Building from scratch, rolling with the punches, settling 400 loans a year, becoming a high– performance coach – Katrina Rowlands has seen and conquered all. Now, she has shared her tips to inspire fellow brokers to reach the next level.
What’s covered in the video:
Maintain your motivation and passion 4:45 – 6:30
Find a structure that works for you 9:40 – 13:10
Hire the right people 22:35 – 24:35Â
Expand your business carefully 26:20 – 26:57Â
Keep your clients happy 27:58 – 31:20
Land your dream clients 31:44 – 33:45Â
Before you can grow your own successful brokerage, you need to make sure you are 100% dedicated to the game. A great way to stay motivated is to reflect on the positive impact you have on your clients’ lives. Your clients value your knowledge, experience and tenacity and by requesting feedback from them you can understand the difference you make, and it can fuel you even further.Â
Surround yourself with supportive people including colleagues, clients, and industry peers who share similar opportunities and challenges. Building an encouraging community that will lift you up and support you on your journey is invaluable.
When expanding your business, choose a growth strategy that suits you and aligns with your vision. Early on, you’ll need to decide how to grow the business, if you’ll bring on a partner, your future role and your ideal team structure. Â
Envision day-to-day operations to determine what stays the same, what you may want to trial and which decisions to retain control over. Then, you can define each team member’s responsibilities and establish a delegation plan. A key consideration is whether you’ll continue writing loans or concentrate on business management or a combination. Ultimately, your business structure should support growth and flexibility, not limit its potential.
To find the right people for your business, look beyond their experience and prioritise the qualities they can bring. Before posting a job ad, consider the attributes you will value so they are top of mind during interviews. Â
Look for individuals who bring passion and drive to their role and the overall business. In addition to cultural fit, find those with a proactive “can-do” attitude that will challenge processes and drive positive change. Addressing your weaker areas when growing your business can also contribute to building a stronger, well-rounded team.Â
Often, the most essential trait is finding someone who will be great with your customers. People are at the heart of your business, without them, there is no business, so invest the time to find the right person, it will pay off in the long run.
As soon as you’re thinking about expanding, start the journey. If you want to make it work, you will make it happen. It’s important to take a measured but proactive approach so the quality of your service remains high and your workload doesn’t begin to impact your wellbeing. Â
If you wait too long, you risk hiring the wrong person or not training them properly. You need to make the time to develop each team member, ensure they are onboarded well and operating effectively within the business. To write more business in the long term you need to create capacity and learn to delegate tasks. Â
Set the standard for client experience to promote clarity within your team and make each client feel valued. Empower your team by creating well defined processes to ensure your clients are looked after. For example, creating templates for frequently asked questions or guidelines for supporting clients if they call when you’re unavailable can be beneficial. This will help streamline communications, encourage consistency and comfort your clients. Â
Aim to foster an open culture within your team to encourage them to celebrate their successes and learn from failures. Everyone in your business should be able to discuss their client scenarios to improve client journey understanding and strengthen client relationships.Â
You can use many marketing tactics and channels to generate more leads. However, knowing where to allocate your time and money can be hard. From paid search advertising to social media, there are many options. Attracting potential clients who are right for your business and ready to use your services now doesn’t need to break the bank.Â
The information provided on this website is specific to the particular situation described and individual experiences and results may vary. Past performance is not an indication of future performance and no representation or warranty is made that the information contained above is appropriate for any particular circumstances or indicates that a particular course of action should be followed.
