Change often demands resiliency. That is certainly true of the mortgage industry during the past several years. Brokers learned to be resilient and redefined their roles for clients. They had to step up differently -- deepen their expertise, answer more complex questions, calm anxiety, set clearer expectations and provide sound rationale.
It was and remains a tall order. But clients need more support. They are looking to their brokers to facilitate and enable their dreams of home ownership. More than that though, they want their brokers to walk beside them through a process that seems more complex than ever. Clients want straightforward answers quickly and transparency every step of the way.
Where do they find the confidence to deliver on those demands? How do brokers know that they can step up as their clients’ go to for information and rationalized mortgage decisions? They rely on receiving the right education, information, clarity, transparency and reasoning so they can provide it back to their clients.
The keys to confidence
When we asked brokers about what motivates their confidence, the answer was simple and to the point. I like to know where I stand. We probed further to understand what that means:
- Consistent industry updates to anticipate market or product changes
- Ongoing contact with Business Development Manager (i.e. weekly calls or meetings)
- Information sharing and learning, so insight and knowledge can be passed to clients
- Set proper expectations, so clients are never blindsided
- Openness to explain reasoning behind decisions
- Being able to explain why to clients
- Quick yes or no
- Fast turnaround
- Willingness to listen, have conversations and work collaboratively
- Direct contact with people that can help
- Open lines of communication
- Explain the no’s so they make sense
- Collaborative issue resolution
- Open and honest relationships
Openness and communication: how First National provides clarity and transparency, so brokers can set realistic expectations with clients
When clients are demanding quick, clear answers, brokers need those types of answers themselves. It is impossible to be transparent with clients if you don’t have transparency backing you up. In our efforts to be our best for brokers, so they can be their best for clients, we remain committed to openness and communication – about the industry, in our relationships and at every stage of a deal.
What does openness and communication really mean? How do we define it? We provide ongoing education about the industry, local markets, our products and our business. We remain committed to transparency, so brokers always know what to expect and can set the right expectations with clients. And we explain the why behind our decisions, so brokers can help clients make sense of the answers that they receive.
- Ongoing education: whether it is supporting a national or provincial conference, office lunch and learns or weekly calls/meetings with their Business Development Managers, brokers receive consistent updates about industry developments, local market trends and product introductions/enhancements so they can address any question that their clients may have.
- Realistic expectations: knowing what is happening at every stage of deal -- from submitting an application through to close – is vital to helping brokers calm any anxiety that clients may have throughout the mortgage process. That clarity enables brokers to be proactive in communicating with clients and setting realistic expectations about timing and outcomes.
- Transparent reasoning: our goal is to always work with brokers to help their clients fulfill their dreams of home ownership. But some deals are exceptional and fall outside of our guidelines. If we do ultimately have to say no, we explain our decision in detail, so brokers can help their clients make sense of the outcome.
Quick responses. Open discussions. Consistent education. Frank conversations. Straight answers. Frequent contact. Accessible teams. Honest relationships. Those are the foundational principles that drive our approach to openness and communication. We know that how we show up for brokers directly affects how they show up for their clients. With us behind them and beside them, brokers can be 100% confident that we are doing everything that we can so they can be their best in how they support clients.