Experienced relationship manager keen to help new brokers
BDM in the Spotlight and State Manager in the Spotlight is a regular series, giving brokers insight into the lives of some of the country’s leading relationship managers.
MPA recently interviewed Sonia Diamante, Victoria relationship manager for outsource Financial, who joined the aggregator in November. Diamante is highly experienced, having worked in relationship management roles with NAB and ANZ for more than 15 years.
Diamante says she loves helping new brokers set up strong, healthy businesses and seeing them flourish.
Having experience in both structuring and writing residential and commercial loans, plus also running her own business, means that Diamante understands the complexities of being a broker and can use this knowledge to provide a broader level of support to brokers.
Full name: Sonia Diamante
Job title: Relationship manager
Number of years in the industry: 20 years
Location: North-east Melbourne, Victoria
What did you do before entering the industry?
I actually worked for both NAB and ANZ in business banking for over 15 years, where I got to look after a portfolio of commercial clients; mainly builders, small business owners and investors
But right before starting at outsource Financial, I was actually self-employed for seven years, working in the property market and also managing a major supermarket.
Please give a brief description of your role and how you support brokers
My role as a relationship manager includes:
- giving brokers high-level support across our software systems, such as Salestrekker and ApplyOnline;
- workshopping loan scenarios in partnership with the lenders;
- facilitating the building of strong partnerships between brokers and our lender partners; and my favourite –
- guiding new brokers on how to get up and running, ie learning our processes, being excellent at compliance, optimising business operations and more.
A goal that you aim to achieve in your role this year?
I am still relatively new to the role (having been with outsource for five months) so, as I am assisting all the new brokers get set up and build strong, healthy businesses, my goal is to see them all, one-by-one, take those “training wheels” off and get to that consistent level of confidence.
There’s no better feeling than when one of your brokers calls you up and tells you about their first huge success. That’s what I get a kick out of.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
One of my favourite parts is broker onboarding and being part of that “strengthening and uplifting” process. There’s nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to help bridge the gaps within your business. When I see brokers start to flourish and really grasp skills they were less confident in, that’s the best!
What sets successful brokers apart?
I would have to say being proactive – in every sense of the word. I’m talking establishing relationships, building trust with prospective clients and maintaining that right through to the settlement of their loan, keeping up with education, upskilling and even policy changes, which serves to make them more knowledgeable and, in turn, respected.
What should brokers expect from their state manager or BDM?
Expect a commitment of support from day one. I also want my brokers to understand (above all else) that my role is to assist them in any way I can, and if I don’t have the answer to a question, know that I will put in 100% effort to get them one.
Are there any industry-wide changes that you think would benefit brokers?
Easy! A uniform client identification process that would meet AML requirements, can be completed virtually by the client, and is accepted by all lenders. This would benefit brokers, lenders and most importantly the consumer.
What do you provide to brokers that makes you valuable to them?
I believe industry experience is always beneficial, from a knowledge perspective, and coming from a place of empathy.
Having structured and written both residential and commercial lending is another skillset that gets a good workout, day-to-day. And also having run my own business. I certainly understand the complexities that goes with that, so I have the experience and ideas to help them in that sense too.
Describe your ideal weekend
I’m a big gym junkie, so lots of training for me! I love a good cycle class, a good coffee and then catching up with my family.
BDM in the Spotlight and State Manager in the Spotlight features a range of relationship managers and BDMs within the mortgage and finance industry.
Among those recently featured include: BOQ Group’s Samantha Robinson, Mortgage Choice’s Ben Livera, SFG’s Amy Thorburn, Beyond Bank’s Tristian Cunningham, AMP Bank’s David Askew, and outsource Financial’s Donn Tariga.
Do you know a great BDM or state manager that should be featured in MPA? Email [email protected] with the details
