Meet Jamal, Business Development Manager

Jamal, how have your first few months at the Society been?

Really good. I couldn’t have wished for a better start. Everyone is so warm and friendly, always willing to go the extra-mile to support each other which made me feel welcome from day one. Although, I did find myself running the 10K at the ABP Newport Marathon back in October without any warning or serious training, so I did wonder if I was being buttered up for something!

So, you hit the ground running!

Yes, 100 per cent. It was a case of getting on with the job. The support and training have been first class and I’ve been able to take that forward and find new ways of working to enhance the broker experience. The pandemic meant that many of our face-to-face interactions were cut back to almost nothing and I know that both Mike and Greg (my fellow Business Development Managers) found this a challenge. So, we looked at how we could recreate the experience in a digital world with a broker on-boarding webinar. And, while there was some hesitancy around how this would be received in light of Zoom fatigue, the team trusted me to give it a go and it worked. Our first session welcomed 30 brokers, 15 of whom were new to the Society! We are looking forward to developing and building strong relationships with these agents over the coming months and years.

Would you say you’re an innovator?

Perhaps. I’m ‘a digital native’, I’ve lived my formative years in the online world and I’m more than comfortable delivering good digital experiences. If what we have to offer is of value, then I believe people will engage with the format given the right support. The onboarding webinar was just one example of how we are working to enhance and develop our broker experience and I’m sure we will do more of these as we settle into 2022. They say necessity is the mother of all invention and we’ve been through a year where we’ve had to adapt to survive, right? And that’s my approach, what’s the opportunity in the problem?

So, what opportunities do you see in 2022?

I’m starting 2022 from a position of positivity. I see webinars and podcasts as a space where the Society can provide key information to relevant audiences, and I’d like to develop this. It’s all about the experience and the value proposition you can give your customer and we will understand this by working with feedback and acting on it. In other words, closing the feedback loop and evolving to deliver a first-class experience.

We’re a bit of an unknown with many brokers and I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across the Society to develop more ways of introducing the Society to new audiences and helping them discover what we have to offer.

The Society is claiming ground as a modern mutual and our broker relationships are key to us being able to continue providing a strong proposition for our members today and in the future.

Jamal has been with the Society for 4 months and has experience in financial services having worked as a self-employed mortgage advisor.

If you’re an intermediary with a question for Jamal or the team, email brokers@monbs.com or call direct on 01633 844380.