The Industry-leading broker covered everything from guerrilla marketing to office culture at the MFAA Convention
Industry-leading broker Rael Bricker shares his top 10 brokerage tips.
1. Never ask your staff to do anything you wouldn't do
Although you might no longer routinely perform certain tasks, such as lodging deals, it's vital you know how to, and your staff know you know, showing you take an interest in their work.
2. People get promoted to the point of no return - keep them challenged
Bricker notes that generally people get promoted to their level of incompetence, and stay there. He's determined to beat this trap by continually challenging staff to perform different tasks, and not letting them stay comfortable in specialist areas.
3. Find a blue ocean and swim in it
This is a metaphor for opportunity, and for Bricker guerilla marketing is a prime example of it. Whether giving away branded glasses cleaners or advertising in the TV section of the newspaper, he advises brokers to think beyond the free pen.
4. People are critical to your business
Tying into points 2, 5 and 6, Bricker's staff at House and Home Loans are a tight knit team, which he believes drives the brokerage.
5. Have a relaxed office environment
Whether through office banter, a more relaxed dress code or an open-door policy, Bricker is keen to remove unnecessary obstacles to team bonding.
6. Have a serious office culture
A relaxed culture doesn't prevent staff putting the customer first, Bricker insists; he constantly reminds them they're dealing with people's lives.
7. Communication is king, and long live the king
At House and Home Loans, the PAs contact clients 2-3 times a week. Bricker himself prefers not to bring a laptop into client meetings, in order to give them his full attention.
8. Give up control on order to gain control
It's taking on PAs, not brokers, which has built the business, Bricker notes. Trusting them to do some of your tasks enables you to concentrate on what you do best.
9. The whole truth and nothing but the truth
One thing Bricker won't tolerate is his staff avoiding responsibility - blaming lenders for delays which the broker has partly caused being one example. He encourages staff to be entirely upfront with clients.
10. Keep it simple - if it's bite sized you can't choke
This is a starting point for thinking about organisation, with one example being the dividing of client files by days for follow ups, rather than letting it build up into an intimidating pile.
1. Never ask your staff to do anything you wouldn't do
Although you might no longer routinely perform certain tasks, such as lodging deals, it's vital you know how to, and your staff know you know, showing you take an interest in their work.
2. People get promoted to the point of no return - keep them challenged
Bricker notes that generally people get promoted to their level of incompetence, and stay there. He's determined to beat this trap by continually challenging staff to perform different tasks, and not letting them stay comfortable in specialist areas.
3. Find a blue ocean and swim in it
This is a metaphor for opportunity, and for Bricker guerilla marketing is a prime example of it. Whether giving away branded glasses cleaners or advertising in the TV section of the newspaper, he advises brokers to think beyond the free pen.
4. People are critical to your business
Tying into points 2, 5 and 6, Bricker's staff at House and Home Loans are a tight knit team, which he believes drives the brokerage.
5. Have a relaxed office environment
Whether through office banter, a more relaxed dress code or an open-door policy, Bricker is keen to remove unnecessary obstacles to team bonding.
6. Have a serious office culture
A relaxed culture doesn't prevent staff putting the customer first, Bricker insists; he constantly reminds them they're dealing with people's lives.
7. Communication is king, and long live the king
At House and Home Loans, the PAs contact clients 2-3 times a week. Bricker himself prefers not to bring a laptop into client meetings, in order to give them his full attention.
8. Give up control on order to gain control
It's taking on PAs, not brokers, which has built the business, Bricker notes. Trusting them to do some of your tasks enables you to concentrate on what you do best.
9. The whole truth and nothing but the truth
One thing Bricker won't tolerate is his staff avoiding responsibility - blaming lenders for delays which the broker has partly caused being one example. He encourages staff to be entirely upfront with clients.
10. Keep it simple - if it's bite sized you can't choke
This is a starting point for thinking about organisation, with one example being the dividing of client files by days for follow ups, rather than letting it build up into an intimidating pile.
