This article is a celebration of one of our wonderful clients, but it also serves as a reminder that we’re not here just to make money. Mortgage brokers, business owners, recruiters, and all humans for that matter, are here on this earth to connect with and help other people. Connection and care are in our genetic makeup. But so often in the workplace we can let a commercial mindset take over.
Well one of our clients is a very special broker who does business differently. While we work with a number of impressive brokers and business owners, we’re blown away by this man’s attitude towards his work, and how passionate he is about helping people in any situation. Let’s take a moment to talk about Marvin Coleman of Mortgage Choice in Oakleigh.
No one is unimportant
What strikes us about Marvin’s approach to business is that he will meet with anyone, regardless of whether it appears that they can do something for him or not. His mind isn’t on money. He’ll meet with someone who earns $40K per annum, $300K per annum, or even someone who’s unemployed. Because to Marvin, a client’s current wealth isn’t important. His method of treating every person as significant is what makes him so successful, and it’s a real inspiration.
Going above and beyond is contagious
Seeing how genuine and customer-centric Marvin is in his approach to work inspires those around him to go above and beyond too. We certainly weren’t phased about going well beyond our agreed terms when working with him to recruit someone in a busy and tough time for the business. We wanted to see Marvin succeed and continue to share his positivity and good vibes with great employees who were going to add to the culture and take care of him in return.
Gratitude can be more than a ‘thank you’
When we did finally secure a great result for Marvin and Mortgage Choice Oakleigh, he and his wife Robin were incredibly appreciative. They went out of their way to show it by taking some of our team members out for a beautiful dinner (the first time we’ve been the guest of a client!). If that wasn’t enough, they also presented us with some amazing gifts to further show their gratitude: some scotch and Gold Class movie tickets.
We felt so spoiled and special – a feeling I expect many of Marvin’s clients experience when working with him. It made us feel extremely grateful in return to have worked with him.
Business is important, but human connection trumps it
It may sound cheesy, but Marvin genuinely thinks with his heart. He wants to help people. It’s not about making money, but about making life-long connections.
Of course it’s crucial for business owners to have good commercial sense – it would be hard to generate revenue without it. You need to be smart with your time and limited resources to succeed. But brokers like Marvin who go out of their way to help people – particularly people who may not qualify for a home loan right now – are the ones that do extremely well. People come to trust brokers like this, and go on to refer them to others because of their good experience. Marvin consistently places in the top 30 brokers in Australia because he enjoys a high volume of referrals from his customers, as well as plenty of repeat business.
In this aspect, operating with a focus on relationships is actually good business sense. It’s not about making revenue or completing transactions right now, but about thinking long term. You’re here to help people, and going above and beyond makes all the difference.
Beyond that, if you treat people the way that Marvin Coleman does, you have the satisfaction of being a good human and making a difference to people’s lives. And that’s what it’s all about, right?
We love celebrating and honouring amazing people who are giving the mortgage broking space a good name. If you know of a special broker or have a great story that we should know about, let us know!
