Rosemary Hillyard

After 25 years in the financial services industry, the last decade specialising in mortgages, I am now retiring and will leave the vagaries of the MMR to younger and hardier advisers!

In that length of time, I made many contacts, of course, and bought many leads from various sources. Some companies offered detailed, but expensive, leads, claiming that they filtered these carefully so that each one was a precious contact who would certainly beg to do business with me.

Other companies offered leads on the “pile them high and sell them cheap” method, and I wasted many hours talking to people who couldn’t possibly have obtained a mortgage from any lender.

Thousands of pounds and countless hours later, I found Sharon Clark at Mortgage Angels, and for the last few years I have bought batches of leads from her which have worked well. To get the best results be prepared not to limit yourself to a small area – try the whole UK to receive a steady stream of leads – and contact every one as soon as the email or text arrives. People are impressed by you calling them immediately. It shows that you think their need is important and they are thinking of mortgages when you contact them.

Chat informally, and take the trouble to send a short email summarising their situation as soon as the call is over. Any general suggestions you can make at this stage will not only warm them to you but fix the position in your records for future contact if they are not ready to proceed now.

Don’t expect to convert every lead. This isn’t Utopia! But never make anyone feel that they are wasting your time, as you never know when that person may want help, and YOU want to be the first adviser they think of when that happens.

Sharon has always treated me fairly. Few of the leads I have returned as uncontactable or impossible to help have been rejected by Mortgage Angels. But be prepared to meet her halfway and don’t try returning leads for spurious reasons. You may have to contact 10 leads to find one good one, or you may convert several from a small batch, but every now and then you may turn a cold lead into an excellent long-term client who recommends you to several colleagues.

One cold lead from 2010 not only arranged a large mortgage through me, but referred me to his father and two of his brothers, all of whom hold BTL portfolios worth millions and also to staff in the family business who have also done business with me. Another lead has referred me to six friends and colleagues, several of whom have arranged their mortgages with me. Not a bad return from two leads!

And don’t contact leads once, and then forget them. Diarise their needs and send a friendly email in 6 months’ or a year’s time, asking if the time is now right to help them. Many won’t reply, but a few do so, and they appreciate your contact. One cold lead took 4 years to be ready to buy her first home, but she has now become a good client. Since I started working with Mortgage Angels, I have used no other lead company. My client bank has grown immensely, but a regular supply of fresh blood is welcome to even the oldest adviser!

I recommend Sharon and Mortgage Angels wholeheartedly to any adviser seeking an excellent supply of new clients.

All the best for your continuing success and I will go on recommending you as I always have. If brokers cannot convert your leads, they are no good at their job or not trying hard enough!

Rosemary Hillyard