Keep it personal! Broker urges meetings, not calls

Don't be transactional with clients, they want a relationship, he says

Keep it personal! Broker urges meetings, not calls

When broker Sy Nathan was a boy and walked into a bank for the first time, wide-eyed and curious, he was impressed by what he perceived as the grandeur of the surroundings.

It made an early impression on Nathan (pictured), and he thought to himself: “Oh, this looks very good, it would be nice to get into this kind of profession.” His career path was set, it seems. “I always knew I wanted to go down the banking route,” he recalled to Mortgage Introducer.

The fascination with finance endures to this day, though Nathan doesn’t work in a bank now – he is head of bridging & structured finance at broker firm, Dynamo. He did experience banking though, with a seven-year stint at Barclays, where he did a variety of roles, latterly looking after a portfolio of 450 high-net-worth clients, growing existing accounts and acquiring new business.

Aside from that first intoxicating banking environment he experienced in his childhood, there was perhaps an even more palpable attraction to the world of financial services – the chemistry that can be established with clients.

“It was the relationship piece,” he explained. “Even from a young age, I have loved speaking to people. That's what first led me to it because of that personal touch, where you can see people interact and build strong relationships.”

Of course, it is sobering to think that if Nathan was a young boy now, he might not have experienced walking into a physical branch of a bank – and he may have taken an entirely different path in life. While he appreciates that mobile or telephone banking has its place, he believes that face-to-face contact is king – and he thinks customers want that too.

“They need to see that relationship,” he reasoned, “That personal touch is lost over the phone. For me, it's important to see each other, to have a real conversation, as opposed to just an email. I personally think it can only build by having that direct conversation, over a coffee, sometimes over a Teams call. If you really want to solidify and strengthen that relationship with your clients - that personal touch - you can never lose it. Don’t be transactional. Things don’t happen overnight, but if you solidify your position with a client, referrals will come.”

Read more: 'How an overcharging broker inspired me to do better'

Passion and optimism are key broker qualities

At Dynamo, Nathan oversees loans averaging between £500,000 and £20 million. He believes it’s important to have regular catch ups with clients, whether it be weekly or every few months, and it’s key to wake up with a passion and a drive for what you do, always remaining optimistic. “If you turn up and you're a bit pessimistic, that energy flows to your clients,” he said,. “Really understand and put yourself in the client’s shoes. How would you like to be treated if you were that client?”

Relationship building shouldn’t just be reserved for clients, in Nathan’s view – it’s vital to take the same approach within the industry. “It's important, to grow strong relationship with solicitors surveyors, and accountants - all key professionals,” he urged. “You will naturally pick up business. Networking is key in our industry. I think a lot of people are put off by it because they think it's quite daunting. The first couple of times, maybe read the room, see how it is, but you will get used to it and it's important. Don't be shy.”

Nathan has worked in finance for 12 years. He suggests that having the strength of character to overcome the challenges that the business throws at you on a daily basis is necessary. “You will always have down days, but it's how you come back from them,” he observed. “I think it's going to be a challenging market this year. Some things go wrong, things will happen which are outside your control. I take a lot of things personally. My biggest lesson learned is don't let it beat you down. It's important to actually look at the bigger picture. You have to step back and think actually, how can you fix it?” Nathan added: “It's the day-to-day things which you do that define success.”