In 2024, Mortgage Choice launched a suite of business development programs to support brokers at various stages of their careers, delivered industry-leading marketing campaigns and assets to help attract and retain customers, and helped brokers increase their productivity through technology and systems enhancements.
CEO of Mortgage Choice, Anthony Waldron, said: “For more than 30 years, Mortgage Choice has been a trusted partner for brokers, helping them build successful businesses. In our 32nd year, we evolved our offering to deliver even more tailored support designed to meet the distinct needs of each broker. We also continued to empower our network with personalised marketing assets to help them connect with their clients and communities.”
Attracting new customers
Owned by digital property leader REA Group, Mortgage Choice is on a mission to make it easier for Australians to find and then finance property in one seamless process.
Mortgage Choice brokers are featured on the realestate.com.au website, uniquely positioning them to connect with the site’s audience, which reached over 12 million Australians in September 2024*.
Waldron said: “Every day, consumers search for property on realestate.com.au, and when they need help finding finance, a Mortgage Choice broker is just a click away. In addition, the realestate.com.au app now invites prospective buyers to finance their purchase with the help of a Mortgage Choice broker – this has driven a 21 per cent year-on-year increase in leads generated for the Mortgage Choice network over 2024.”
During the year, Mortgage Choice continued its significant investment in brand, running significant above-the-line national brand campaigns across TV, metro and regional radio, social media, and outdoor. The brokerage’s connection to the realestate.com.au brand was reinforced in ad campaigns featuring Mortgage Choice brokers during the Olympics coverage.
“Our brand campaigns were supported by targeted incentive campaigns designed to drive leads and loan applications. We also revitalised our Lifecyle Marketing program, enabling brokers to deliver even more targeted communications to their databases through advanced email segmentation and content personalisation. And we continued to work with our brokers in different areas to co-fund targeted marketing initiatives. These activities contributed to a 19 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of leads,” said Waldron.
Enhancing broker productivity
Over 2024, the aggregator’s technology support focused on saving customers and brokers’ time.
“During the year, our Technology and Product teams delivered key system enhancements to help brokers streamline their processes and improve their productivity,” said Waldron.
No matter where our franchisees are in their journey, we ensure that we’re providing them with the support and opportunities to help them thrive.
“Our brokers do a lot of the heavy lifting when assessing loan structures and options. So we released a new Funding Summary Estimate tool, which allows brokers to seamlessly assess their customer’s funding position in real time. To help our brokers manage their ongoing relationships with customers, we refreshed our Client Care Program, which creates automated tasks and notifications assigned to active loans so brokers can proactively communicate with their customers at the right time. We also evolved our Fact Find form to streamline the customer experience and help brokers more efficiently capture information from customers.”
Investing in brokers’ success
Recognising that each franchisee has their own definition of success, Mortgage Choice delivers a range of personalised support options to help brokers achieve their business goals.
Waldron said: “No matter where our franchisees are in their journey, we ensure that we’re providing them with the support and opportunities to help them thrive. This year, we launched two new development programs to target the specific needs of different cohorts of brokers.”
The Broker Success Program, designed for new brokers, covers the critical elements required to build a successful franchise – including marketing and lead generation, business planning, and systems training. Meanwhile, the Peloton Program is a seven-month program designed to propel established franchisees into their next phase of growth.
“The Broker Success Program has brought forward critical broker performance benchmarks, such as new brokers graduating from our Level One compliance program sooner. And the Peloton Program has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants who have praised the hybrid learning model and peer-to-peer learning method,” said Waldron.
Mortgage Choice has also continued to evolve Aspire, its talent program for women, with the aggregator boasting 34 per cent of its network as women brokers – 7 per cent higher than the industry average. Over 2024, the Aspire program ran two national roadshows, a six-part Wellbeing Masterclass Series, and media training sessions for women.
Nurturing brokers’ connections and development
The Mortgage Choice Professional Development Program is delivered via a yearlong calendar of over 100 events including Professional Development Days, the National Conference and the High Performance Summit for top-performing brokers and culture creators across the network.
Waldron said: “Our world-class events, with inspiring keynote speakers and jam-packed agendas are designed to help brokers hone their skills. In 2024, an average 99 per cent of brokers gave our National Conference a positive rating.”
Forging strong community connections
The Mortgage Choice Charity Foundation continues to have a profound impact on those in need around Australia. Over the financial year 2024, the MCCF raised over $360,000 for Australian charities.
Waldron said: “We are immensely proud of the impact our brokers have made to vulnerable Australians. Whether that’s by voluntarily contributing a portion of their loan settlements, generously donating at broker events, or volunteering their time to support local charities, Mortgage Choice brokers are true community champions.”
*Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement Service, Sep-24, P14+, PC/laptop/smartphone/tablets, text only, Brand Group, realestate.com.au, Audience (000s).
