New Broker Academy 2021 round-up

The Adviser’s New Broker Academy aims to equip new and prospective brokers with the knowledge, skills and mindset to succeed in a booming property market.

Returning for the fifth year in a row, The Adviser’s New Broker Academy is being held as a virtual event this year, running online via a series of sessions across the mornings of 12 and 13 October.

As well as providing informative sessions, the New Broker Academy also enables brokers to network with fellow brokers on the virtual platform, schedule meetings and demonstrations with partners, and earn points from networking and development to go into the running to win prizes.

Day 1 

On Tuesday (12 October), the content of the New Broker Academy 2021 focused on helping new brokers build and grow their broking businesses.

In a jam-packed session in the morning, delegates heard from industry coach and newly appointed general manager of leading brokerage Equilibria Finance, Peter Clark, as he set out how brokers can build a blueprint for success, manage their precious cash flow in the early stages of their business, and kickstart referrals all while balancing business operations.

Following this, three leading brokers all showcased how they run their successful businesses, demonstrating the vast array of business structure options available to brokers. 

James Hasselle, group director of several Mortgage Choice franchises (Miami, Burleigh, Palm Beach and Brisbane’s Bayside), revealed how he manages multiple broking offices and harnesses the Mortgage Choice brand, while Gracious Chidhakwa, the founder and broker of Eagle Life (a Buyers Choice brokerage), provided an informative account of how she set up her broking office and grew it rapidly over just four years. Meanwhile, Troy Phillips, director of FirstPoint Mortgage Brokers (an nMB brokerage), revealed why his brokerage has its own Australian Credit Licence and the pros and cons of having an ACL.

Later in the morning, broker-turned-business-coach Ruan Burger of Success & Broker detailed the critical sales skills that can have a dramatic impact on a broker’s business, and how brokers can create an attractive business, before managing director of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA), Peter White AM, revealed why he believed there was no better time to become a broker than now.

In the afternoon, the New Broker Academy revealed the secrets of how brokers can create impactful marketing that reaps returns, create raving clients through warm leads, and lean on the experience, support and tools offered by lenders to provide a wide range of solutions to clients.

The founder of the Digital Marketing Club, Beth Powell, provided a masterclass in the most effective marketing techniques for building a strong web presence and positioning a business on the growth path from the start, while Reuben Scheckter, managing director of Leadify, outlined how his platform can help brokers simplify lead generation and marry consistent flow with quality leads.

The first day of the New Broker Academy concluded with a look at diversification, as Malcolm Withers, head of commercial at Pepper Money and Chris Sims, chief product officer at Nodifi, detailed how mortgage brokers can build a full-suite product offering for their clients by harnessing the tools and support offered by specialists in these areas.

Many congratulations go to Melisa Dent, who won The Adviser’s $500 voucher on the day.