This week Mortgage Solutions is talking to Laura Smith, business relationship manager at One Mortgage System (OMS).
What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role?
My role encompasses the entire UK, covering all firms that provide mortgage advice. Practically speaking, we have thousands of annual users of our system, and I actively manage many of these.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
My role is primarily customer-facing and requires both technical and interpersonal skills. On the technical side, I believe being knowledgeable about the system, identifying issues, and providing effective solutions for clients are critical. These skills ensure that clients receive accurate and helpful responses, which is what they are ultimately looking for.
Equally important, however, are the softer skills which my role needs – being personable and charismatic. These qualities are essential in helping build strong relationships with clients, understanding their thought processes, and anticipating their needs even before they express them. Excellent customer service is a key part of the product and service we offer, and my goal is to ensure that clients have a positive and comfortable experience interacting with me.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
One thing I really want to get better at is using Excel to its full potential. It can do so much and has endless ways to make my work and life easier. I believe it’s something that can never be mastered and always be improved upon, as I’m constantly learning new things about it. Ultimately, I see it as a way to become more effective and resourceful overall.
What is the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part of my job is probably balancing my time and resources. I love being busy and handling client services; it’s rewarding to build relationships and but even more rewarding when we can provide a solution to their problem. However, this also makes it the most challenging part – trying to give each client the attention they deserve. Recently, we’ve scaled up the team due to business growth, which has helped a lot. Now, we’re much more on top of things and this has given much more balance for both me, the team and our brokers.
What do you love most about your job?
What I love most about my job is the face-to-face contact and the connections I build as a business development manager (BDM). The role is ever-changing and full of new challenges, I already knew I loved the industry and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. My career path led me to become a BDM because of everything the role encompasses: face-to-face interaction, helping people, and assisting mortgage brokers in growing their businesses. I know OMS has the capabilities to support their growth, and I enjoy figuring out how to do so and get job satisfaction when I make that happen.
Hopefully Neal [Jannels] doesn’t read this bit, but OMS is also such an easy sell too once we’ve given a demo to brokers. Being the only end-to-end platform covering product areas such as residential, buy-to-let, second charge, equity release, bridging, commercial plus general insurance, and protection, plus integrations with market-leading providers – Ignite, Submissions Brain, The Source, Twenty7Tec, iPipeline, Hometrack, Experian, Equifax, Uinsure, Air Sourcing and Knowledge Bank – we provide users with best in class for product sourcing, protection sourcing and criteria searching. In addition, we were one of the first CRM platforms within the mortgage industry to achieve ISO 27001 certification.
What is the best piece of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
The best piece of career-related advice I’ve ever received came from the book Don’t Push Too Many Trolleys by Ying Tan. It offers valuable tips and guidance on navigating a successful career and building a business. The book resonated with me because it also shares an inspiring story about Ying’s career and life, which has been incredibly motivating for me and the advice given has stuck with me through the years, and I would definitely recommend the book to others.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
I stay up to date with developments in the market through several methods. Firstly, from our brokers directly, understanding their current pinch-points and what type of business they are currently writing. I also listen to Lenders Live hosted by Knowledge Bank, which offers great discussions and current insights, along with the different updates on TikTok and LinkedIn from Andrew Montlake (Mortgage Mentor) + Kerr and Watson as their information is always relevant and informative. Additionally, I keep up with the latest news via Mortgage Solutions. Having a mix of these resources really enables me to stay informed about industry trends and changes, as well as get different perspectives.
What is the most quirky/unique case you’ve been involved in?
I would argue that every case I’ve been involved with at OMS has been quirky and unique in its own way. Our system’s flexibility allows each client’s needs to be met individually, making every deal distinct and one-of-a-kind. That’s part of our unique selling proposition and what sets us apart in the market.
Tell us about your trickiest case – what happened and how did you resolve the problem(s)?
I don’t have a trickiest case per se, but I think one of the biggest challenges I faced was when I first joined OMS. It was a significant change, not only because I was joining a new business and picking up new clients but also learning a new system simultaneously. Luckily, despite the system’s extensive capabilities, it was actually easy to pick up. Plus, I was fortunate to have a great support system at OMS, with people ready to help if I needed it. Having someone like Neal, who understands both the tech and industry sides, made everything much easier to understand and now, I feel more than confident in explaining it to my clients.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
My motivation for choosing this career came from my interest in learning all about the mortgage industry. Throughout my career, I have worked for a mortgage lender in both sales and marketing, a sourcing system, and now on the tech side. Collectively, these experiences have given me a comprehensive understanding of the market and fueled my passion for this field, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
Honestly, I can’t think of anything else or any role I’d like to do more in the property sector than being a BDM. My career path has led me here because I’ve found what resonates with me professionally. Throughout my career, I’ve realised the elements I enjoy most from each job, and right now, this is what I’m passionate about.
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS
