"This is your gold mine. Build it and protect it."
Decades of experience in different disciplines and various positions gives one a multi-faceted approach to the mortgage business, according to Susan Thomas (pictured), vice president for Eastern Canada at Invis Mortgage Intelligence.
“I started my 36-year career working in the retail arm of a large financial institution, focusing on branch management, investments, and financial planning,” Thomas told Canadian Mortgage Professional. “I transitioned to the lending side, first as a mortgage specialist and then into various business development roles, ultimately making the switch to brokering.”
This extensive background has served as one of the veteran executive’s strongest attributes.
“After spending much of my career focusing on investments and financial planning, a friend of mine, who was a VP with TD Bank, suggested I become a mortgage specialist. I have been on this side of the balance sheet ever since,” Thomas said. “Helping people realize their dream of homeownership is so rewarding.”
“Having experience on both the lender side and the broker side gives me a unique perspective. Relationship-building and process/product knowledge are really my specialties,” she added. “When it comes to relationship building, the ability to really listen is most important.”
Robust foundations went hand-in-hand with an innate drive for continuous improvement.
“For product and process knowledge, I have a voracious appetite for reading and dedicate time daily for this. I am also a data hound and love to pore over statistics to see where I could improve processes,” Thomas said. “I have always committed to a path of life-long learning, recently completing a course at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. This was an incredible opportunity as the course instructor was Brendan Calder, an icon in the Canadian mortgage industry.”
It’s this particular aspect (“Be consistent. Be proactive.”) that Thomas stressed as something industry newcomers should focus on.
“Be ruthless with your time. You need an effective system. Block time in your calendar every day for calls and stick with it. Put follow up reminders in your calendar so you don’t forget the important interactions,” Thomas said. “For example, if you fund a mortgage today, did you put a reminder in your calendar to call the client after the first payment comes out to make sure everything went according to plan?
“Build your database consistently. Add every contact and denote if they are a referral source, a centre of influence, a first-time homebuyer, repeat client, etc. This is your gold mine. Build it and protect it.”
Together, these strengths helped Thomas contribute to her network’s unparalleled results over the past few years.
“Since joining Invis Mortgage Intelligence, the company has experienced 45% growth in volume. While market conditions have contributed to this, it is the professionalism and dedication of both the staff and the brokers that have fuelled this incredible growth. I am proud to be part of this dynamic team,” Thomas said.
However, not everything can go smoothly for an executive. Thomas cited corporate downsizing as one of the most significant challenges that a leader will eventually encounter.
“It’s a harsh, difficult time,” Thomas said. “I tried to stay positive and continued to attend industry events and [build my] network. I would say when you are faced with adversity, just keep going. Never give up.”
For Thomas, the ultimate key to long-term success is balance.
“You need to be sure that you have time for work, family, health, friendships, and hobbies,” Thomas said. “We can get so caught up in our careers that we miss out on very important parts of life. By managing my time accordingly, it makes me more productive and happy.”
Thomas said that she puts this into action by giving back to her community, and by keeping herself strong in both mind and body.
“I am currently a board member of the Mortgage Professionals Charitable Foundation, a 21-year volunteer with The Canadian Cancer Society, past president with distinction of the Orillia Kiwanis Club, past run director for the CIBC Run for the Cure, and a past board member for The Community Foundation of Orillia,” Thomas said. “I am a Level One CrossFit trainer, still regularly coaching, and competitor who ranked 12 in Canada East (218 worldwide) in the 2013 CrossFit Open Competition.”
