The constructing blocks for a dealer’s profession are customer support, in response to trade specialists.
Peter White, AM, managing director of the Finance Brokers Association of Australasia (FBAA), says, “Research tells us that brokers who earn the belief of their prospects via glorious service have shoppers for all times, and this repeat enterprise is crucial to success.”
There have been some difficult components over the past 12 months for brokers, corresponding to clawback, as a CoreData dealer ballot commissioned by the FBAA discovered that 94% of mortgage brokers had settled loans affected by clawback in 2024.
“The challenges of mortgage brokers replicate these of shoppers, like rising property costs and the buffer fee, which proceed to restrict the borrowing capability of some prospects, together with those that can afford the repayments,” provides White. “Brokers should be well-researched to satisfy these challenges and do an amazing job.”
There can also be robust competitors between brokers, as their market share of the mortgage market is 77%, which means that constructing long-term loyalty is essential.
The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia’s (MFAA) Value of Mortgage and Finance Broking 2025 report exhibits that 72% of a dealer’s enterprise comes from current prospects or referrals.
Anja Pannek, CEO of the MFAA, explains, “Highly trusted brokers play that very important position of being an educator, making certain their homebuyer shoppers perceive their monetary state of affairs after which helping them to turn into finance-ready.”
The finest brokers are additionally going past dwelling loans and perceive their shoppers’ better wants. “This may contain providing different companies corresponding to asset or business finance or having a referral relationship with a brokerage that specialises in this space,” provides Pannek.
Australian Broker’s inaugural 5-Star Brokers 2025 acquired hundreds of nominations, with the winners decided after being judged by a broad and various pool of trade advisers. The winners’ listing spotlights these brokers who exemplify excellent ardour, dedication and a client-first mindset.
What it takes to be a 5-Star
An evaluation of the explanations given by AB’s nationwide readers on what they worth most in their brokers created an attention-grabbing profile of what it takes to ship shopper satisfaction in 2025.
1. Expertise and strategic monetary information
Clients persistently prioritise brokers who possess:
deep product and market information, together with understanding of macroeconomic components and funding methods
technical talent in structuring complicated loans, particularly for traders, small enterprise house owners and “non-standard” instances
strategic pondering: shoppers need brokers who can plan not only for the current deal, however for long-term monetary targets
academic functionality: brokers who clarify complicated monetary matters in layman’s phrases are extremely valued
Keywords: “educated,” “strategic,” “funding savvy,” “mortgage structuring,” “explaining complicated matters”
2. Exceptional communication abilities
Communication was probably the most recurring themes. Clients search for brokers who:
are accessible and responsive, even exterior enterprise hours
can translate monetary jargon, particularly for first-time consumers or financially anxious shoppers
preserve ongoing contact, together with post-settlement help and check-ins
Keywords: “availability,” “readability,” “responsive,” “follow-up,” “ongoing engagement,” “communication”
3. Authenticity, belief and care
Clients are drawn to brokers who:
present real care and deal with them like individuals, not numbers
construct belief and rapport via honesty, empathy and emotional intelligence
display integrity and transparency, even when delivering tough information
Keywords: “belief,” “real,” “care,” “integrity,” “empathy,” “like household,” “goes above and past”
4. Client-centric personalisation
Buyers worth brokers who:
supply tailor-made recommendation based mostly on particular person monetary circumstances and life targets
perceive every shopper’s “why” and construct methods accordingly
are proactive in reviewing and updating mortgage methods to maintain in alignment with the shopper’s altering wants
Keywords: “tailor-made,” “particular person targets,” “customised,” “private technique,” “reviewing loans usually”
5. Persistence and problem-solving
Clients deeply recognize brokers who:
push exhausting to get offers over the road, particularly for tough lending eventualities
present willpower, creativity and adaptability when dealing with obstacles
don’t hand over simply and as an alternative discover workarounds and options
Keywords: “goes into bat,” “above and past,” “assume exterior the field,” “discover a approach,” “overcome points”
6. Community and ongoing help
Clients worth brokers who:
foster long-term partnerships, positioning themselves as extra than simply one-time service suppliers
create a community-like setting the place shoppers really feel supported and knowledgeable
present ongoing training, helpful instruments (corresponding to budgeting apps) and common updates as added worth
Keywords: “neighborhood,” “continued help,” “check-ins,” “instruments,” “monetary literacy,” “academic assets”
Data evaluation of AB’s 5-Star Brokers 2025 shopper rankings
1. Service high quality is extra necessary than worth or product selection
Conclusions:
Human-centred service (communication, responsiveness and buyer care) is extra extremely valued than tangible components like worth or product breadth.
Clients need brokers who’re engaged, educated and simple to work with, not simply those that discover the most affordable fee.
Pricing is least necessary, suggesting shoppers could settle for larger prices if the service and belief are robust.
2. Clients belief and depend on their dealer’s steering
Conclusions:
96% of shoppers both utterly depend on the dealer or collaborate to decide on the lender.
Only a tiny minority proactively select lenders on their very own.
This reinforces the significance of belief and experience in the broker-client relationship.
Brokers are usually not simply facilitators; they’re advisers and decision-makers for many shoppers.
3. Clients choose private connection over purely rational components
Conclusions:
The private relationship with a dealer is extra necessary than on-line instruments or DIY approaches.
Clients choose guided, human interplay, much more than charges or mortgage phrases.
Brand recognition and moral practices matter much less, although they’re nonetheless related to a smaller section.
Emotional belief and reassurance in a dealer seem to outweigh purely logical concerns.
AB’s 5-Star Brokers 2025
For finance strategist Rachael Howlett, the previous 12 months have been among the many most dynamic of her profession.
She has contended with fluctuating rates of interest, evolving lender insurance policies and rising cost-of-living pressures on on a regular basis Australians, all whereas greater than doubling her quantity.
“Strategic pondering was completely important. Clients had been understandably feeling unsure, and it turned my mission to be their regular hand, translating complexity into readability and serving to them transfer ahead with confidence,” she explains. “The problem wasn’t nearly securing finance; it was about restoring a way of management and chance for individuals navigating unpredictable occasions.”
“Exceptional service means shoppers depart feeling empowered, revered and like they’ve had somebody in their nook the entire approach via”
Rachael HowlettInfinity Group Australia
Responsiveness is the second largest precedence for purchasers in response to AB’s knowledge and can also be a part of Howlett’s model. She takes pleasure in being accessible and proactive by replying to all shopper queries throughout the similar enterprise day, usually inside hours. Howlett says, “Whether it’s a fast replace or a fancy query, I need my shoppers to know they’re by no means left questioning.”
Staying throughout lender coverage and product adjustments is non-negotiable for Howlett, who prioritises ongoing skilled growth, whether or not it’s attending webinars, lender coaching or trade workshops or collaborating with different brokers to share insights.
Part of her week is blocked out for a deep dive into product updates and coverage shifts. “That is so I can guarantee each suggestion I make shouldn’t be solely compliant, however strategic. In such a fast-moving house, being forward of the curve is how I shield my shoppers’ finest pursuits.”
As founding father of his personal agency, 5-Star Broker Khan Bungate commits to a punishing schedule. He says, “The final 12 months have been an enormous progress part. I’ve put in the hours – early mornings, late nights and each weekend – to construct one thing that delivers actual outcomes for my shoppers, not simply tick-box approvals. It’s been a tricky lending setting, and the largest problem has been navigating a market the place the goalposts are consistently shifting.”
The problem has been made tougher with borrowing capability being tighter, lender insurance policies stricter and sophisticated offers requiring extra time and extra care; nonetheless, Bungate feels that is the place he excels. He leans into tough eventualities and takes possession of outcomes.
“If there’s a approach ahead, I’ll discover it, and I’ll be certain it’s the fitting approach ahead for the shopper’s targets, not only a short-term repair,” he says. “That’s what units the inspiration for long-term success for them and for me.”
“I get an actual buzz out of serving to individuals win, whether or not that’s rising their portfolio, refinancing into a greater construction or simply getting their foot in the door. Their success is my success”
Khan BungateTactical Finance Australia
Part of Bungate’s approach of working sees shoppers solely work with him and never being handed off. He’s ably assisted with a again workplace however takes the lead on all shopper interplay.
“It’s not nearly replying quick; it’s about ensuring my shoppers really feel supported and are by no means left guessing,” he provides. “Clear, constant communication is among the fundamental causes my shoppers belief me, particularly after we’re coping with complicated or time-sensitive offers.”
Keen to maintain providing shoppers worth, Bungate takes a eager curiosity in fee adjustments, area of interest lender choices and servicing fashions. He additionally stays in common contact with BDMs, aggregators and different high-level brokers to remain forward of what’s coming.
For him, it’s about consistently studying, testing, and refining his strategy. He says, “I don’t simply learn the insurance policies; I search for methods to use them extra strategically for the shopper. The sharper I keep, the extra worth I carry, and that instantly impacts how far I can take my shoppers’ success.”
Turning issues on their head, George Mylonakis has relished the trade challenges which have hit the trade.
“Over the previous 12 months, it has been a rewarding expertise serving to shoppers navigate the challenges of a altering property and finance market,” he says. “One of the largest challenges has been managing shopper expectations in response to those shifts. It’s been about discovering the fitting stability between optimism and realism, whereas offering clear, sincere recommendation to help knowledgeable and assured decision-making.”
Responding to shoppers inside 4 hours or on the identical enterprise day (based mostly on standing and urgency), whether or not it’s by way of textual content, telephone or e mail, is one other initiative Mylonakis has applied.
He provides, “To me, being responsive isn’t nearly replying quick or giving a solution with out a lot element; it’s about acknowledging the shopper and holding them properly knowledgeable each step of the way in which.”
“True main service goes past the fundamentals and is constructed on robust, lasting relationships grounded in belief, empathy and a dedication to steady enchancment”
George MylonakisMortgage Navigators
Driving ahead and including new experience is a spotlight for Mylonakis, who’s at the moment finishing a Diploma of Financial Services (Commercial and Asset Finance) via the Institute of Strategic Management.
Every week, he additionally dedicates time to reviewing present lender insurance policies from panel lenders and researching new or rising lenders in the market. “I additionally take pleasure in and usually take part in trade occasions hosted by MFAA, our aggregator LMG, together with webinars and catch-ups with our lender companions,” he says. “I’m all the time in search of to remain educated and aligned with present markets to supply continued holistic and well-informed recommendation to my shoppers.”
Showcasing the requirements that Geoff Neilson has set at this agency, new or current shoppers can anticipate a response inside 24–48 hours of creating contact.
Maintaining this has enabled the agency to repeatedly drive enterprise by way of referrals. “There is not any higher method to obtain new enterprise than via ‘word-of-mouth’ from individuals who have handled Joslan Financial and skilled the standard and repair degree we offer,” says Neilson.
Advocating for shoppers is one other of the agency’s fundamentals. This stays the identical no matter whether or not they’re in search of a house mortgage or a fancy business finance facility.
“Ongoing training is important to sustaining technical experience and product information”
Geoff NeilsonJoslan Financial Services ATF Neilson Family Trust
Neilson explains, “We preserve a candid and strong communication course of whereby every shopper is concerned in the decision-making course of as to which lender they in the end choose to supply their monetary answer.”
The final 12 months has created a panorama with a collection of hurdles, which embody sustaining trade compliance necessities (NCCP Lending Rules and Regulations, and so forth.), the NSW Government making use of a payroll tax to dealer commissions on account of Revenue NSW making use of an extension of the related “contractor provisions” to aggregators that function throughout the market, and likewise coping with continued uncertainty round clawbacks. Joslan Financial has additionally needed to handle and take care of the removing of some prime White Label Loan Products from their product providing.
Customer service stands out
The largest issue for shoppers in selecting and staying with a dealer is service. This is the place brokers can actually transfer the needle and turn into valued companions. However, there are other ways of delivering success.
“To me, it’s about anticipating wants earlier than they’re spoken. It’s about creating an expertise that’s not simply transactional, however transformational. I take the time to actually perceive my shoppers’ targets, worries and life context, after which I present up with options, empathy and follow-through,” says Howlett.
While for fellow 5-Star Broker Mylonakis, consistency is paramount, and fulfilling shoppers’ wants with professionalism, respect and effectivity. “It includes being reliable and responsive whereas ensuring each interplay is welcoming and places the shopper comfortable. It additionally means addressing any issues promptly and sustaining open, sincere communication all through the method.”
And the cornerstone for Bungate is a transparent plan, robust communication and a real funding in serving to shoppers succeed. He provides, “I’ll all the time go the additional mile for shoppers so long as they’re keen to satisfy me midway. Especially on complicated offers, I want shoppers to be responsive and upfront and belief the method. If they’re in, I’m all in. I’ll usually work via the evening if I’ve to, however I received’t compromise on doing it proper.”
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