Q&A with Michelle Della Vedova, Connective Home Loans BDM
Find out how Michelle approaches challenging questions and what she loves most about her role with Connective Home Loans.
How has your workday changed now that you don’t have face-to-face meetings due to COVID-19 restrictions?
Without the face to face meetings and the travelling time in between appointments it means that I can return phone calls and emails a lot quicker. I still complete teams and zoom meetings/webinars throughout the week although I am a lot more proactive with being on top of pipeline management.
What common questions are coming from your broker portfolio at the moment? How does Connective Home Loans provide support to address some of their concerns?
A lot of questions now are around what digital solutions have we implemented. Connective Home Loans provides the option to be able to assist you and your clients with a full end-to-end digital process and experience. This means you can offer a digital application pack, digital method of completing verification of identity and then digital mortgage document signing.
Why should brokers consider Connective Home Loans for their clients?
Connective Home Loans can offer multiple solutions to be able to assist your clients. The product portfolio is made up of four funders which each provide a unique offering in the market. It enables the broker to act as a Relationship Manager for their clients and provide a unique branded product which is a standout point of difference in the market with fantastic service levels, support and products.
Can you share an example of a broker who has experienced growth/positive outcome due to using CHL?
Recently I assisted one of our brokers with their own home loan under Connective Home Loans. This was the Broker’s first CHL loan and the support, service levels and experience that the broker experienced has now meant she can talk from firsthand experience when she puts forward a Connective Home Loans product to clients. This has resulted in now an additional four Connective Home Loans applications in the last 2 months from a new referral partner.
When did you start working at Connective? What industry did you come from before joining Connective?
I have been at Connective for 12 months now! I have been in the industry for around 10 years and before Connective I was a BDM for one of our Connective Home Loans Lenders.
Tell us what you love most about your job
I think I am really fortunate as a BDM to be able to operate in so many different environments and be able to build so many relationships at the same time. I think it’s really exciting when you can have a part in watching and assisting brokers business’s grow and be a consistent level of support for them.
How do you approach challenging conversations? Can you give advice on how to manage it?
A challenging conversation is never going to be easy. I find the quicker I pick up the phone to address the matter the easier it will be to get a resolution or outcome. There is always a client at the end of the transaction so if I put myself in their shoes the quicker the issue can be addressed, the easier it will be to manage expectations.
What does a day in the life of a BDM look like?
I’m an early riser & located in WA which means I usually have emails that I action first thing before I head out on the road. By an early riser I mean I am on emails from about 6am. I will tidy my inbox then head out to my first appointment usually around 9:30-10am and on average prior to COVID-19 I would do about 3 appointments a day. I find afternoons are usually my busiest, so I aim to be either home or in the office on emails by about 2:30-3pm.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I’m a very active person so I try squeeze in some form of exercise every day! On the weekends I spend a lot of time either camping, fishing or hiking. I do also enjoy clothes shopping – maybe therapy would be cheaper??