This week, Mortgage Solutions is speaking to Anna Hollis, telephone business development manager (BDM) at Atom Bank.
What does your role entail and how long have you been doing it?
I’ve been a telephone BDM for two years now. The main responsibilities of my role are to create and manage broker relationships, ensuring they are kept up to date with our unique selling points, any market or rate shifts and any app or lending policy changes.
What attracted you to working in the mortgage/property/finance sector?
I first started with Atom Bank around five years ago as a customer support agent. These roles are the backbone of our service, and I learned so much.
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After a few years, I moved into being an intermediary support agent, which was my first exposure to the intermediary business development world – that’s when I knew this was what I wanted to do as a longer-term career goal.
What were you doing in the five years before starting here?
I had always thought I would go on to be a teacher, and so before I joined Atom, I worked in a preschool for small children. It’s very different from the world of mortgages, but there are certain skills that apply to both; for example, keeping a clear head when there’s a lot of activity going on around you.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
I always say communication is key. It’s crucial for a BDM to be able to get the message across quickly and clearly, whether it’s explaining a nuance in the criteria or why a case has hit a hurdle – and how it can be overcome.
I also pride myself on being organised. This really helps with the key planning elements of my role. The job of a BDM involves a lot of spinning plates, and it can be easy to get overwhelmed or lost if you aren’t on top of things.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
I’d like to gain a little more professional confidence. I have a tendency to doubt myself when it’s totally unnecessary, but it’s something that I’m working on. Having a supportive team makes a big difference, as I can see how much confidence they have in me.
How has the pandemic changed the way you approach your job?
Atom brought in hybrid working alongside a four-day working week. This has given me a much healthier work/life balance. It also meant I could finally get a little dog, as I am at home more. I do still go into the office at least once per week, as this helps with team bonding and any workshops required. However, the majority of my role is carried out through online video meetings or telephone conversations, which can be carried out from anywhere.
What is the most interesting/memorable property deal/case you’ve been involved in?
I think the more interesting cases tend to be the ones with a tighter deadline or with higher stakes. I recently had a case that was ready to complete on a Friday, but on Wednesday, the broker needed to make some changes, meaning the customer lost the rate and offer. I spent time with the broker out of hours to make sure they knew what they needed to do to ensure the customer kept their rate and could still complete it in the same week.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I have learned a lot, and built a useful skill set, during my time as a TBDM. I would like to continue to put those to use by graduating on to becoming a regional BDM one day. I’d love to have the responsibility of my own patch, helping nurture those broker relationships and helping educate them on how Atom Bank can support their clients.
If present-day you could go back in time and tell yourself something five years ago, what would it be?
Stop overthinking. Always say yes and give it a go.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve tackled so far in your career?
Believing in myself and getting my head around the more intricate bits of lending policy, as it’s not always a clear-cut yes or no.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I’d like some sort of ‘emotional link’ superpower – an ability to understand and connect with the experiences and emotions of others. When someone is going through a difficult time, all I would want to do is help and support them, and put a solution in place straight away.
And finally, what’s the strangest question you’ve ever been asked?
“If you could be a fruit, what would it be?” It was one of my interview questions at Atom. In case you’re wondering, I’d be an apple because I like the colour red and I’m very reliable – an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so they say.
