Darren Liu has been recognised as one of the leading brokers in the Australian mortgage industry by being listed in the 2018 edition of Mortgage Professional Australia's Top 100 Brokers
My Home Loan North
Aggregator: Finsure
Sydney, NSW
Total value of residential loans FY2017/18: $182,305,332
Total number of residential loans FY2017/18: 224
“I’m a bit in shock; I didn’t expect to get to this level,” Darren Liu said when he found out he’d cracked this year’s Top 10.
Not only did he come in fourth behind some serious heavy-hitters, but this also marks his debut on the Top 100 list.
Liu says he thinks he got to the top because he seizes new opportunities and tries to find more ways of servicing the same client. While commercial figures don’t count in the Top 100 tally, broadening one’s offering generates referrals and keeps clients in the fold. “When you give them more comprehensive service, they’ll appreciate your efforts,” says Liu, who’s been a broker for eight years. “We take care of the customer and then the customer will appreciate that and we’ll generate more business out of it.”
It’s now more important than ever for brokers to broaden their use of lenders so they can provide more options to their customers. That means brokers also need to be across more products and policies and should talk to lenders often to keep abreast of the changes. “Now you need to be very clear on all details. Don’t make assumptions; discuss policy and deals up front to prevent dramas,” he says.
To go far, brokers also need a solid team and strong branding.
“You need to be able to draw on your team; it’s not an environment for a one-man band any more,” he says.
The brand has also become more important as people look for brokers who are reliable and trustworthy. But he warns brokers not to expect customers to be generated from a single marketing campaign. “It is the long-term relationships we’ve maintained and the education we’ve provided that has slowly built this up.”
Liu's team have also worked on simplifying and fi ne-tuning their sales procedures. One of the ways they did this was by standardising their phone conversations so every employee follows the same steps to qualify customers for the second stage. This helps prevent staff from getting stuck on long-winded phone calls and ensures customers receive the same service and information.
“Time management is very important to get the business to a new level,” he says.
Next year, Liu will take a step back to focus more on managing and growing his team and sourcing new opportunities.
