Q&A with George Georges, our Connective Home Loans BDM in New South Wales

George shares his 3 tips on becoming a successful BDM and why he chose to work for Connective Home Loans

When did you start working at Connective and what made you decide to join?

I initially joined Connective as a Broker Support Manager in 2017 and due to the growth of Connective Home Loans, was offered one of the NSW Connective Home Loans BDM roles a few years later.

With a background in industries primarily outside the finance and third-party space, I was looking for a lending role when I stumbled upon Connective by chance, not aware at the time of how significant a player they are in the mortgage aggregation space. Fortunately, Connective were looking for a trailblazer and I made it through my interview with Fiona. The rest is history.

Tell us what you love most about your job?

Flexibility and Control. One of the perks of working as a Connective Home Loans BDM is that we are not micromanaged and are afforded the luxury to control our day and set our plans and schedules without the need to ‘tick boxes’. Ultimately, we are trusted to get the job done whether that be working from home, on the road, organising events or lunches or even a day at the races. No one ever questions my diary when they can see the runs on the board. Connective brings together the flexibility and control of self-employment together with the consistency associated with being PAYG.

What does a life in the day of a BDM look like?

According to Alessandra Edward’s ‘The DNA of Performance’, I’m definitely no Morning Star. I consistently receive my wake-up call from my colleague Roselle Payuran around 8am (8:30am if I press snooze a few times). We generally have a 10-15min overview of everything Connective Home Loans in NSW in addition to my daily update on the life of the Payuran’s – her husband should thank me for this!

I’ll then catch up on anything which has trickled through overnight before reaching out to our credit teams at 9am to follow up any pipeline applications. I’ll generally set 2-3 broker meetings responding to emails and calls throughout the day before clearing my inbox after 6pm.

Can you give 3 tips to becoming a successful BDM like yourself?

Responsiveness: I remember an industry survey several years back where over 50% of brokers listed this as the primary quality they look for in a BDM. I think this is self-explanatory but I would also add the ability to consistently provide support and respond especially when complications arise.

Knowledge: Ensuring all scenarios are answered accurately and all exceptions are in writing. With COVID-19, and policy changes, a greater amount of deals need to be workshopped with credit. Taking the time to do so not only increases conversion but ensures that inaccurate or lazy advice does not come back to bite you in a few weeks.

Likability: This is a culmination of a number of factors including gaining respect, trust and being genuine. A personality and sense of humour also helps. I would also add that not being defensive can go a long way.

Why should brokers consider Connective Home Loans for their clients?

Firstly, I would highlight the quick SLAs of 1-3 days especially approaching Christmas where traditionally lenders have been known to blow out.

Brokers are increasingly looking for alternatives to traditional and major bank lenders and the white label space is one of the fastest growing. With multiple funders available Connective Home Loans can usually offer a solution for 80% of the deals you receive. I would encourage you to reach out and become acquainted with your state Connective Home Loans BDM even if you are unsure whether we can accommodate a particular scenario– in the majority of cases we can provide you with a few options, even if they fall outside of the Connective Home Loans space.

What do you like to do outside of work?

The outdoors – fishing, camping and water sports. I don’t mind the occasional dinner or drink with a few mates. Can enjoy a quiet night in – Netflix or reading an autobiography. From time to time I can dabble in the odd DIY project.