One broker talks about how a nursing role provided the key skills essential to being a successful financial adviser
Trish Marsden from O’Hagan Home Loans & Insurances was a nurse for 15 years before becoming a full-time mortgage broker, but according to her, the key skills required for each job are not so different.
NZ Adviser spoke to Marsden about her career switch, and what it takes to become a successful mortgage broker.
“It’s not really that big of a jump,” says Marsden. “It’s all about problem solving. The main skill of a nurse is problem solving, and that’s what mortgage and insurance brokers do- ensure the right outcome for their client.”
“Day-to-day you’re trying to overcome any obstacles that clients might have, helping them to achieve their goals and put them in a stronger situation so that they have better leverage to get what they want.”
“Advocacy is also a very strong skill for nurses. I used to be a paediatric nurse where you’re dealing mostly with children, and of course they don’t have a voice- so you have to speak up for them if you want something done right. And that’s what we do, we’re advocates for our clients. That’s a really strong skill that I’ve transferred over, and I’m not afraid of taking on lenders or insurance agencies if I think they’re wrong.”
On client relationships, Marsden says a long-term commitment is always better than quick business.
“If you’re fake and you’re only after that one transaction, clients will pick that up pretty quickly. It might be okay for you in the short term, but not in the long term.”
“In this area, because we’re fairly high-profile in the community, you’ve got to know that whatever you do comes back to you. So you’ve got to take a holistic approach and set the client up with something that they can manage going forward, something that is not going to negatively impact their lives. I’m personally very conscious of that and I’ve often talked people out of what they’ve wanted to do, even if it’s not financially great for me. But I know that it does come back to me, so it’s better to be less transaction-based and more relationship focused.”
