients are talking at a BBQ about their mortgage services, that brokers name is front of mind. So it's about consistency when it comes to communication, contacting those clients, being available when they need them and taking them out of the market.

Unstoppable brokers are doing that, seven days a week and all year round.

The third is service.

Service is the biggest bugbear that I personally have in any industry. But these unstoppable brokers are keeping clients updated every single step of the way, from initial conversation to settlement and all the way through.

A client for life is the goal of an unstoppable broker.

Service forms into a relationship and the deeper it is, the more aware they are of where they need to structure those packages and how they can implement their business to benefit the clients' needs.

So they say with consistency, a routine is key, with brokers that are unstoppable what daily routines have you seen them do consistently?

Brokers that are unstoppable have a structured routine, and when I mean structured, they're getting up at a certain time every morning and doing something for themselves whether that's exercise or spending time with the family. They have a structure around proactive calls, getting back to clients and then consistency around referral partners and that communication piece, that is consistent throughout the day.

I'm saying consistency a lot but that is the one thing I'm seeing with these brokers, the routine varies amongst brokers and I'm seeing it between new and old brokers. New ones are using digital platforms to be a part of their daily routine, getting their branding out to be heard, they're spending half an hour a day responding to social media and posting relevant feeds. The brokers that have been with us for a number of years are starting to get on that band wagon but have a large portfolio to look after. They will be touching base with their existing portfolio cause the last thing you want to see is a client falling out the back end. These routines are becoming extremely critical, it is a structured routine and it takes knowledge and a consistency piece to get into the unstoppable basket.

The brokers that have been with us for a number of years are starting to get on that bandwagon but have a large portfolio to look after. They will be touching base with their existing portfolio because the last thing you want to see is a client falling out the back end. These routines are becoming extremely critical, it is a structured routine and it takes knowledge and a consistency piece to get into the unstoppable basket.

It's often the boring things that get you ahead in life. Routine isn't sexy and it can be boring, but this is what Top Brokers do, they work their routine day in and day out.

The main takeaway points from this episode are:

1. Being proactive is the difference between good and great.
2. Consistency is key: responding and getting to the clients quickly, taking them off the market and keeping lines of communication open.
3. Routine is what sets you free, having a structure for your daily and monthly routine is important.

Mark Polatkesen is a Director at Mortgage Basics in Melbourne. Has been awarded AFG's rising star in 2013, featured in the MPAs top 100 brokers and one of The Advisers 2015 elite business writers settling over $90m. His success comes from persistence. In the podcast you will learn: - How to get more referrals - How to create relationships - What a niche will do for your business