SPECIAL REPORT / TOP FRANCHISE BROKERAGES
10 JOINT
LOAN MARKET OAKLEIGH Loan Market Oakleigh has followed up on last year’s top 10 appearance with another strong result. Alex Shumsky talks MPA through his operation What’s your approach to customer service? I strive to be proactive with my clients’ needs and always provide them prompt updates on where their loan is every step of the way. At the pre-approval stage I provide unlimited property research reports to assist clients making offers or bidding at auctions; at the post-approval stage I have a process in place to notify customers of new lender products and fixed rates. Part of providing quality customer service is to ensure the client is always aware of all competitive deals; it’s simply part of working in the best interest of your clients.
Total loan book: $325,000,000
Total settlements 2013: $108,000,000
Number of brokers/writers: 3
Location: Oakleigh, Vic Are you particularly active within any area of the market? I do lots of work with first home buyers and have a very good understanding of their needs. I completely understand how overwhelming a first property purchase can be. To ensure the smoothest possible purchase, I work closely with them to identify the costs involved, establishing their borrowing capacity with several different lenders and finding the loan package that best suits their personal situation. I make sure they understand the advantages and disadvantages of certain loan products.
What goals have you set for the year ahead? My biggest goal for the year is simply to continue with the provision of outstanding customer service – in other words, to help my customers get the right loan, with a minimum of fuss.
Average annual volume per broker/writer: $36,000,000
THE MORTGAGE GALLERY DUNSBOROUGH New to the Top 10 Franchise Brokerages report this year, The Mortgage Gallery in Dunsborough has some impressive numbers under its belt. Rod Holt reveals his secrets to success What would you say is your business philosophy? Work hard and do everything a client requires. It doesn’t matter whether the work required to assist a client is going to generate any income or not, we simply do it. Doing so generates a level of customer respect and rapport that encourages them to refer my business and team to their family and friends, which in turn at some point allows revenue to be generated and our customer database to grow.
What is the secret to a successful brokerage? Having a physical office presence is essential in
Total loan book: $243,000,000
22 | APRIL 2014
Total settlements 2013: $104,500,000
Number of brokers/writers: 2
Conversion rate:
85%
Location: Dunsborough, WA
making prospective clients feel they are dealing with a professional brokerage. Having great back office staff to complete the non-credit critical and marketing tasks frees up the brokers to complete the most critical role – finding a financial solution for the client.
What are the advantages of being part of a franchise? Being a part of a franchise means being part of a professional brand and team that is well regarded in the community. It means strength when negotiating with external bodies (such as lenders) to produce a better result for all franchise offices than we could negotiate alone. Our head office support in terms of compliance, marketing and branding, IT systems which collate the infinite amount of lender information available, and straight-through processing of commissions is awesome.
Average annual volume per broker/writer: $52,250,000
Conversion rate:
90%