Know Your BDM – Chris Proudfoot
This editorial was originally published in Mortgage Solutions.
What locations and how many advisers and broker firms do you cover in your role?
I work with brokers who are located anywhere north of Birmingham up to the top of Scotland. As you can imagine, there are a great number of brokers within that region, ranging from one-man bands to larger firms.
What personal talent/skill is most valuable in doing your job?
For me, three main skills lead to success in this role: being knowledgeable, accountable and available. If you have these three attributes as a starting point, you are set up for success in the future.
What personal talent/skill would you most like to improve on?
In my personal life, it would definitely be golf! But from a work perspective, the main thing is to continue building my knowledge by learning about areas in finance I haven’t had experience in, such as the commercial sector.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
As we know, the role of a Business Development Manager is always varied, but spinning multiple plates at the same time can be tricky sometimes. I enjoy this challenge though and can manage it well.
What do you love most about your job?
Meeting new people and gaining insight into brokers’ businesses. I really enjoy learning about the type of business that brokers do and, most importantly, want to do. This puts me in a good position to help elevate and add value to each business.
I take great pride in knowing that my work has made a real difference when cases start to come in for a broker around a particular niche that we had previously discussed. For example, I have seen brokers reaching out to expat & international customers and becoming successful in helping these customers achieve their property ambitions.
What’s the best bit of career-related advice you’ve ever been given? Who gave it to you?
Hard work beats talent. This isn’t something anyone has ever said to me directly, but I believe that if you work hard enough at anything there are very few things you can’t achieve.
What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
Being resilient. It’s important to remember that there are so many other factors that are out of banks’ and brokers’ hands which can sometimes stop deals going through, even if we do everything we possibly can to ensure business comes in and manage it through to completion.
How do you keep up to date with developments in the market?
Alongside keeping up to date through online media. I find podcasts really useful, especially as, due to the nature of my role, I spend a lot of time in the car. Currently, I’m really enjoying Barclays Mortgage Insider, The Mortgage Broker Podcast by Craig Skelton and The Mortgage Mum by Sarah Tucker. In particular, I find the second two are a fantastic way to better understand brokers’ perspectives by putting myself in their shoes. Mortgage Solutions also have a great podcast on diversity and inclusion within the industry called DIFF which covers a range of important subjects in this area.
However, for me, the most useful thing is keeping in regular contact with our intermediary partners. They are the ones seeing market shifts all the time so it’s always really insightful to hear their views.
What is the most quirky/unique property deal you’ve been involved in?
Given Gatehouse Bank’s unique offering and position as a Shariah-compliant bank, every deal tends to be unique. For this reason, I don’t have just one that sticks out but it always feels good to help international customers to achieve their property dreams. I’ve helped customers based all over the world, from Malawi to Peru to South Korea and it’s always so rewarding.
What was your motivation for choosing this career?
It began with an inbound enquiry line following a stint of football coaching in America. Once I got a better understanding of the industry, I really enjoyed the challenges and was determined to be a field BDM at a relatively early age.
If you could do any other job in the property sector, what would it be and why?
I’d love to get involved in my own development finance projects. I think seeing something grow from the ground up to the finished project, would be very rewarding.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be a footballer but I wasn’t good enough for that! I also had thoughts of being a physiotherapist and even had a semi successful vintage clothing online business at one point, but unfortunately, we couldn’t scale up enough.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’d like to continue my career at Gatehouse Bank and hit the milestone of 10 years’ service. I have no doubt the bank will grow substantially within that period and there will be lots of opportunities along the way.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Time travel definitely! To take me back to the glory years of Man United as they are a distant memory now.
What is your strategy for tackling challenges?
To start with, not acting rashly. Having a positive mindset on how to find a resolution is essential, as is having a supportive network like we do at Gatehouse Bank. It helps to be able to draw on other people’s experiences and overcome challenges as a team.
What is your greatest skill(s), either work and non-work related?
From a work perspective, being organised. It’s essential to keep track of everything that’s going on by planning my diary weeks in advance and prioritising the right things. I feel I’m strong in this department. Also, I think I’m a good listener, but my wife might say otherwise.