Top of the League - November

28 November 2011

Top Of The League - the competition that seeks to reward the best talent in the broker market - has returned for another season. Launched by Woolwich mortgages from Barclays in 2010, the aim is to offer intermediaries an opportunity to scoop fantastic prizes, such as the Barclays Premier League Player Of The Month trophy. But this season has an exciting twist. Working with Barclays and last season’s judges, who have signed on for another year, the competition will concentrate on networks and clubs. Each month we will focus on a different network or club and look for a Player Of The Month exclusively from that company.

Simpson has built up firm significantly

November’s Top Of The League saw a high standard of entries from Intrinsic. Well done to Peter Simpson, who sent in his own nomination.

Simpson has not only built up his company significantly, he has raised a lot of money for charity and lost weight in the process.

Next month we look forward to receiving the nominations from Openwork. There is a guide to nominating, which is on the Woolwich Intermediaries website, so I recommend you read it before you write your nomination or speak to clients or colleagues as it will help you prepare your nomination and save you time.

The biggest tip for ensuring your nomination is as strong as possible is to include figures showing your excellent performance as comparing dozens of nominations without any figures is near-on impossible.

It is taken for granted that everyone works hard, loves their clients, treats each client individually and puts compliance at the heart of their business so unless you use figures to demonstrate these, it is hard to compare.

It is also important to tell us how you achieved your success with details and background as well as the figures.

 

’Can do’ attitude cuts through the competition

A massive congratulations to Peter Simpson, managing director of Mortgages Made Easy, who is an appointed representative at Intrinsic.

From speaking to the judges, it sounds like this month there were some strong contenders in the shortlist, so for him to come out on top speaks volumes about his approach to business and ’can do’ attitude, which chimes with our corporate philosophy.

Along with doubling his business over the last year from £231,989 in 2010 to £519,655 in 2011, Simpson has also got involved with a charitable bike ride arranged via Intrinsic along the Sierra Nevada in Spain. Sponsorship for this event raised £52,000 for our nominated charity Together for Short Lives,.

We believe in face-to-face advice, which is why we’ve become one of the UK’s leading intermediary networks. We are driven by our commitment to support our members and enable them to build long-term relationships with their clients, which Peter personifies.

 

Player of the month

NAME:

Peter Simpson
COMPANY: Mortgages Made Easy
JOB TITLE: Managing director

WHY JUDGES PICKED SIMPSON:

• Over the past 12 months increased income at his company by 124% by taking on four trading companies.
• Has a strong commitment to customer service and uses a feedback form with all clients.
• Does one-to-one training and joint visits for consultants who have been underperforming.
• Trained for 12 months and lost three stone for a charity bike ride across the Sierra Nevada.

WHAT DOES BEING CROWNED TOP OF THE LEAGUE MEAN TO YOU?

I am humbled but honoured. We had it good in the intermediary market for so many years but now we have to work even harder for a living. It has brought the cream back up to the top in terms of brokers who have survived.

IN YOUR NOMINATION THE JUDGES PRAISED HOW YOU DOUBLED YOUR FIRM’S TURNOVER IN ONE YEAR -WHAT IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS IN THE CURRENT MARKET?

By concentrating on what we’re good at and trying to maximise each client, we’ve gone back to advising rather than order-taking.

WHAT’S THE MARKET LIKE IN YOUR LOCAL AREA OF LEICESTER AT THE MOMENT?

There are pockets that are OK and pockets that are poor. It’s hard to instil confidence in people when public perception of the economy and mortgage market is so poor. If it wasn’t for the News at 10 or The Sun we’d be fine.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO FINANCIAL SERVICES?

After 12 years in the navy, in 1993 I started out as a broker. A guy came round to remortgage my house and I was interested in what he was doing - it went from there.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF THE JOB?

Customer satisfaction.

YOU LOST THREE STONE WHEN YOU HELPED INTRINSIC RAISE £52,000 IN A CHARITY CYCLE RIDE - HOW DID IT CHANGE YOU?

I started cycling last September for the London to Paris event with Intrinsic’s team. I turned up weighing 18 stone and on a mountain bike. Everyone else was as thin as a whippet with light bikes. That killed me. I came back, bought a road bike, trained every morning for 90 minutes and was doing 80 to 90 miles a week before I went to the Sierra Nevada. If you’re fit in body you’re fit in mind.

FINALLY, IF YOU COULD BE ANY FOOTBALLER FOR A DAY, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

Eric Cantona, because of his vision and the way he read the game. If I could read my business like that it would be amazing.

 

 

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