Know Your BDM: Matthew Roberts, Evolution Money

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

I cover a number of advisers and brokers, mainly in the North of England. 

How have you changed the way you establish and maintain a good relationship with brokers in the pandemic?  

Zoom has changed the dynamic but I would like to think the strong relationships I had before has helped in the Zoom era. Having said that, I am looking forward to getting back out there when it’s safe to do so for face-to-face meetings. 

What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?  

Communication is key regardless of the product or service being offered and to articulate that knowing people take on information differently. Trust is also so important with who you are dealing with and you earn that over time – however when you have that it is invaluable. 

What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?  

Everyone can improve on something, even their strong points, but I sometimes have too many plates spinning so I am improving on taking a step back and delegating some of that work.  

Where would you rather be stuck, in bumper-to-bumper traffic or back-to-back Zoom calls?  

I hate to say it – and it’s something I never thought I would – but it has to be traffic as it means we are back in the normal world. 

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

Be honest. If you’re not, then it will come back and bite you. 

What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?  

You get a lot of curveballs and cases that sit outside of standard criteria and as we look at so many referrals that other lenders are not able to do, we get a fair number of cases that fit the bill.  

The most pleasing aspect is a lot of the time we are able to help when we are asked to, which is especially gratifying for us and the broker especially if they have introduced a case as a real long shot. 

What has been your lockdown coping strategy?  

I like to run and where I live, the countryside is not far away at all so I clocked a lot of miles over the lockdown. 

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

Evolution is really proud of how we ensure we are compliant in what we do, and I don’t see anything that I feel doesn’t make sense or that I would like to change. 

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

I liked the idea of working with so many different types of businesses and people, building relationships, helping on different cases, helping individuals and businesses hitting targets and the like.  

I’d seen BDMs visit the business when I was as an underwriter, and it always seemed like a role which I thought would be a good fit for me. 

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

Maybe a surveyor? Seeing other properties inside and out – I am nosey like that. 

What did you want to be growing up?  

Footballer. I am a big Manchester City fan and I did get to run on the pitch to a full house at Maine Road once – as a ball boy. 

What’s your favourite face mask design/pattern to wear?  

I have quite a few ‘buffs’* (see below) from running so I wear them as much as masks.   

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

In a job interview I was once asked, ‘If you could be a biscuit, what biscuit would it be?’ All my interview prep went out of the window when that came up. 

* (For the non-runners among us) A Buff is a seamless tubular garment made from a high-performance microfibre. A buff can be worn as a beanie; headband; neck gaiter; helmet liner; balaclava; sun, dust or wind screen; bandanna; scarf; pirate-style cap; hairband; wristband; or even a halter top.