Sharon spoke to protégé Danielle about the fantastic evolution of the adviser marketing services at Mortgage Intelligence and Next Intelligence, as well as discussing her choice of office attire…
Danielle supervises the marketing team and organises adviser marketing services and communications. She also supports live events, including workshops, webinars and our annual conference.
After graduating from Birmingham City University, Danielle worked as a Digital Content Editor and a Content Publisher before joining Mortgage Intelligence. Bringing new ideas, marketing experience and software skills to the team, Danielle’s presence has been invaluable in upgrading the marketing services in the last 12 months.
How do you feel the marketing services we provide have improved over the last year?
“The biggest thing has to be the promotional marketing materials. Not only have they transformed the offices of adviser firms, they have also changed the way advisers interact with clients and diversify potential demographics.
“Insight, our adviser magazine, has also come a long way in the last year. We have changed the design, the feel and expanded the content. This means that we not only deliver informative stories, but offer tips, advice and updates on what we can provide advisers.
“One of the most important marketing tools at the moment is the consumer newsletter service, which our appointed representatives get for free. These are really good for staying in touch with clients, as well as being great touchpoints for advisers. The take up this year has been fantastic, and many advisers have received leads straight off the back of the service.”
How have our events been received by advisers in 2017?
“We have had such amazing feedback from both sponsors and delegates on this year’s conference. This was our biggest and best yet and so many advisers appreciated the individual time we afford to them to talk to lenders, providers and other partners.
“There have been plenty of firsts for events, such as the protection and buy to let workshops, not to mention our specialist lender event in June. We are always trying to stay flexible to keep our events as useful and relevant as we can for advisers to network, learn and train.”
What do you enjoy the most about your role?
“There is a genuinely infectious culture within Mortgage Intelligence of always improving what we deliver to advisers. This starts from Sally all the way down, which means my voice is always heard if I have a suggestion as to how the marketing support can be improved even further.
“Our Sales and Marketing survey launched in May has already influenced the decisions we make and the services we provide. I enjoy that we all take pride in listening to advisers, as well as delivering what we think can provide the best possible network or club experience.”
On a more personal note, exactly how many necklaces do you own?
“I wonder why you ask that question?! Yes I do have a bit of a collection and I have to admit I lost count a long time ago. In fact, choosing which necklace to wear in the morning is one of the hardest decisions of the day!”
As one of many “foodies” in the office, what is your favourite home cooked meal?
“As a vegetarian I am always looking for new and interesting ways to cook vegetables. At the moment, I am absolutely loving baked aubergine Turkish style! But I also enjoy making a simple soup as well.”
What do you love the most about living in Bournemouth?
“As I live right in the town centre next to work, I love being able to stroll to the beach in five minutes. There are also a lot of restaurants, which means there are plenty of tasty options for fussy eaters like me!”
If you would like to know more about how to join our award-winning Mortgage Network as an appointed representative or becoming a member of our Mortgage Club, call our Broker Support Team on 0845 130 7446, option 1.
Marketing Assistant Emily Watts talks about how much she has progressed since joining Mortgage Intelligence, and how proud she is to have helped transform the marketing services for advisers…
Straight off the back of her degree in Business Studies and Marketing, Emily has brought a host of new ideas and relevant skills to the company since joining Mortgage Intelligence. Emily has completely transformed and refreshed the promotional materials, creating contemporary and relevant designs for both traditional and digital advertising.
What have you found the most challenging thing about your role?
“It is a steep learning curve for any new team members who are unfamiliar with the industry. This has meant working closely with other teams such as products and especially compliance, to give me a better understanding on how to help brokers keep within the guidelines, as well as attract new clients.”
What do you find advisers currently need the most support in?
“We have found that more advisers want to reach out to clients through social media. That is why we now offer a whole new range of digital advertising. This gives potential clients an idea about how the adviser can help them find the right mortgage and protect their finances. Advisers are responding really well to the new designs and we have had plenty of orders to keep the team busy!”
What are you most proud of so far in your role?
“Apart from creating all the new promotional materials, I am proud of how much I have grown as a marketing professional in such as a short time. Working on the marketing team means delivering a range of services to advisers. This includes running webinars, updating Broker Zone, creating newsflashes, designing marketing materials and delivering guidance and support to advisers. I am very lucky to be so multi-skilled already and I am proud to be developing and accomplishing so much.”
Where would be your dream holiday destination?
“That’s a hard question! I guess for me Fiji would be top of my list. But as long as there is sun, palm trees and cocktails I am happy.”
What do you miss the most about university?
“I am ashamed to admit I miss spending the afternoon watching Gossip Girl when I should be studying.”
With so much choice of cuisine in Bournemouth, what is currently your favourite restaurant to eat at?
“That question is easier for me, it has to be Koh Thai! I have always liked Thai food, so I feel lucky to have plenty of restaurants to choose from around Bournemouth!”
If you would like to know more about how to join our award-winning Mortgage Network as an appointed representative or becoming a member of our Mortgage Club, call our Broker Support Team on 0845 130 7446, option 1.
Craig Bryce talks about how income protection can be integrated to be part of an adviser’s overall client retention process
One of the best parts of my role at Mortgage Intelligence is spreading the protection word and sharing best practices. One of the best platforms for doing this are protection workshops, which give people the chance to have detailed conversations and ultimately inspire each other to do more for clients.
I recently hosted three protection workshops, which gave me the chance to sit down with advisers and discuss reasons why they might not be selling as much income protection as they could. One of the main reasons for not writing more income protection, was concern that they may be potentially over-insuring the client, should their circumstances change. An example being that the client may potentially earn less during the time of the plan and therefore will be paying a higher premium than necessary.
This got me thinking. Could income protection therefore be used as a retention tool? This would also help ensure that the client’s circumstances best match their income protection plan.
So how might an adviser help ensure this works? An idea might be to set a diary reminder from the time the plan started, so that every anniversary the adviser could contact the client either over the phone, email or by post, to remind them of all the added benefits and services their policy delivers.
Simply booking a time with the client to discuss income protection and their current circumstances, can deliver plenty of benefits such as staying relevant and fresh in the client’s mind and letting them know you are always looking after their best interests. This will also create a barrier between your client and someone else looking to upsell to them.
As with many other best practices, setting up review systems, spreadsheets and processes takes work. But I have seen this pay off on the long term for firms, with increased retention and repeat business.
If you would like to know more about how to join our award-winning Mortgage Network as an appointed representative or becoming a member of our Mortgage Club, call our Broker Support Team on 0845 130 7446, option 1.