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Adam Pisani is just one of the BDMs from smaller banks who are at the forefront of driving market share in the non-major sector, which is fast gaining on the major lenders
Starting out as a branch insurance representative at the Commonwealth Bank, Adam Pisani first came into contact with brokers during the roll-out of the Connect Program.
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“I started in a role assisting the business development managers at the Commonwealth Bank roll out the Connect Program, which was responsible for driving cross-sell within the broker community for CBA,” he explains.
After working in insurance for most of his career, Mr Pisani took the plunge and jumped ship to CBA’s subsidiary brand Bankwest.
Switching from arguably one of the most recognisable brands in the country to a smaller bank with less than 150 branches nationwide may seem a little risky, but Mr Pisani claims the change has been a great success.
“It’s a more intimate working environment, and seeing as this role is all about creating and developing those intimate relationships, I feel it’s even easier through a smaller lender,” he says.
Jumping ship
At 32 years of age, Mr Pisani has spent a majority of his career working in insurance.
“As part of the insurance role with CBA, I was responsible for providing brokers with information on cross-sell products that the Commonwealth Bank offered, such as home and content insurance, motor vehicle insurance and transactional banking accounts,” he explains.
“Whilst in that role, I really enjoyed working with brokers and I ended up moving into a lending role to gain some knowledge in that space. I did that for a couple of years as well as working as a customer service manager with CBA.
“But when the opportunity for a junior partnership role popped up at Commonwealth’s little brother, Bankwest, with the chance to further work with brokers and develop my skills, I decided it was best that I took the opportunity.”
Mr Pisani says he enjoys the interaction and personal nature of the industry, and the constant communication is well suited to his strong personality.
“Working with brokers to achieve an eventual outcome is something that I really enjoy. Specifically within the partnership manager role, I really love making the square peg fit into the round hole,” he says.
“Working in a BDM role has given me a great opportunity to develop relationships with brokers all over South Australia, and those are really long-lasting relationships that I’ll enjoy for the rest of my working career.”
Over the years, Mr Pisani has learnt a thing or two about brokers – especially around their demand for excellent service.
“They have to be demanding of high levels of service from us because that is what the client expects from them,” he says.
“I try to keep the broker in the loop every step of the way, with constant communication and speedy delivery – even if it is something they don’t want to hear.
“I’ve found that a quick ‘no’ is preferred over a long, drawn out ‘yes’.”
Empowering BDMs
The advantages of working for a non-major lender as a BDM aren’t limited to the work environment, according to Mr Pisani.
“I’ve got a large level of control and empowerment,” he says. “We’re in a situation where we have the ability to control our premium brokers.”
There are between 30 and 40 brokers in South Australia classified as premium brokers by Bankwest, which Mr Pisani helps select.
“They receive the best of the best in terms of service delivery from Bankwest, and as a BDM, I have a lot of say on who is selected as a premium broker. The premium broker service gives brokers upfront valuations and 24-hour service,” he explains.
The level of empowerment is something most BDMs don’t receive at larger lenders.
A vast majority of broker volumes still go to the major lenders, but Mr Pisani sees this as an opportunity to grow his network and prove that Bankwest’s offering is just as good, if not better, than the majors.
“It’s more about ongoing education as to how Bankwest can assist brokers’ clients. My role is to consistently educate brokers about what types of products are best for their clients and to define some of the policy niches that really set us apart from our competitors.
“I’ve learnt that brokers are very resilient characters,” Mr Pisani reflects.
“I’m dealing with brokers who are working for really large aggregators all the way down to small, family businesses – and they’re all passionate, though my experience has shown me they have a very high expectation in terms of the service that’s delivered to them.
“So it’s important to me, as a BDM, to form a relationship with them and deliver the highest level of service.”
