No better feeling than helping brokers succeed, he says
BDM in the Spotlight and State Manager in the Spotlight are a regular series, giving brokers insight into the lives of some of the country’s leading relationship managers.
MPA spoke to ORDE Financial BDM NSW/ACT Zac Speth about his favourite part of the job, what brokers should be demanding from a BDM and lender relationship, and how they can achieve the desired response to lending applications.
Speth has been involved in the non-bank specialist lending sector for six years. His first job upon leaving school was as a salesperson working for Harvey Norman.
Numbers were always one of his strong points, he said. An opportunity in the financial services industry piqued his interest, and six months into the world of lending, he says he has “never looked back”.
This year, Speth’s main goal is to educate brokers about alternative finance solutions and the advantages a non-bank lender can offer.
“It’s great to be able to help brokers who may not be familiar with specialist lending and who need support and guidance around how to help clients with unique circumstances,” he said.
Name: Zac Speth
Title: Business Development Manager NSW/ACT
Years in the industry: Six
Company: ORDE Financial
Location: Sydney
1. Briefly describe your role and how you support brokers.
My role centres around building strong relationships with our mortgage brokers and providing exceptional value to their business through prospecting, education and great digital processes.
I’m also very focused on supporting loan applications from the initial scenario through to settlement.
2. What’s your favourite part of the job?
I love meeting new people, building strong relationships and becoming a part of their business.
There’s no better feeling than when brokers succeed – and when they thank me for being a part of their journey.
The teams I work with at ORDE Financial, from credit to settlements to marketing, and the customer assist and distribution teams, are second to none.
ORDE’s culture includes delivering one lending team and the ORDE broker experience – and it really shows.
The leadership and experience I have around me drives me to be better every day and supports the passion I have for my role and this industry.
3. What should brokers demand from a BDM and lender relationship?
Accessibility and reliability are critical.
A broker should be able to pick up the phone and chat with their BDM any time they need support. They should also have the opportunity to chat directly with credit decision makers at key times if it helps to achieve a result.
The question brokers should ask their BDM is, “How are you adding value to my business?”
Understanding policy and pricing is only a small component of what we do. Helping brokers develop their business gives me so much fulfilment.
Brokers should be able to lean on their lender partners and BDM relationships to help them grow.
4. What do you believe helps brokers achieve a “yes” application for their clients?
It’s important that brokers understand different lenders’ policies and service levels, and that they have all the documents they need to submit a loan application.
I suggest that brokers lean on a non-bank lender’s scenarios team (and their BDM) to understand what credit critical questions should be asked, to enable them to compile a completely packaged deal for submission.
I also suggest brokers respect credit assessors and settlements staff and build relationships with them – they are human too!
5. What value do you provide brokers?
For me, it’s understanding the broker’s business and where I can add value.
This assistance takes different forms depending on what the broker needs, and can include prospecting, education, processes and marketing.
As a BDM, I meet regularly with my brokers. Once we understand a broker’s business and how they operate, we can provide guidance and create strategies to help make their business stronger.
6. Describe your ideal weekend.
In winter, you will find me on the football field a few nights a week and every weekend; I’m a big fan of the beach, food, and adventure.
My ideal weekend is a morning coastal walk, a juicy feed, and a lazy afternoon at the beach.
BDM in the Spotlight is a regular MPA series. Recent BDMs featured include Resimac BDM Marcell Midolo, AMP Bank senior BDM Sonia Partol and ORDE Financial senior BDM Gabrielle Aoun.
