Toni Smith (pictured), Sesame’s network distribution director – who joined the firm last year – said Sesame was a “really established brand” in the market, describing it as the “Volvo of mortgage networks”.
Smith said the average tenure of broker firms was around 20 years, which she said showed that “loyalty is fierce”.
“The proposition and what goes on inside the network, I think, is the best kept secret. I think there’s a real opportunity to take the lid off of that, to put Sesame back out there where it needs to be, to go shoulder to shoulder with its counterparts, and to give it the kudos and the scale of growth that it deserves,” she said.
Smith said the network had made changes in leadership and overall capacity, bringing in new people, investing in key areas and putting structures in place that give “real focus to the things that matter most to advisers”.
This includes a dedicated recruitment team, investment in protection support and simplification across key processes like file checks and compliance.
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“We’re in a strong position – with the right leadership, the right people and a clear strategy – to help our network grow safely, sustainably and with confidence,” she added.
Market still hasn’t got it ‘quite right’ with rate changes
Smith said that in the market previously, it used to be the norm to have two rate changes per week, whereas now five rate changes per day was a “slow day”.
“I’m grateful for all the work that lenders do, as I always will be. I think we’ve got to be really mindful of the impact on the broker firm, because they can be halfway through a case and at that precise moment [it] is [the] best advice, and then suddenly something else comes in, or that lender’s repriced.
“The number of brokers that tell me they can work until midnight for a certain package of lending, which is an act of self-sacrifice for their customers, but I think we need to think about the impact on the brokers,” she explained.
Smith said lenders had improved and were giving more notice of rate changes, but broker firms are often juggling multiple cases that can change that day when future rate changes can come in.
“I still think there’s a real impact on brokers, and I don’t think… as yet, we’ve got it completely right,” she added.
She continued on to say that the broker firms were also managing customer expectations and were a key point of communication in the whole chain.
“The way in which those rates are being communicated to broker firms and the frequency, I think we have a responsibility as an industry to just try and be more mindful, because it’s the duty of care to the consumer that we need to bear in mind as well,” Smith noted.
Recently joined recruitment team ‘already making a real difference’
Smith said Sesame has brought on a recruitment team that was “already making a real difference”.
Chris Astle has joined as national recruitment manager and is supported by Gina Hurn, recruitment support consultant.
“Together, they’re focused on two things: helping us grow the network in the right way, and supporting our firms [to] do the same. Whether that’s helping an AR bring in new advisers or bringing a firm through the steps to scale, Chris and Gina are hands-on, proactive and already delivering results.
“We’ve got a healthy pipeline and growing interest from firms and advisers interested in joining the Sesame network – a sign that our proposition is landing, and… there’s a real appetite for what Sesame has to offer,” Smith said.
She noted that this is the first time in several years that the network will have that “recruitment capability”.
Looking after existing members is crucial
Smith said one key part of her role was to “look after my existing membership, because they’re the loyal people that have kept Sesame great for such a long time”.
“I believe you have to re-recruit your existing membership every single day, which therefore leads to retention. They’re the bedrock of Sesame. We have to help them grow now; that might be through new individuals coming in, growth consultants helping them to deploy business plans or simplifying some of the process[es] in the network.
“They are my first port of call, and always will be, because the minute you turn your back and are not talking to your people, another network is,” she noted.
Smith said part of helping existing firms was helping them with recruitment and realising their business plans, but attracting new blood was also vital as it improved best practice, shared ideas and brought on more expertise.
She said there was not a specific goal in mind when it came to adviser or firm numbers, noting that the firm’s ethos was “doing the right thing in the right way for the right people and looking after all stakeholders”.
Sesame process simplification is key and working
Smith said a key focus was a simplification of processes across Sesame, including protection.
“We’ve listened to what advisers need most: time back, simpler ways to work, and confidence in their recommendations. That’s been our focus – and it’s starting to pay off,” she noted.
As an example, she pointed to Sesame Simplified, which she said has streamlined its guidance and processes to make it easier to “give compliant advice without unnecessary complexity”.
The firm has also introduced a training video that walks through real-life examples so advisers can know what to expect and how to apply it.
“Combined with our face-to-face training and comprehensive events calendar, advisers have multiple ways to engage with Simplification – whether that’s through watching, learning, or sharing best practice with each other. It’s all designed to make the approach easy to understand and apply, in a way that suits each individual,” she said.
Smith pointed to its COR Amnesty, which gives advisers “breathing room to try new approaches and build confidence”, with amber grades treated as “learning opportunities instead of triggers for supervision”.
Smith added that Sesame had enhanced its Go for Green Hub, which improved file quality and compliance, so file reviews were “faster and more focused”.
“Turnaround times are down by more than 30%, and we’ve introduced cluster leads and dedicated contacts, so advisers feel supported, not scrutinised,” she said.
“We’ve also made it easier to write or refer protection cases in a way that suits each business. Whether that’s with Solo, Flex, Zenith or One Click Referral, we’ve designed these options to meet advisers where they are – helping them scale, stay efficient and deliver great client outcomes.
“It’s working. Protection sales across the network are up 20%, and we’re not stopping there. More simplifications are on the way in H2 – all designed to help firms grow, save time and build stronger client relationships,” she said.
