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Mortgage Choice Ormeau broker Deslie Taylor was crowned Mortgage and Finance Broker of the Year at the inaugural Women in Finance Awards last week. The Adviser learns what she believes contributed to her success.
The inaugural Women in Finance Awards was held in Sydney on Thursday (21 September), with several leading brokers and members of the mortgage industry recognised for their outstanding work.
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The flagship Women in Finance Awards, presented by Momentum Media together with principal partner NAB, saw more than 800 people gather at The Star in Sydney to celebrate the exceptional work of women within financial services.
Hosted by author, comedian and radio and TV personality Wendy Harmer, the event covered 28 individual and group performance awards, which showcased the women making a difference in accounting, banking, insurance, financial advice, funds management, mortgage broking and superannuation.
The award for Mortgage and Finance Broker of the Year was won by Deslie Taylor from Mortgage Choice Ormeau.
Ms Taylor was recognised for her individualised customer service, diversified approach to fulfilling her customer’s financial requirements and sterling business strategy.
Speaking to The Adviser after winning her award, Ms Taylor said that she was "surprised and honoured to have won".
"I didn't think I would win because I don't get caught up in many industry events or the golf days or race days that the lenders put on, and I honestly thought that you got awards by keeping up appearances. So, I'm very surprised, but it shows that hard work pays off."
According to the Mortgage Choice broker, thinking outside the box in terms of training has helped her achieve greater client outcomes.
Ms Taylor explained: "I've done some emotional intelligence training, which meant I could recognise my own flaws and see how my actions are perceived by others. It made me really aware that I might not always come off the way I intend. That has helped me really grow personally and it has enabled me to be able to communicate with my clients in a much more productive way.
"It helped me better understand my clients and how their personalities are aligned, which meant that I can now help them in the way that they will understand and in a way that they want to be helped, instead of treating everyone the same."
Another aspect of her success, she said, was diversifying into other areas and offering more services to clients.
"I started writing asset finance in the last year, and it has been fantastic for the business," she told The Adviser.
"I'm probably writing two car loans a week now, and it's really easy. So, I'm looking to encompass everything and offer our clients car financing. It's not a hard sell, but it's just letting them know we offer it, and from there we have the option to refer to a financial planner as well just to make sure that the clients understand everything.
"We look holistically at their entire financial history and situation, and our Mortgage Choice financial planner partner can help them move on the next stage of their life sustainably."
In conclusion, Ms Taylor said that while she doesn't think of herself as a feminist, she believed that the female-specific awards were important as they "give credit to women and empower women".
"I really, truly believe that it takes away the stigma of the boys club mentality in finance, and it was an amazing event," the awardee said.
"The ratio of women to men in the financial industry is far outweighed, and it was amazing to recognise the women for the good work they are doing."
[Related: Broking as a single operator — the Deslie Taylor way]
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