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The Adviser chats to Aussie broker George Farmer
Q. How long have you been a broker?
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Just over three years.
Q. How did you get into the industry?
I was in banking and finance for about 20 years, but I got to a point where I'd had enough of working for a bank and was looking for something different. The banks just seemed to be moving further and further away from the customer. Moving into broking gave me the opportunity to utilise the skills and knowledge that I'd built up over the 20-odd years, but be able to apply them in a different way.
Q. What are the advantages of broking in a regional area?
You end up with much deeper relationships with your clients. You see them at the football on the weekend, you see them around town – you see them on a regular basis. If you're really active in the community, then it helps to really cement those relationships.
Q. What are the disadvantages of broking in a regional area?
Your profile can be an advantage as much as it can be a disadvantage because you are so much more visible in a regional area. If you mess up, then the whole town knows about it. It's a bit of a double-edged sword.
Q. What's the best thing about being a broker?
The thing I get the biggest buzz out of is helping peoples’ dreams come true. I called a first home buyer on Friday night to tell them that we've got their finance approved, when they genuinely didn't think it was going to happen for them. The excitement that they have – that's why I do it.
Q. What would you be doing if you weren't a broker?
I do enjoy manual work, so I'd probably be a builder or something like that.
