Lee Pattison, Blue Lion Lending

Q. How and why did you become a broker?

Fourteen years ago, I started as a home loan lender within the Commonwealth Bank. I did that for many years and I really enjoyed it. But I always had this niggling feeling in the back of my mind saying, ‘Am I really helping these people as well as I could be’?

I had a lot of exposure to people who worked as brokers and I saw the outcomes these people were producing, so I decided that I wanted to get involved myself.

I got the opportunity to move into pure mortgage broking in 2021 … and I’m very pleased that I did.

Q. What tech do you use to make your job more efficient?

I use Outlook calendar and make sure I’m really structured with my time. I’ve also systemised my aggregator CRM so that the letters that go out to clients are the same for every client. When I change the status of a customer, a letter, an email, or a text will automatically go out to them to speed up the time it takes to do things.

I use Quickli a lot to work out servicing. I find that also saves a lot of time.

Q. You took part in an Ironman recently. Why did you decide to participate in Ironman?

I think it’s really important to test your limits. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and never thought it would be possible. A friend of mine did one and I suppose that got my competitive spirit up. So I spoke to him about it and he was extremely supportive and he got me onto a coach.

I want to make sure everything I do is productive and I want to help people at the same time. So I took on this local charity that I really, truly believe in and decided to support them at the same time.

If you go to juno.org.au you can donate through there. I may be doing another one for them. I’m still recovering from the last one, but hopefully, I’ll do one in the next 12 months or so.

Q. What would you like to achieve this year?

I’m looking to double or maybe even triple my settlements this year. I’ve recently taken on a coach to keep me accountable. Going through the whole Ironman experience was really eye-opening on how important a coach could be. So I’ve decided to take that on within my business. At the moment, I’m using Ross Le Quesne from Billion Dollar Broker. It’s only been a few weeks, but I’m already starting to see results.

Q. What are your top tips for new brokers?

You’ve got to work out what drives you and why you do what you do because there are thousands of brokers out there. The only way you’re going … to differentiate yourself from the next person … is to be passionate about what you’re doing.

Connect with people that connect with you because it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You’re going to be broking for many, many years, so [you’ll] want to work with people that you like.