His initial draw to the sector was largely pragmatic
In the bustling city of Bristol, amid the economic uncertainty of the credit crunch, a young university graduate named Steve Morris (pictured) found himself in need of a job to pay his rent.
With limited options available, he took a position at a call centre handling home insurance claims. It was a job that came with its own set of challenges, notably frequent and intense interactions with disgruntled customers — a reality that quickly spurred his interest in a less confrontational line of work. Little did he know, this seemingly temporary fix to his financial concerns was the first step towards a rewarding career in the mortgage industry.
Getting into the industry
Morris’s initial draw to the mortgage sector was, by his own admission, largely pragmatic. The primary appeal was the promise of a quieter work environment, where the risk of being shouted at was notably lower.
“Turns out though, I liked mortgages,” he said. “But honestly, I didn’t discover this fully until about three years in. I had initially started at a large fee-free call-centre type set up and was handling an extremely high volume of easy cases shopping for rates, which wasn’t very interesting, fun, or rewarding for me or the customer.
“When I moved on to a different company, I found their clients had more challenging and varied circumstances. We were encouraged to spend time with those clients and were rewarded for converting as many of the cases as possible, instead of ‘cherry picking’. This was more engaging. I learned more, helped more clients who appreciated it more and turned out I was better at it. It was far more rewarding.”
Motivations to continue as a broker
As for his motivations to continue in the field, Morris said he was driven by the opportunity to provide solutions where others see none, especially in cases where clients have previously faced rejections.
“While I think every client should get personalised advice, I think simple mortgages that just need ‘preference’ mortgage advice, will be swept up more and more by robo-advice, leaving the ‘problem solving’ mortgage cases to brokers,” he said. “Problem solving is where we want to thrive.”
Looking to the future
Looking ahead, Morris has ambitious goals both for his personal career and his company. He aspires for Advantage Financial Solutions to become the best Google-rated mortgage broker in the UK.
“To do that, we want to be the ‘go-to’ broker in the UK for clients struggling to get mortgages and want a properly committed service they can rely on,” he said. “In particular, for retired borrowers, the self-employed, those with credit issues, and expats.”
Morris’s journey from a stressed call centre employee to a leading mortgage broker is a testament to the power of resilience and adaptability. It’s a narrative that underscores how career paths can turn in unexpected directions, leading to fulfilling and impactful vocations. For Morris, what started as a mere means to pay the rent evolved into a lifelong pursuit of financial solutions, proving that sometimes, the best careers are the ones we never planned.
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