This executive stresses the importance of engaging with people
Matthew Ablakan, founder of the Millennial’s Choice Group of Companies, says that nearly a decade in the ever-evolving industry has taught him a constant: the central importance of people skills.
“Marketing and engaging with people are my specialties,” Ablakan told Mortgage Broker News. “I ensure that most of my time is spent on these two things. I schedule off specific parts of the day that are dedicated to these two main things. Also, I put the right people in the right positions to assist me with everything else so that my time can be free to focus on these two things.”
Ablakan said that this conclusion should not come as a surprise since it’s a universal lesson, but he argued that too many mortgage professionals underestimate the gift of the gab, and the value of landing on one’s feet every time.
“It's a bit silly but relevant and it’s a lesson I learned from Dr. Seuss book ‘Oh The Places You'll Go’ that I received at my grade eight graduation ceremony: You really never know where you’ll end up, but it’s not by chance,” Ablakan said. “Looking back, there are many little moments that were connected and that led to bigger moments. Some of those moments weren't pretty, yet they helped me get to the final destination.”
And while he only entered the industry in 2012, he emphasized that the length of a professional’s tenure in the mortgage space often has little bearing on the quality of their services.
“It’s important to remember that we overestimate what we can do in one year and we underestimate what we can do in our lifetime,” Ablakan said. “I entered the industry in 2012 as a real estate agent – and one year later, I decided to offer my buyer clients mortgage services.
“I enjoy investing in real estate and real estate in general so naturally, getting the financing business down-pat seemed necessary,” he added. “I decided to bring on these services and offer them to my clients. It was a one stop-shop. With the day-to-day business of our lives, I believe that having more services to offer clients is certainly the way to go.”
