A heated debate is brewing in the broker industry, sparked by the rising tide of AI and its potential to reshape the business development manager (BDM) proposition.

In the first episode of the refreshed Broker Daily Uncut, host Jack Campbell is joined by the usual co-host Alex Whitlock, as well as the latest addition – Eva Loisance, principal at Finni Mortgages.

The message to BDMs is clear: their expertise is safe for now, but the industry is changing. The most successful will be those who leverage new technology to enhance, rather than resist, the irreplaceable human touch they provide.

In the high-stakes world of broking, success is often celebrated with league tables and settlement volumes. But according to industry experts Jason Back and Alex Whitlock, the true secret to building a resilient, profitable business isn’t just found in the wins – it’s hidden in the failures.

In this episode of Business Accelerator, the team dives deep into the uncomfortable but crucial topic of business failures, saying that the most successful brokers are those who learn to spot, analyse, and rectify their mistakes quickly.

By learning to treat failures as valuable tuition payments, brokers can stop hiding their breakdowns and start fixing them – turning their biggest challenges into their most powerful advantages.

In a competitive market, the true mark of a successful broker isn’t just the number of loans settled – it’s the strength and depth of their client relationships.

While the residential mortgage will always be vital, the most progressive brokers are discovering a powerful strategy to future-proof their businesses: strategic diversification into SME lending.

This was the topic of discussion in this week’s episode of Finance Specialist. Here, co-host, Accendo Financials’ Trent Carter, noted that a broker might wait over four years for another transaction from a typical PAYG home owner. For an SME client, the next opportunity often arises within six months.

Diversification into SME lending is the strategic key to building a deeper, more profitable, and future-proof brokerage.