Consistency the key to a broker's success
State Manager in the Spotlight and BDM in the Spotlight is a regular series, giving brokers insight into the lives of some of the country’s leading relationship managers.
This week, MPA features Mortgage Choice state manager Queensland Matt Bocking, who has notched up more than three decades working in the finance industry, starting with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in 1991.
After 16 years at CBA, Bocking moved onto St. George Bank and later the Bank of Queensland (BOQ).
“BOQ was where I was introduced to the world of franchising as a regional manager working with owner-manager franchisees,” Bocking says. “I started my career in the mortgage broking industry in 2020, when I joined Mortgage Choice.”
Bocking loves getting out on the road to visit franchisees and hear their stories. He says he and his team are passionate about supporting Mortgage Choice business owners when it comes to growth and he would love to see the network’s market share in Queensland continue to increase.
Full name: Matt Bocking
Job title: Mortgage Choice state manager Queensland
Number of years in the industry: 33
Location: Brisbane
What did you do before entering the industry?
After finishing school I joined the Commonwealth Bank on a 12-month traineeship where I did a TAFE course for two days a week and spent the other three days working in a branch. At the end of the traineeship, I was offered a permanent job and spent the next 16 years in a variety of roles across the bank from working in branches, to regional manager and support office roles.
Please give a brief description of your role and how you support brokers?
As the state manager for Queensland my role is to support Mortgage Choice business owners with their growth aspirations. Growth will look different for each franchisee, and my team and I are there to ensure that each franchisee is supported to achieve their unique goals.
Queensland is a large state, and our franchisees operate in very different markets, from major cities to mining towns and the far north.
With my two wonderful franchise development managers, Jessie Stefanatos and Dianne Clancy, we support businesses of every size across metropolitan and regional locations - from large businesses with multiple loan writers to single operator franchises.
A goal that you aim to achieve in your role this year?
I would love to see our market share in Queensland increase even more, through continued growth of our existing businesses as well as expanding our network through new franchise owners.
We’ve got such a wonderful network in Queensland who are passionate about the mortgage broking industry, and my team and I are working closely with our existing brokers and our Mortgage Choice recruitment team to help grow our network.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
My favourite part of the job is getting out on the road to visit franchisees and hearing their unique success stories. Our brokers really are part of the fabric of their communities.
Whether they are in regional or metropolitan areas, our brokers get involved with local initiatives, like sponsoring sports teams and local surf lifesaving clubs or getting behind charity events.
What sets successful brokers apart?
I look at this in in two different ways – what success looks like for a franchise owner and for a broker.
In my experience, successful franchise owners take time to work on their business, not just in their business. They create the space to remove themselves from the day-to-day detail and look at their business holistically.
They take the time to build a strong support network made up of mentors and advisers and run their teams almost like a corporate, with clearly defined roles so everyone knows how they contribute to the success of the business.
And a successful broker is one who invests in their professional development and has a genuine care for their customers. I think the key to being a successful broker long term is to be consistent. Everyone can be great every now and then, but being consistent is harder to sustain.
What should brokers expect from their state manager or BDM?
I think the main thing brokers should expect from their state office team members is that they are accessible. If we tell you we’re going to meet you or call you, you need to know you can rely on us to do so.
While this can be slightly harder to measure, I think state teams should also show they care about franchisees and their businesses.
Are there any industry-wide changes that you think would benefit brokers?
There’s been so much talk about AI in the last couple of years. As an industry, I’d love to see us leverage that technology in a safe way to help brokers be more productive and better support their customers.
What do you provide to brokers that makes you valuable to them?
I think I provide our brokers with genuine care. I care about them as people first because we all have lives outside of running a business. I deeply admire the commitment people make when they decide to start a franchise.
This isn’t just a job for them, it’s personal, they’ve invested time and money into a business, and I want to help them thrive.
I also think I’m a pretty down-to-earth person and I’m curious. I love hearing franchisees and brokers share their success stories.
Describe your ideal weekend
Now that both my kids are grown up, an ideal weekend for me is when my wife and I can get away in our caravan (with our two Cavoodles) somewhere to relax – anywhere by the water!
I also love going to the footy to see my team, The Dolphins, play.
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: Assetline Capital’s Jason Lucas, AMP Bank’s Nicole Woodruff, outsource Financial’s Sonia Diamante, BOQ Group’s Samantha Robinson, Mortgage Choice’s Ben Livera, SFG’s Amy Thorburn, Beyond Bank’s Tristian Cunningham, AMP Bank’s David Askew, Moula’s Gillian Paton, Aquamore’s Michael Riddiford, La Trobe Financial’s Waran Chandiran and Pepper Monday’s Harry Stewart.
Do you know a great BDM or state manager that deserves to be featured in MPA? Email [email protected] with the details
