Leading commercial broker Isabella Constantinou reflects on her transition from receptionist to elite commercial broker and how she builds lasting client relationships.
How did you become a broker and what was it like when you started?
I was doing part-time receptionist work and I was a little bit bored still at uni, just waiting to graduate. I decided to have a look at what else was in the area and Simplicity were hiring for a receptionist role. So I just figured I may as well apply…
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I interviewed with Jean Pierre and Matt (my bosses) and JP called me a few days later and said: “I don't think you're going to be the right fit for the receptionist role. We just think you're going to be really bored if you take that on. So we're happy to create a graduate role for you.”
The first six months I spent doing my Cert IV and the diploma and really just being a sponge of information because I had absolutely no idea what mortgage broking was! I had never considered that as a career…I spent the first half of the year learning everything there was to learn about what simplicity did as a business.
Was there anything that set you up for success when you started as a broker?
There's a couple of things. I think picking your niche is one of them. Where I saw my interest was in the construction space and I really honed in on my skill set there.
Building a really strong support network over the course of my career [also set me up for success]. I've built a really amazing network of people who I know are advocating for my success and are there if I need to lean on someone to talk about any concerns I have. Your support network will be there the whole way through.
Also, just put yourself out there: go to industry events… When I was doing it, I was 21/ 22 years old and probably one of the only women in the room a lot of the time. And that was insanely intimidating…you've got to be uncomfortable a little bit to become comfortable doing it.
How do you establish good relationships with clients and build trust?
I find the best way to do that is to make the client feel like they're making the decision, not you telling them what they should be doing. So for all of my transactions, I'll present at least two or three options… So maybe present a bank, a non-bank and a private [lender] so that they're making an educated decision and can see the breadth of the market and where they fit within the market.
I think it's a much better way to go about it when the client can make an educated decision for themselves rather than just being told: this is the only option for you.
Do you do anything else to strengthen that client relationship?
If they're in Sydney, I'll definitely try and meet them face to face. When they're interstate or outside of the city, [I] definitely set up a teleconference or a zoom call to have that next level of connection
I prioritise relationships over transactions. It's not just about the single transaction. When you come into a deal and you're looking at it just as a settlement or a number, it comes across in your communication to a client. They can easily see that you don't care about what their business is [or] what the next couple of years look like. If you make it known to them that you do care, that builds that trust and rapport.
What recent trends have you experienced in commercial lending?
It's been a pretty tough year in the sense that clients have been really struggling to make decisions. They're really not sure about what they want to do, even if they have an idea of a transaction in mind. It's taking so much longer for them to actually commit to something because there's that uncertainty around what the next 12 months will look like.
For brokers, I think we've had to be really resilient... From a broker's perspective, the lending landscape changed a lot last year [2024]. For me, personally, the banks are starting to come back into the construction space, so it's hopefully going to look a little bit better this year [2025]!
- How she transitioned from receptionist to leading commercial broker.
- The types of development and construction finance deals she’s working on.
- How she manages 60 deals at a time.
