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Know Your BDM: Donna Johnson, One Family

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  • 16/08/2019
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This week Mortgage Solutions is speaking to Donna Johnson, business development manager at One Family.

 

What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role?

I’m based in the North West and cover as many as will welcome me through their doors.

 

How do you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers?

Taking a keen interest in my brokers and their business is a good platform, along with regular communication and engagement – plus Krispy Kreme’s tend to go down well.

 

What personal skill is most valuable in doing your job?

Listening skills are important. Knowing your customer is key, so when my brokers tell me about themselves personally on top of their business it’s nice to touch back on that in future appointments.

 

What personal skill would you most like to improve on?

Industry knowledge about the lifetime market. Coming from the specialist lending area this is a whole new world.

 

What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given?

Never be afraid to ask, there are no stupid questions in this industry. Every day is a school day.

 

What is the most memorable property deal you’ve been involved in?

A broker referred a case to me 12 months ago, his client was looking to purchase a care home in which he was also the manager of. The funds were raised and spread across three properties, his residential property and two buy-to-let properties and the funds were raised using second charge mortgages. This was a great and cost-effective alternative to commercial lending.

 

If you were head of the FCA for the day, what would you change about regulation in the mortgage industry?

Oh, I’m struggling with this one, can I phone a friend?

 

What was your motivation for choosing business development as a career?

It wasn’t a difficult decision being a people person to go down this career path. Being out and meeting new people is great; the financial industry is so diverse and exciting to be a part of.

 

If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?

An interior designer – I have a slight obsession with home DIY.

 

What did you want to be growing up?

A detective – watching Colombo with my dad on a Sunday afternoon possibly had an influence on that.

 

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

To be invisible – I could have some fun with that.

 

And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?

“Would you like ketchup on your bacon sandwich?” Absolutely not, brown sauce is a given isn’t it?

 

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