What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role?
I cover the whole of England and Wales, so my support extends to any firms or brokers that want to understand what we do or need help with cases they’re looking to place.
How have you changed the way you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers in (and after) the pandemic?
Post-pandemic, people are working differently and it’s important to understand how and where they want to interact. I still believe that meeting in person is the best way to engage and build relationships, so I’d choose that over Zoom or the phone every time. I have a car, so I will travel.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
Being organised. When you’re the lone BDM with appointments all over, enquiries and a business pipeline to manage, you’ve got to know how to keep the plates spinning to be as effective as possible. There are lots of people relying on you.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Saying no. I really don’t like having to let anyone down.
Where would you rather be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or back-to-back meetings which could have been an email?
I’d rather be stuck in back-to-back meetings because the way I see it, I’ve got an opportunity to positively influence that conversation and make that meeting that could have been an email, worth the effort of getting everyone together.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
Whatever you need to say, find a positive way to say it. It was a former manager who told me that and for me it means coming up with solutions and not complaining about problems.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
I don’t know if it qualified as quirky but I’m a big motorsports fan so being able to get a case agreed for a British Speedway World champion was one I enjoyed being involved in.
What was your motivation for choosing business development as a career?
I really get a buzz out of seeing others succeed but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t motivated by a pat on the back myself. Knowing that you’ve helped a broker secure a property that their client might have thought was out of reach is what motivates me.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
My dad’s a builder and if he hadn’t persuaded me out of following suit, I’d probably be doing something in one of the building related trades.
What did you want to be growing up?
A palaeontologist. What can I say, Jurassic Park is an influential film when you’re 11.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
If I left an empty room, the light would turn off. My other half will appreciate this one.
What’s your cure for a rainy day or hangover?
Good food – it’s the answer to everything.
What has been your greatest non-work-related achievement?
Probably doing a sub-four hour marathon. I wish I still had that in me.
What makes a great colleague?
Someone who you can rely on to get the job done and, at the same time, you can rely on them to make work fun.
Name your favourite restaurant and why you love it.
The Huntsman in Dunchurch. Belly busting amounts of the best meat you’ve ever eaten.
