Prospective broker agenda

Weighed down by a severe cost-of-living crisis, persistent inflation, and unrelenting interest rates, Australians are turning in record numbers to brokers to help relieve the pressure. At the same time, technology is progressing in leaps and bounds, empowering brokers to deliver comprehensive, personalised, and streamlined advice in response to this demand. In this opening session, we will explain how our current socioeconomic and technological conditions are perfect for prospective brokers, and ask if this is the right career for you.

Together, we will:

• Explore why our current economic conditions are pushing more Australian borrowers to engage brokers.
• Highlight shifts in technology that are removing barriers to entry for prospective brokers.
• Walk a day in the life of a broker to help you gauge if this is the right career for you.

Having established the ‘why’, it’s time to talk about the ‘how’. This practical session has been designed to order your priorities as an emerging broker to ensure you build your business right the first time. We will provide an objective macro view of the competitive landscape you are entering so you can better understand the playing field, the key players, and your win condition.

Together, we will:

• Signpost objectives and milestones at key intervals throughout your first year so you can benchmark your performance and reflect on your progress.
• Explain different business models you can adopt to help determine which best suits your experience and mindset.
• Chart the key players – from industry bodies and aggregators through to lenders – so you can begin forging meaningful partnerships and building your support network.

As a broker, it’s easy to wander off the path and lose sight of your goals. The most successful brokers know what steps to take and what turns to make on the road to success. In this session, James McCracken, Broker Growth Strategist and Founder of the Successful Adviser, won't just pave the way for your success – he will hand you the map so you can stay on track for your critical first years. By breaking down your goals into measurable, achievable milestones, James will arm you with the methodologies and tools you need to set your businesses up for consistent growth.

Together, we will:

• Break your long-term goals into key milestones, and set strategies for achieving these proven benchmarks of success.
• Outline the core projects that create stability and consistency of results.
• Leverage the key habits and behaviours found amongst the industry’s top brokers so you build confidence and momentum while avoiding common pitfalls.

Hear directly from James McCracken

In this session, you’ll hear from three award-winning brokers at different stages of their careers to discover how they earned their success. Our candid fireside setting will allow you to contrast different approaches to running an elite brokerage and shed light on the right path forward for you and your business.

This practical, personal session will help you:

• Discern what makes a sustainable business so you can continue writing larger volumes each year.
• Understand the personal challenges of scaling your business and how you can find the right team to support your ambitions.
• Picture what your business might look like a year from today and how to avoid the pitfalls and that stand between you and this reality.

As your business evolves, it’s important that you grow with your clients. Increasingly, clients are turning to their brokers to provide streamlined, comprehensive services. Diversification is about more than maximising your revenue streams – it’s a chance to move beyond transactional customer relationships and become a trusted partner. In this session, we’ll explore how diversification can set you apart from your competitors and strengthen your existing relationships while opening doors to new client bases.

Together, we will:

• Explore how offering a wider range of loan options can insulate your business in different economic cycles.
• How to position your brokerage as a full-service business to win and retain clients.
• Provide guidance on the FBAA’s new commercial finance broking certification, and the impact of this qualification on customer perceptions and expectations.

As a broker, you can’t rely on organic leads. Creating an unbreakable referral pipeline is essential for building volume and credibility. But competition for partners is always fierce, and a structured, professionalised approach is required to establish a reliable network. In this session, we will not only ask what makes a strong referral partner, but consider how you can be an effective partner in return.

Together, we will:

• Learn how to identify and engage strong referral partners, whether they are financial advisers, real estate agents, accountants, or other professionals.
• Work on building your credibility so your partners are willing to trust you with their clients.
• Unpack best practice in stakeholder relations so you can discern and manage your partner’s objectives and expectations.
• Identify common pitfalls in referral partnerships so you can learn from the mistakes of others without having to make them yourself.

Success as a broker demands resilience, discipline, and drive. In this session, Rodney ‘Rocket’ Cottam and Chris Paterson will explore the principles of perseverance and adaptability, drawing parallels between military discipline, endurance sport, and the mindset mastery required for brokers to succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape. This session is where personal resilience meets professional determination, arming you to sustain long-term success - both in business and in life.

Hear directly from Chris Paterson and Rodney Cottam