Episodes
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Marketing is the one thing I get asked about the most… unfortunately.
I say unfortunately because it’s the #1 thing most brokers think will solve their problems, but it’s usually the last thing that actually will.
It’s the single biggest waste of time and money I see in the industry.
Time and money spent on websites, digital marketing, social media, content, newsletters, and the list goes on and on.
Marketing itself isn’t a waste of time and money. Far from it. It’s the way brokers (and mortgage business owners) approach it that’s wasteful and wrong.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, I share why all marketing is not created equal; there’s what makes you feel good, and there’s what works. If you’d prefer to stop wasting your time and money, I suggest you listen in.
UPDATE: Starting this month you’ll notice something different about the podcast.
After over 200 episodes alongside the man, the myth, the legend… Mr Ash Playsted… after loads of insights, discussions and laughs… we’ve decided to go our separate ways in business and part ways as great friends.
I’m excited to continue the podcast solo… bringing you a new flavour… with the latest insights and strategies from my work with ambitious brokers and high performing mortgage businesses. I think you’ll enjoy it… and I know your business will thank you for it.
So, keep listening… and let’s get into it.
Enjoy.Want to accelerate faster?
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster. -
If I only had 7 minutes to share the most important secrets to success as a mortgage broker and business owner… what would I say?
Well I gave myself the challenge.
Look back over my 20 years in this industry and the 200+ episodes of this podcast (over 70 hours of content!) and start the clock.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, I go through 7 key insights from reviewing everything and running it through my filter of working with ambitious and successful brokers right now.
UPDATE: Starting this month you’ll notice something different about the podcast.
After over 200 episodes alongside the man, the myth, the legend… Mr Ash Playsted… after loads of insights, discussions and laughs… we’ve decided to go our separate ways in business and part ways as great friends.
I’m excited to continue the podcast solo… bringing you a new flavour… with the latest insights and strategies from my work with ambitious brokers and high performing mortgage businesses. I think you’ll enjoy it… and I know your business will thank you for it.
So, keep listening… and let’s get into it.
Enjoy.Want to accelerate faster?
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster. -
Missing episodes?
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Olympian’s don’t spend their lives training and preparing to win a Silver or Bronze.
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster.
They go for the maximum result.
They go for Gold.
Most mortgage business owners, on the other hand, spend their lives building and operating their businesses… without a specific result in mind.
They just want to help people and earn a living.
Very few actually think about the End Game… let alone maximising it (and bringing it forward).
Contrary to popular misguided opinions these days…
The whole point of business is to make money.
And that money drives the life you want.
Now you can certainly have a purpose driven business that delivers amazing outcomes for clients and makes a difference in the community, and you can have fun with your team along the way… but…
Your #1 priority should be driving towards a goal, an End Game, that “gold medal” result (which in business is passive income and asset value creation).
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss this concept of defining your End Game and introduce key strategies in The Earnings Matrix and The Multiplier Matrix. Whether your ideal End Game is 1-year or 10-years away, you need to understand this now.
Want to accelerate faster? -
A lot of our clients are using acquisitions as a strategy in their mortgage businesses.
We help them think clearly, make the right decisions, and maximise the opportunities.
Many mergers and acquisitions are ill thought out, and leave a lot of money on the table due to incomplete strategies and under-resourced businesses.
There are two different types to consider:
Trail book acquisition - simply buying a client list and trail income.
Mortgage business acquisition - more complex involving purchase of a client list and trail income, but also systems, key staff, referral partnerships, branding, offices and so on.
Both can be used effectively, depending on the desired outcome.
Both require the right strategy and tactics to make them worthwhile.
If you don’t have a sound strategy (and reason) to acquire loan books and/or businesses, you can quickly have your head under water… physically stretched for time and also financially.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the key factors to consider in this space.Want to accelerate faster?
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster. -
Do you want to get off the tools?
Work more ‘on’ your business rather than ‘in’ it?
I hear this like a broken record.
A throw away statement.
Often from brokers who have no intention or desire to do it.
Being a mortgage broker, helping clients and writing loans… is easy.
And most brokers love it.
Building and operating a mortgage business… is hard.
And most brokers hate it (or aren’t good at it).
I find it bizarre that most are trying to run away from the very thing they are good at and enjoy… and towards something that is tough, a completely different skill set, and something they will not enjoy.
So, instead of following the masses, the first question to ask is:
Why get off the tools? (a seemingly simple, but deep and complex question)
And then second, if the decision and goal is to remove yourself from writing loans, the question becomes:
How to get off the tools? (a simple solution, but deep and complex tactics)
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the concept and desire for getting off the tools properly, so you can ask yourself the right questions, make the right decisions, and then act with clarity and intent (and not do something you’ll regret!).Want to accelerate faster?
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster. -
Bigger is not always better; it’s what you do with it that counts.
Growing a bigger business and team.Writing more and more loans.Winning awards and following passion projects.Adding technology, complexity and moving parts.Digital marketing and social media.Often to the detriment of making a profit and/or creating value.
So they say.
This could be the most crass or cliche way to start an email ever.
But, there’s an appropriate analogy here for a mortgage business.
I assure you.
Because in business…
Bigger is not always better; it’s the profit and value creation that counts.
But unfortunately… most brokers focus on the wrong things:In fact.
Don’t know what a profitable mortgage business looks like.Don’t even know if their business is profitable or not.Don’t understand their end-game or purpose (income vs value).Don’t have the right model to suit their goals.Don’t look at their numbers or focus on making money.
A lot of brokers, even the “successful” ones (I put successful in quote marks because the industry rewards the wrong things, measuring success incorrectly):In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the concept of having a profitable mortgage business model, and the dangers of being caught (or stuck) in the middle.
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster.
Want to accelerate faster? -
This week's episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration is special.
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster.
I have a ninja business-building guest with me, taking the seat of Ash for the week.
This episode is for the serious mortgage business builders.
A behind the scenes look at how our business grew by 500% in the space of a couple of years, and simultaneously went from almost full reliance on me to virtually zero reliance on me.
This is not a one-off case study either.
We’ve helped a number of mortgage brokers achieve similar levels of success through our 10X advice and coaching program.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, meet the business system genius behind the growth of BIG, and learn smarter and easier ways to develop your business, build systems and lead a high-performance team.
Want to accelerate faster? -
I am giving you permission to work less and earn more.
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster.
Now let’s take a step back… because it’s not that simple.
I’ve worked with hundreds of brokers over the last 15 years.
Some who are just making ends meet, to those making seven-figures a year (in personal income, not settlement commissions / revenue).
You want to know the common thread, that is consistent among brokers, regardless of how much they earn?
They all keep working hard, full-time hours, Monday to Friday, 9-5… and more.
Many sit at the desk all day, even when there is no work to do, or they are completely unproductive.
And then there’s some, too many in fact, that think it’s ok (or expected) to work nights, weekends and holidays.
Let me tell you that both of these situations are B.S.
Don’t settle for it.
This episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration runs deep on our society and mindset. Don’t skip it. We discuss the unconscious “need for 9-5”, linking being busy to being valuable, and how most brokers have an outdated belief system that is stopping them from working less and earning more.
Want to accelerate faster? -
There are levels of how hands-off you can go in business.
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster.
From zero, i.e. you are responsible for everything!
To completely, i.e. you are responsible for nothing.
Most brokers want to end up somewhere in between.
They love what they do.
But they want flexibility to have a life, travel and follow passion projects.
I’ve personally been at both ends of the spectrum. Having a business that was essentially “all me” and also a business that ran independently of me. Both have pros and cons for sure.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the different levels of systemisation (we call it Go Hands-Off), how to think about them and progress through the ranks. Note this month is all about systems, but it runs deeper than that, which you’ll find out when you listen in.
Want to accelerate faster? -
Building systems, processes, workflows, automations and so on is a MUST in business.
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster.
I know that.
You know that.
Even the guy down the street… who is not in business… knows that.
Because without systems you have a mess… fly by the seat of your pants... business.
The problem I see working with brokers, is the definition of systems, and the extent and depth of their installation… is vague and half-baked.
Take an easy example.
Brokers with little-to-no systems, they know this and know they need to do something about it… which is a good thing. Because if they stop working, everything stops.
Here’s where it gets tricky and dangerous.
Brokers who do have a lot of systems in their business, think their systems are really good and are kicking goals, but in reality it’s primary school level at best. If they stop working, some things keep working because of a support team in place, but many things stop and break without them.
A lot of brokers have a basic system for the loan process, but have virtually no systems for lead generation, referrals, partnership nurture, marketing, admin, HR, team performance, client care, reporting, and so on.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the purpose of systems and the various levels of ‘system achievement’ needed to go from solo broker to true business owner that is not required in any way.
Want to accelerate faster? -
As a mortgage broker and business owner, you can focus on two types of value.
Visit Broker Ideas Group to access special resources and events designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Go straight to the source and Let’s Talk about working together to grow your mortgage business easier and faster.
Now Value and Future Value.
You also have the choice of how to invest your time (a finite resource) each day.
Most invest all their time on Now Value tasks; such as generating new business, writing loans, nurturing referral partners, client care, working with support team, and so on.
A focus on Now Value means you have a job, not a business. If you stop working, your business and income stops (or is greatly reduced). Now Value is about creating an income from your effort now and forever.
The fundamental purpose of business is to build Future Value, and I’m not talking about building your trail book, that’s very limited in thinking and one-dimensional.
Future Value is doing something today that will make tomorrow easier, or even better, something you no longer have to do. Future Value is about creating an income (and asset) that doesn’t require your effort in the future to generate it.
If you prioritise business building, and Future Value, you will result in income generation and asset creation that is independent of you and your time.
If you fail to prioritise business building, and keep chasing Now Value, you will be locked in having to trade your time and energy for money indefinitely.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss this in more detail and share why you should switch your focus to business building and Future Value, but doing it smart so you continue to generate a solid income (Now Value).
Want to accelerate faster? -
There are many common mistakes brokers make when building a team.
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
And it makes business hard, annoying, and frustrating.
In fact a lot of brokers end up thinking it’d be easier to just go solo and do everything themselves! But we all know that’s not a real business of course… that’s just a job.
So we need a team.
And if we do it right, it can be easy, fun and lucrative.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the key mistakes to avoid when it comes to team building and team management. These are hidden mistakes brokers don’t even know about, so this is a guaranteed eye-opener.
Accelerate Faster -
What’s the one person all brokers should hire… but virtually none do?
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
Is it a loan processor? No.
Is it a parabroker? No.
Is it another broker? No.
Is it a CSM? No.
Is it a virtual assistant, or a marketing person, or an office manager?
No. No. No.
It’s actually not what you think, which is why almost nobody does this.
I’d argue that it’s impossible to have an efficient, high-performing team without ‘this person’.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the trap most brokers fall into when hiring people, and share the smarter hiring strategy that will accelerate results.
Accelerate Faster -
Grow your mortgage business.
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
Build your mortgage business.
Scale your mortgage business.
You’ve gotta build a business!
…says who???
Forget what everyone else is saying, doing, or telling you to do.
The fact is…
You don’t have to do anything.
The forgotten (and crucial) question is…
Should you build a business or not?
And the answer isn’t always yes.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss the situations where brokers should build a business and where they should take a different approach to reach their financial and life goals. Building a business isn’t for everyone, and it’s not always the smartest and fastest path to success.
Accelerate Faster -
Building a team is easy.
Any broker can hire people.
But keeping a team long-term, high-performing, happy and sustainable… and have them treat your business like their own… is a completely different story.
There are a number of strategies required to achieve this. To create stars (or A players) in a mortgage business.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, we discuss our Team Advancement strategy that keeps A-players happy and performing for years and years. This same strategy also creates the highest level of efficiency and profit.Accelerate Faster
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk! -
Being seen as a micro-celebrity is a good thing for business.
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
A customer choosing a mortgage broker will… all other things being equal... gravitate to the person who has a higher level of (real or perceived) celebrity.
The definition of ‘celebrity’ here is complex and there’s psychology behind it, a good reason to listen to this episode in full where we unpack it.
In short… building celebrity status is definitely something you should consider (for you and your business).
And there are two main ways to achieve it.
Earn and Manufacture.
One takes years (or decades), the other takes a simple decision and only days… if you know how.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, learn the secrets of manufacturing celebrity and the huge benefits to your business, your clients and you personally.
Accelerate Faster -
Should you invest the time and resources to enter awards?
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
You might think the answer is a straightforward Yes or No.
But it’s not.
Because it takes a fair chunk of time to submit entries in all the industry (and non industry) awards, you want to make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.
And personal recognition, a trophy and a night out at an awards ceremony… isn’t one of them.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, learn how to consider awards from a strategic business perspective. Why you should consider entering (or not), how to maximise your chances of winning, and what to do if you are a finalist or winner.
Accelerate Faster -
I currently live in Melbourne, Australia.
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
It’s winter.
And everyone wears black.
It’s kinda dull, boring and depressing.
But… I’m not here to critique the fashion choices of an entire city.
Afterall, I do wear my fair share of black clothing.
Now… I notice a similar trend in the mortgage industry.
Everyone looks and sounds the same.
Following and copying one another.
Also kinda dull and boring.
To succeed in business and as a mortgage broker, you want to go out and see what everyone else is doing… and then do something different… often the opposite.
Wear white when everyone is wearing black.
In business… standing out and being unique is the name of the game.
Boring, beige and plain vanilla is not.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, learn why most people don’t do this and why they prefer to blend in. Discover how to get comfortable with standing out and why the marketplace rewards those who do.
Accelerate Faster -
Public speaking is one of the most valuable things you can do in business.
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
Why?
1:MANY
The fact you can connect with, educate, inspire and motivate a group of people… all at the same time… is a scale gamechanger (think efficiency, conversions, profit and more).
What’s even better is it can actually be fun, once you flip your approach and mindset.
I used to be the shyest kid in school and the last person you would think to put their hand up to speak in front of a room… let alone become good at it.
While I still don’t consider myself a good (i.e. professional level) public speaker, it hasn’t stopped me from learning how to have fun and make millions of dollars doing it.
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, learn why you should consider public speaking opportunities (linked to generating business of course), how to change your mindset and enjoy it, and of course the big one… learn what you should talk about and say.
Accelerate Faster -
Today marks the first day of the new financial year, at least in Australia.
Your clients: how are you pre-empting and supporting them around this time?Your partners: what are they working on and what’s important to them and their clients, and how can you support all that?Your business: what results did your business achieve the previous 6-12 months, what would you like to achieve in the coming year… and how will you reward your team for their performance and incentivise them into the next year?
So what should you do to start strong?
First, you should have started at least 3-months ago, but we’ll skip that since we don’t have a time machine handy.
What you’ll want to consider are three things.The EOFY can feel like an arbitrary line in the sand, but there’s actually a number of things smart operators are doing at this time.
You can visit Broker Ideas Group to learn more about us, access special events and download useful resources designed exclusively for mortgage brokers.Want to work with James, Ash and the BIG team to grow your mortgage business faster? Our Growth Coach team can help you. Let's talk!
In this episode of Mortgage Broker Acceleration, learn how to prepare, plan and maximise this time of year… it’s not too late.
Accelerate Faster - Show more
