The art of unlocking opportunities and staying ahead of the curve

Brokers, advisers, lawyers, accountants, and other referrers sourcing and servicing commercial lending can deploy emerging technology platforms to introduce greater business efficiencies, generate new sources of revenue and diversify existing ones, and deepen and protect their existing client relationships.

Brokers and referrers who draw most effectively on these new ways of working to upskill and create a new service proposition will be best placed to sustain and scale their business and remain relevant. 

Many brokers and referrers spend a great deal of time and effort trying to place commercial loan applications through their existing largely manual channels. The often-protracted process of applying for and securing approval can generate time-consuming delays, producing a substandard experience for the client which can affect their perception of and relationship with the referrer. 

Technology solutions supported by relevant training can now provide brokers and referrers with greater capabilities for successful loan execution than they have on their own. New platforms are coming on stream which provide quick, efficient, and systematic access to competitive commercial lending facilities, allowing you to service your clients’ needs more effectively and be more active and successful in the commercial lending segment.

Irrespective of your previous experience, you can use these new technology platforms to enhance your ability to write and manage commercial loans of differing degrees of complexity through the entire loan lifecycle, from initial inquiry and loan submission through to lender relationship. 

Using technology to more easily create and execute a loan proposal can create a win-win proposition and experience for you and your client alike. Your client can benefit from more rapid and seamless loan processing – in some cases, an indicative offer can be made within 12 hours.

Dashboards can also help you monitor and track the progress of the application, and have more fruitful and confident client conversations, providing your client with greater reassurance about the status of their loan application and further increasing their engagement with and trust in you. 

New lending products and offerings are also coming into the market all the time. Technology platforms enable you to offer a wider range of potential lending solutions, further building client loyalty and increasing the opportunities for additional business. More systematic use of technology can also help free up your time for activities which add greater value to your business. 

When considering adopting a technology platform, you should look for a provider which respects the broker/client relationship, can undertake end-to-end transactions smoothly and seamlessly, provides a solution which is intuitive and easy to use, and is reasonably priced. 

Upskilling through technology is also valuable for maintaining your role and relevance. It’s essential that you are the most important link in the chain that is the relationship between the borrower, the broker/referrer, and the lender.

If you don’t offer an effective technologically-enabled solution for securing commercial finance, you risk “letting the wolves among the sheep” – your client is likely to approach someone else who can, and the other business you’ve written with your client will also be at risk. Increasing your use of technology in the commercial lending process can help you to eliminate this possibility. 

Although artificial intelligence and machine learning are likely to occupy a greater share of the loan verification and approval process in the years to come, no two commercial deals are exactly the same, and there will always be intricacies that are hard to capture in an algorithm. To avoid the potential for disintermediation, however, you should take advantage of the potential presented by technological innovation. 

By staying ahead of the curve, upskilling and adopting greater use of technology in your daily work processes and practices, you can draw on tools to enable you to execute a greater amount of successful commercial lending business, unlocking opportunities and helping to produce a better outcome for you and your client alike.

An increased volume of successful commercial lending grows the pie for everyone, building a stronger foundation and enabling the broking industry to continue to adapt, survive and grow in the dynamic, ever-changing market environment.

Jean-Pierre Gortan is co-founder and managing director of Marketplace.finance, which offers a simple, full service digital solution to enable any accredited referrer to fulfil commercial loans regardless of experience or time in a seamless way.

Marketplace.finance’s value-add service unlocks latent opportunities through the commercial value chain for its partners and enables them to capitalise on their skills and revenue stream.