Interview with ex mortgage broker, Roy
Roy has worked at SortRefer as a Regional Account Manager since 2015. But before his time here, Roy was a mortgage broker and an independent financial adviser in London. SortRefer, however, was an opportunity too good to miss, with a chance to work on his own whilst supported by a team of people at the head office.
What were the highs and lows of working as a mortgage broker?
The highs were definitely dealing with different people which was good and varied, also meeting their needs and finding the right deals. I think that’s why I enjoy being a sales person so much. I like to talk and interact with people. The satisfaction of getting the offer for my clients was great too. The lows would be a deal falling through for the client or the clients getting gazumped, which would be totally out of my control and so frustrating.
What frustrations did you experience?
Like I mentioned, clients getting gazumped. Dealing with solicitors being unhelpful was trying and free legals were even a problem back then. On the flip side, I’m so happy about SortRefer’s Fixed Price Remortgage package that works well with cash back products – what a great selling point!
What were your career highlights?
Setting up a mortgage brokerage in partnership with others, called MBM mortgage services. We’ll save that story for another time! Also training someone in my office from scratch and getting him through FPC in order for him to trade. There were no CeMap qualifications back then, so good luck to the people in customer services doing them now!
How and why did you join SortRefer?
I had all the history of being a mortgage broker and the proposition was too good to refuse. I thought my history in the industry would serve me well.
What has your background of being a mortgage broker brought to SortRefer?
I have a lot of empathy and understanding of what mortgage brokers go through on a daily basis. The proposition allows mortgage intermediaries to work smarter and more efficiently being whilst being more financially rewarding, which is great, right?
If you were still a mortgage broker what would make you use SortRefer as a portal?
Case tracker, speed, product range, control support. Need I say more?
Do you have an idea you’d like to implement at SortRefer in the future?
Equity Release is a popular market place with lots of development for the future.
Without portals like SortRefer, how would work as a mortgage broker be any different?
It would be much more frustrating dealing with the unhelpful suppliers and estate agents who are not in control of the conveyancing process. Also, there’s the threat of remortgage offers expiring because they’re only valid for three months.
What are the 3 key elements of SortRefer?
- The double support of Regional Account Managers and Telephone Account Managers.
- The ease of use.
- The useful downloads and our portfolio of great client facing documents.