Broker Spotlight: Shareek Mohammed
Shareek Mohammed is a well-seasoned mortgage broker, having been in the industry for over 40 years. His career began in one of the big four banks, where he spent 24 years working his way up the corporate ladder before entering a management position in Lending.
Looking for a change, Shareek moved into a smaller home loan company for five years before finally landing with Aussie Home Loans, where he has now worked at Aussie Liverpool for the past 10 years.
As a franchisee of one of the Top 5 Aussie branches throughout Australia, Shareek has achieved a lot in his long-standing career in the industry and he has the accolades to show for it. Shareek earned himself a spot in the MPA Top 100 brokers list for the past 4 years in a row as well as being in the Top 5 brokers in NSW for Aussie for the last 5 years.
Customers are the utmost priority
Shareek has built a strong customer base by ensuring customer service is his utmost priority.
“I always ensure that my customers receive the best level of service. I make it clear that I like to get them the best deal available and I will do whatever I can to provide the highest level of service as well by recommending the most appropriate product for them and their financial situation."
Shareek believes the key to building strong customer relationships is in the communication component and always keeping in contact to make sure customers are not in the dark about anything and to make sure they feel comfortable and at ease as they go through the loan process.
Strong customer relationships result in business generated by referrals, which is definitely the case for Shareek.
“My close relationship with my customers and the high level of service they receive ensures that customers will always refer me to their friends and family.”
Making mortgage protection a core part of the process
Shareek has been named as the state winner for NSW/ACT in the ALI Group Broker of the Year Award 2018.
Making mortgage protection a core part of the customer service piece and an important aspect of his process.
“I have strong conversations with my customers – I take the time to really educate them on mortgage protection and work with them to understand and value the cover they choose to take out”.
Taking the time to understand the product and developing a process which ensures each customer is given an opportunity to take out a level of cover to suit them and their needs is crucial to Shareek.
“Ultimately, it’s their decision but educating them about the risks means I’m doing the right thing by my customer and only enhances the service I provide”.
Shareek is not only an avid support of Aussie’s Mortgage Protection Plan (MPP) – he also works hard to educate and advocate to other brokers.
“My belief in providing customers with MPP is not only evident in the number of clients I’ve protected, it’s also shown in my various activities to help other brokers be on board too. From webinars and sharing my best practice and tips to those struggling to fit it into their process, to videos and panels where I’ve spoken about my personal experiences and processes”.
The process
Shareek believes the more you talk about MPP the easier it gets.
“I made a concerted effort to learn the product, the process, and tools that I have available to help with my discussions. I always have a quote ready when I see each customer, along with the brochure so I can introduce the product and really explain all the key benefits”.
Shareek admits to not being deterred by initial ‘no’s’, when he first started offering MPP because he believed in the product and how it could help his customers. Keeping at it means it has become a natural part of his process and leads him to feel very comfortable talking about it.