The 12 days of broking

1. Prepare your clients ahead of time

“Educating clients will ease any ongoing pressure from our end,” says Deslie Taylor from Mortgage Choice Ormeau, who notes that many clients who sign contracts during this time of year don’t often have an understanding of the extended wait periods. “We send emails to all clients on the 1st of December to advise them of the timeframes for all applications, approvals and settlements during this period.”

2. Organise your staff early on

“We like to close the office but you've got to understand that the industry doesn't shut down,” says Joe Del Borrello from Launch Finance in Perth. “Set staff expectations early on – so probably before Christmas, work out who's going to be around and who's not going to be around.”

3. Make sure you take the break

“In the start, I never used to take holidays,” says George Samios, founder of MADD Loans. “That’s because I felt guilty. But coming up to five years in January, I now know that taking holidays is actually beneficial for you. You have time to reflect, relax and recharge your batteries, because if you don’t have a break, you’ll actually end up burning yourself out.”

4. Take your time – but not too much time

“When I do take holidays, it is normally for two to three weeks. I find three weeks is starting to push it a little with clients wanting to see me ASAP upon my return,” says Ms Taylor, who adds that she writes approximately 75 per cent of the business within her organisation on top of maintaining ongoing service to clients.

5. Recognise your clients

Whether it’s sending out stubby holders and fridge magnets, charity donations or personalised cards from the business, brokers often like to recognise and keep in touch with clientele over the Christmas season to strengthen and maintain existing relationships. Mr Samios has his own signature gift: “I buy 40-50 boxes of mangoes and hand-deliver [them], with a little Merry Christmas card, to all the people who helped me for the year. For example, banks, lawyers, referrers, financial planners, and even to the people who helped me 10 years ago – I still go and deliver a box of mangoes to them as well.”

6. Check clients have their settlement money

The holiday season can be an expensive and busy time for clients as they prepare for Christmas and New Year, but ensuring that clients have funds ready for settlement is crucial. Mardee Blackwood from 1st Street explains: “I had a couple that were settling on their purchase the first week of New Year [and] we had been advised of a shortfall of funds for settlement – I now advise clients to have a buffer/surplus in their account for any unexpected adjustments. I’m happy to say that settlement was still completed on time and without penalty, as I personally went into the branch and paid the difference until the clients returned and were able to reimburse me.”

7. Keep some lines of communication open

“You can do everything by laptop now – that's what I do,” notes Mr Samios. “I recommend you have a laptop.” Mr Samios also says that most people are understanding over Christmas and that clients “really appreciate” when brokers have a chat over the holiday, even if it’s only to reschedule meetings. He adds that brokers don’t necessarily “need to be in the office for these sorts of things because there's not going to be an abundance of loans coming in [as] everyone's on holidays”.

8. Establish timeframes with lenders

“Know your lenders’ assessing times and direct your loans to appropriate lenders who can get them approved in time,” suggests Todd Hunter of wHeregroup. “Set client expectations early: under-promise, over-deliver!”

9. Avoid lender promotions

Ms Taylor says that engaging with lenders who have “amazing promotions during this time of year” often affects their backend processes, and by extension, affects the ability for lenders to meet their deadlines. She suggests “clearly discussing timeframes with particular lender[s] to ensure the promotion at the time allow[s] for services not to be affected”.

10. Don’t be complacent

While many brokers encourage taking time off to recharge, they also say it can be tricky getting back to business after taking a holiday. “It’s easy to relax and take your focus off your sales and building your pipeline for the coming year,” says Aussie broker Ross Le Quesne, who adds one of the biggest challenges he faces over Christmas is “a complacent attitude”.

11. Set some goals for yourself

“Go away, set some goals,” says Mr Samios. “Set some personal goals – whether you want to lose some weight, whether you want to train or eat healthier.” He also suggests setting business goals for the future, but says that brokers can’t spend time on the business when they’re too busy working in it. “You can’t do that sort of thing when you’re working. When you’re relaxed on a holiday you can start thinking of things to do,” he says.

12. Do expect a quiet season

While business may be consistent throughout the year, brokers told us that others should not be disheartened if the Christmas season is quiet. With adequate preparation and budgeting, Ms Taylor says she likes to take this time to work on her business. “Once January is over, it is all systems go and I am working harder in the business again,” she says.

[Related: How to make 2017 your best year yet]