His awards are not the be-all and end-all, but they are a reminder he’s doing something right
Mortgage Choice Bayside owner and two-time MPA Top 100 Brokers finalist Tim Leonard is the kind of award-winning broker that treats awards more as a reminder that they’re doing something right than something they’re set out to get.
“Awards are good, but I don't look at them as the be-all end-all of our business. I think our biggest accomplishment happens on a weekly basis through the referrals we receive from our friends, our clients and our business partners,” Leonard told MPA.
“The constant referrals are definitely the biggest accomplishment of my business. It means we're doing something really well and people are trusting us.”
“That's the most important thing for us — it's getting out there and doing the right thing.”
Leonard’s team finds referrals, which includes financial planners, conveyancers and solicitors, via their client base and conducts marketing activities inside their referrals’ networking communities. His team regularly keeps in touch with clients to make them feel confident that they’re being looked after.
To further boost productivity and build people’s trust, Leonard brought in additional offshore administration staff from Manila to take care of all back-end work.
Leonard looks after the industry almost as much as his brokerage. His team spends a lot of time, especially during the Royal Commission, promoting the industry to politicians and local MPs. They also speak to their communities and consumers about threats to the industry, and the contribution brokers provide to society. With the Coalition’s win, Leonard saw “a massive positive” for the industry that would allow brokers to continue serving people.
To deal with the tough credit policy changes and credit timing, Leonard’s team make sure they stay sharp in their research, explanation and recommendation, especially as clients are more knowledgeable now about mortgage processes than before.
In the future, Leonard hopes to further increase the size of his business that’s still within a manageable level, and to get a little more time off. To work four days a week and spend the three days doing something for himself would be nice, Leonard said.
