The best bit about his job for this Prospa BDM is the relationships he builds
BDM in the spotlight asks a different BDM the same questions – giving you regular insights into the lives of some of the top BDMs in the country.
Name: David Robertson
Years in the industry: 20 years
Company: PROSPA
Location: Perth, WA
- What did you do before entering the industry?
Before entering the industry, I was with Telstra Small Business as an account manager. I’ve always loved working with small business.
- How often do you see mortgage brokers in a week?
The weeks are full of engagement with brokers. Typically, there is always a professional development day, seminar, industry regional road trip, group business SME upskill session or individual one-on-ones. Due to COVID-19, I’ve been connecting and communicating with brokers virtually - as a fintech, we’re well set up for this at Prospa.
- What do mortgage brokers want most from you?
A fast response and a great experience for their small business clients. It also depends on the individual broker and their speciality. A residential focussed broker looking to diversify their offering or with a specific requirement for an existing client may want more training and education on SME funding options and how Prospa can assist. We also offer lots of great marketing and education tools to help in these scenarios.
- What is your favourite part of the job?
The relationships you build over the journey. A massive part of what we do, how we learn and expand our knowledge is engaging with the community around us (whether in person or virtually).
- What distinguishes the best brokers you deal with?
Each broker group can specialise in a certain field of lending – but the standouts always strive to improve. They show consistency in their want to acquire knowledge; to act on improving and providing a first-class customer experience.
- What’s your ideal weekend?
The beach! Get some waves and then head home for a barbecue with the family and friends. I’ve also started working on refurbishing a pinball machine. That’s a passion project of mine.
- What’s the strangest lending scenario you’ve ever encountered?
Over the past 20 years I’ve come across some interesting scenarios, but way back when I was an assessor in the early 2000s, we had a client looking at buying an investment property in Queensland. The valuation came back noting the 3x2 “dwelling” was in fact an old railroad carriage!
- What's your top time-saving tip and how much time does it save you?
Plan. Plan for the week, then the days, and tick off the list as you go. Simple 😊 If you don’t plan, procrastination can set in and then excuses soon follow from there. As the age old saying goes, “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”.
- What’s your favourite meal?
There is not much I don’t like … but I would have to choose barbecued crayfish tails with garlic and lime.
- How has COVID-19 impacted the small business economy in WA?
The term “unprecedented” has been used a lot to describe the impact of COVID-19 globally, and the local and state impact in WA has been far reaching. Small businesses are having a tough time right now but it’s encouraging to see the easing of restrictions and a roadmap to recovery announced. I’m excited to see more small businesses safely reopening and breathing life back into our communities again.
