That’s the view of Stephen Johnson, sales and marketing director of Commercial First Mortgages (CFM), who has spent the last few weeks courting the views of the specialist mortgage adviser community about the strengths and weaknesses of the sector.
“The BDM is the front line of any introducer dependant business. In most cases they are the first sales role of a company. Even more importantly they then need to take responsibility and ownership for that relationship, providing support on specific cases as well as training and marketing help,” said Johnson. “I want my team to be there to help.
“Most advisers on the ground are not internet-savvy, yet they are constantly being told that they must start using the latest case-tracking facilities, or they can access important compliance information by going online. The plain truth of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of intermediaries want to work with a company that offers them the ultimate possible resource – access to a professional on a face-to-face basis.”
Commercial First has just appointed two new business development managers to its expanding sales team. Further appointments will be made in due course. “We’re committed to the business development manager route,” said Stephen Johnson. “It works, and it works well. What’s more, it’s what our customers want.”
