Getting new business through the door is a key part of growing a business. This month, we ask…

Social media

Social media is amazing. I use it to my advantage. I originally reached out to an accountant as a referral partner and, honestly, she’s probably become one of my best friends. From that experience, I’ve learned that you don’t need to be shy about reaching out to people on social media. Say what your intention is, say who you are, and [that] you want to catch up. And that’s exactly what I do.

Also, just get around and have a chat with people and don’t be worried about what they think [or] if it’s a no or a yes. Just do it.

Tayla Phillips
Resolve Finance

Being ubiquitous

Even though I was fortunate enough to have been in the industry for so long and have a lot of relationships with people, it definitely didn’t come easy.

New business for us is about getting out there, talking to people, understanding the journey of our clients, and what their next transaction looks like [to] hopefully [get] a referral from that. Or it’s going out and meeting brokers or accountants and setting up relationships that way. It’s just getting out there, picking up the phone, and talking to people.

James Cerolini
Mortgage Choice Erina

A mother’s Facebook group

I was breastfeeding at 2 am [and accessed] Facebook. I thought … there’s going to be a lot of other mums breastfeeding at 2am who may have a question. And what do you know? There was and there were a lot of people saying, “I need a broker”. That’s where my foundation started.

I made sure I had a good presence on all of those [Facebook] pages and signed up to each of them. That was the majority of what was coming in.

Lisa Bridgett
Stellar Finance Group

Broaden your net

It’s a bit of a roller-coaster when you start. You try to broaden your net and try everything to bring in business.

Right now, I get a lot of business from local real estate agents whom I have a really good relationship with. It’s a two-way relationship. We refer to her, she refers to us.

I also get some from a conveyancer, a couple of buyer’s advocates. I’d say the majority of our business is just repeat and referrals.

Ben Williams
Mortgage Choice, South Melbourne