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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze wrap up this run of episodes with a topic that underpins everything: knowing your stuff. Because no amount of great systems, referral relationships, or brand clarity will save you if you walk into a client meeting underprepared and underdone.

Ruan opens with something counterintuitive — in your early days, don't look like you're always available. A professional voicemail, a structured booking process, and a confident command of the five Cs of lending (character, capacity, capital, conditions, collateral) signals to clients immediately that they're dealing with someone who knows what they're doing. That perception of competence buys you trust before you've even started the meeting.

Marissa is candid about her own early days — she entered the industry with a steep learning curve and leaned hard on preparation to bridge the gap. Before every client meeting she would map out likely scenarios, anticipate questions, and research outcomes so thoroughly that when she walked in the room, she was ready for wherever the conversation went. The result was a noticeably higher conversion rate from the meetings she prepared for versus the ones she didn't. It's a habit she still backs today, regardless of experience level.

Ruan closes with a reframe that every broker should carry with them: clients don't come to you to find out how much they can borrow. They come to find out what they can repay. That distinction — and the ability to articulate it clearly in a tailored conversation — is what separates a great broker from an order taker.

Ready to sharpen your knowledge and show up with confidence? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze get into what it really means to be a top player in the broking industry — and why that status is earned through consistent behaviour, not just settlement volumes.

Ruan's take is straightforward: the brokers that BDMs drop everything for are the ones who make their job easy. Well-structured deals, thorough notes, clear communication — every time. When a credit manager consistently loves your submissions, word gets around. That reputation becomes currency, and it opens doors that cold calls never will. He also makes the point that top player status isn't limited to lenders. The same principle applies to real estate agents, financial planners, aggregators, and any referral relationship in your world — show up professionally, keep people informed, and always ask what you could have done better.

Marissa shares a personal story that sets the tone beautifully — she entered the industry nine months pregnant and had to quickly prove to lender BDMs that she was serious, capable, and worth their time and attention. The lesson she took from that experience: respect their time, show genuine gratitude, demonstrate a commitment to growth, and treat every interaction as an opportunity to build something long-term. Especially in your early days, strong BDM relationships are one of the fastest paths to confidence and capability.

The challenge: look at your current lender and aggregator relationships honestly — where are you a top player, and where have you been taking those relationships for granted?

Ready to level up your relationships? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze dig into one of their favourite topics from the Broker Journal: clear purpose. And the message lands hard — if you don't know why you're in the room, you're wasting everyone's time, including your own.

Ruan opens with a scenario that will feel familiar to a lot of brokers: walking out of a referral partner meeting feeling like nothing happened. His challenge is simple — what was your purpose going in? If the answer is "to get leads," that's not a purpose, that's a wish. A purposeful meeting starts with understanding the other person's frustrations, figuring out whether you can genuinely solve them, and leading with value before you ever ask for anything in return. That shift — from taking to giving — is what turns a one-off coffee into a long-term referral relationship.

Marissa builds on this with a broader view of purpose as a daily discipline. Going into every interaction — client meetings, networking events, BDM catch-ups — with a clear intention means you're far more likely to walk away with something meaningful. Without it, you're just showing up and hoping for the best.

Ruan closes with a personal story that underlines the depth of his commitment to purposeful action: early in his career he completed his real estate licence, his auctioneers licence, and a diploma in financial planning — not to change careers, but to understand his two key referral sources deeply enough to have genuinely valuable conversations with them. That's what clear purpose looks like in practice.

The challenge: are you and your team going into each day, each meeting, and each client interaction with a clear intention? If not, that's where to start.

Ready to bring more purpose to your broking business? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze unpack one of the most underutilised skills in broking: the ability to extract multiple opportunities from a single conversation. Ruan calls it the 16 pieces, 64 squares concept — and once you see it, you can't unsee it.

The idea is simple but powerful. Every client interaction contains layers of opportunity that most brokers walk straight past. Ruan walks through a real example — a client mentions their workplace has an HR manager, which leads to a lunch and learn session, which turns into eight new appointments. That entire chain started with one question asked during a fact find. The difference between a broker who sees that opportunity and one who doesn't isn't luck — it's presence, curiosity, and the habit of thinking beyond the transaction at hand.

Marissa builds on this by highlighting the difference between transactional brokers and relationship brokers. Transactional brokers aren't necessarily doing anything wrong — some build strong businesses that way. But for brokers who are earlier in their journey and still building their client base, leaving those conversations at surface level means leaving real pipeline on the table. Every client has an accountant, a financial planner, family, colleagues — and a good conversation opens doors to all of it.

The challenge: where are you leaving opportunities on the table, and what would it look like to go one layer deeper in your next client conversation?

Ready to start seeing the bigger picture in every interaction? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze dive into a topic that hits close to home for anyone who's ever waited for the perfect moment to act: imperfection. And the message is clear — progress will always beat perfection, especially in a business that's built on human connection.

Ruan opens with a challenge he puts to brokers regularly: are you honest with yourself about where you actually need to improve? It's easy to think you're communicating well, or serving clients well, until you look at the data — reviews, feedback, repeat business — and realise the gap between perception and reality. The willingness to hold the mirror up without flinching is what separates brokers who grow from those who plateau.

Marissa brings in the culture angle, noting that the businesses that thrive long-term are the ones that have baked continuous improvement into their DNA. That means trying things that might not work, taking calculated risks, and being comfortable with the fact that stepping outside your comfort zone will sometimes result in mistakes. She reframes those mistakes as exactly what they are — learning opportunities — and points out that in Australia, our cultural fear of failure often holds us back more than the mistakes themselves ever would.

Ruan rounds it out with a reminder that in broking, you're not always the one making the final decision. What you can control is the experience — how clearly you communicate, how well you prepare, and how gracefully you handle the outcomes that don't go to plan. A client who didn't get what they wanted but felt genuinely supported will still send you referrals.

The challenge: what area of your business has been stuck because you've been waiting for perfect? Start moving it today.

Ready to embrace progress over perfection? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze get into a topic that every broker should sit with honestly: is talent enough, or does hard work always win out in the end?

The short answer is neither alone — but the combination is everything. Ruan opens with a familiar pattern he's seen play out in broking and in sport: someone starts with genuine talent, has early success, and then quietly stops doing the things that got them there. A few years later, the results dry up and they can't figure out why. Resting on your laurels is the slow killer of a broking career, because client expectations keep rising and what was impressive yesterday becomes the baseline tomorrow.

Marissa makes the point that hard work doesn't just sustain talent — it actually builds it. The more deliberately you work, the more skilled you become. And that applies at every stage of the business journey. Brokers who think that building a team means the hard work eases up are in for a surprise — managing people, defining roles, measuring output, and holding a culture together is a different kind of hard work, but it's hard work all the same.

The episode also takes a clear-eyed look at AI and the "work smarter not harder" conversation. The tools available today are genuinely useful — but only if the time they free up is redirected into higher value activity. Technology doesn't replace effort, it just changes where that effort needs to go.

The challenge: be honest about what level of effort your goals actually require — and close the gap.

Ready to build the habits that back your talent? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze get into one of the most important topics in the broking industry: ethics. Not just compliance — ethics. Because while compliance sets the floor, your ethical standard is what defines your reputation, your longevity, and the kind of business you're actually building.

Ruan draws a clear distinction between customers and clients — and the level of commitment each word implies. A truly ethical broker holds a standard regardless of the pressure they're under, even when a client wants something that isn't in their best interest, and even when a referral partner is dangling an incentive to push the boundaries. Saying no in those moments is hard, especially early in a career when every deal counts. But it's exactly those moments that define your character and set the tone for how your business is perceived long-term.

Marissa is direct: brokers who consistently put the client's needs first — over their own commission, over short-term revenue — will always win in the long run. You might lose some business in the short term by holding your ethical line, but the trust and reputation you build as a result compounds into something far more valuable. She also makes the point that ethics isn't just personal — it flows through your team, your brand, and every client interaction your business delivers.

The challenge: decide early what kind of business you want to be, and let your actions — not your words — make that case every single time.

Ready to build a business built on trust? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze dig into one of the most important questions a broker can ask themselves: do your clients actually know who you are? The topic, drawn from the Broker Journal, is the Willow or Oak concept — and it's all about identity, consistency, and the clarity that comes from truly knowing what you stand for.

Ruan makes the point that a broker's niche often reveals itself through the clients they attract, not just the ones they pursue. If you asked your last ten clients to describe their experience with you and got ten different answers, that's a signal — there's no clear, consistent brand coming through. The brokers who build lasting businesses are the ones who can articulate their proposition with conviction, because clarity breeds confidence, and confidence retains clients.

Marissa takes it further, highlighting how brand consistency becomes even more critical as a business grows. When team members are delivering the client experience on your behalf, they need to understand not just the process but the personality behind the brand. She shares a practical exercise — writing out your brand as if it were a person — that helped her team at Rise High stay aligned on how the business showed up for clients, through marketing, through service interactions, and through every touchpoint in between.

The challenge this week: sit down and write out your brand personality. What do you want clients to say about you — and what do you definitely not want them to say?

Ready to get clear on who you are as a broker? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze tackle a question every broker should sit with: are you influencing your clients, or are your clients influencing you? The difference matters more than most brokers realise.

Ruan draws a clear line between brokers who lead with expertise and brokers who simply take orders. The best brokers aren't just processing loans — they're guiding clients through one of the most significant financial decisions of their lives, and doing it in a way that earns long-term trust, referrals, and advocacy. The moment a broker lets the client dictate the direction, the value proposition starts to erode.

Marissa expands the conversation beyond the client relationship, sharing how Rise High built influence in the broader community through financial literacy programs for vulnerable Australians — new migrants, young students, women rebuilding after difficult circumstances. That kind of influence doesn't just feel good, it strengthens your brand, your confidence, and your team culture from the inside out.

The episode also takes a direct look at AI. Brokers who are order takers are already being replaced. Brokers who educate, advise, and genuinely influence their clients' financial futures are the ones who will continue to thrive. The human element — judgment, empathy, and genuine expertise — is what no algorithm can replicate.

The challenge: what category do you fall into, and what would it take to expand your influence?

Ready to become a more influential broker? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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In this episode of The LVR Podcast, Ruan Burger and Marissa Schulze tackle another week of the Broker Journal: Nobody's Perfect. It's a deceptively simple topic that cuts to the heart of one of the biggest traps in business — complacency dressed up as confidence.

Ruan opens with a story about a broker who told him their process was perfect. His response: perfect compared to whom? At low volumes, almost any process looks fine. It's when the pressure goes up that the cracks appear. The real danger isn't making mistakes — it's convincing yourself you've stopped making them. Ruan's challenge to every broker is to hold the mirror up first, ask what could have been done better, and build a business culture where mistakes are expected, learned from, and used to drive improvement.

Marissa brings in the boulder analogy — running a business is like pushing a rock uphill. The moment you stop pushing, it doesn't just stay still, it rolls back. Continuous improvement isn't optional, it's what keeps the momentum going. She ties it back to the 1% framework from earlier in the Broker Journal series: small, consistent gains in how you communicate, how you serve clients, and how you show up as a leader compound into something significant over time.

The episode closes with a story about a ten-year-old soccer player whose message sums it all up perfectly: practice doesn't make perfect — practice makes progress.

Ready to commit to progress over perfection? Explore the Broker Journal at successandbroker.com.au/the-broker-journal

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