Bank Australia BDM offers his top time-saving tip
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: Steven McKinley
Years in the industry: Two years in current role with Bank Australia
Company: Bank Australia
Location: Queensland & Northern Territory
What did you do before entering the industry?
In a career spanning 28 years I have worked in the insurance industry, government and also retail banking. I have dabbled in the broker space as a relationship manager at the height of the GFC and then re-entered the industry in 2018.
How often do you see mortgage brokers in a week?
With current COVID precautions in place, seeing any of my brokers at the moment would be great. Ideally 10-15 is manageable and of course the more of my broker groups in the room at once is the ultimate outcome. I am finding, being more office based, that phone catch-ups and emails turn into great chat sessions that help fill the gap of no face-to-face visitations.
What do mortgage brokers want most from you?
If I ask my brokers this question the response will vary, but I find the majority want service and they want it in the moment. Brokers operate in a highly competitive and transparent environment and need a BDM who is responsive, supportive and acts with integrity. My day is balanced between providing reactive answers to scenarios and questions and proactive activities to better meet my brokers and, at the end of the line, their customers’ needs. A broker builds their business based on experience, trust, honesty and accountability and these are the same values I adopt in building my business with my brokers.
What is your favourite part of the job?
Creating an active broker portfolio that flows into our business is definitely a highlight and a measurement of my own success and I get a whole lot of satisfaction from this. Ultimately though it is dealing with people and building relationships where I get the most enjoyment out of my job. I feel very fortunate in the role I have with Bank Australia where I can use my natural skillset to do a role that is rewarding and enjoyable.
What distinguishes the best brokers you deal with?
Resilience in themselves and their business. During 2020 I saw many of my brokers adapt to the different ways of assisting their customers. Standout brokers to me are the ones who have taken the opportunity to expand, develop or reinvent themselves. While a hard year in general, there were successes out of 2020 for those who challenged the challenges.
What’s your ideal weekend?
Maximising weekends are important to me so getting the most out of my downtime is critical. Being in the relationship business five days a week doesn’t mean it stops on Friday night, so I spend quality time building relationships outside my work with my partner and friends.
What’s the strangest lending scenario you’ve ever encountered?
In today’s society I feel no lending scenario is strange, but in saying that there have been certain loans in the long past that either kept me awake at night or left me chuckling in what was uneducated mirth.
What’s your top time-saving tip and how much time does it save you?
The 10-minute end of the day summarise and subsequent checklist, which is specifically set for tomorrow. Doing this at 5pm often saves me the panic at 2am when I suddenly remember something.
What’s your favourite meal?
Aged rib-eye on the bone with a bottle of Cab Sav from the Coonawarra – preferably aged as well!
