BDM of the Year Award

Tim Browne, MLC

BrownepippedTower Trust’s Trevor Clisby andMacquarie’s Suzanne McCouaig to win the Business Development Manager (BDM) of the Year award in Sydney.

Browne, who has been withMLCfor over two years, received not only the most number of votes, but also a perfect 100 per cent score across all three categories.

Chris Pantu from Prime Time Financial Counsellors in Victoria, one of the many advisers who voted for Browne says: “I voted for Tim because he is always so accessible and he is competent and knowledgeable in his area. If he can’t answer a question, he finds someone who can and he does it quickly.”

Browne himself effuses enthusiasm for his work. “I have a great job,” he says. “There is no part of it I actually don’t like.”

The highlight of his career to date, he says, was being awarded the number one practice developer for MLC adviser solutions in 2002.

Previously a marketing manager/technical specialist with Connelly Temple, Browne says the best part about the job for him is working with advisers and helping them to increase client satisfaction and profits, in order to make them more available for family and other interests.

“The most important part of my job is understanding what an adviser aspires to, valuing their time and delivering value.”

For those starting out as BDMs, Browne’s advice is to understand what is important to advisers.

“Persisting will generate results,” he says.

Runners-up

Trevor Clisby, Tower Trust

TowerTrust’s business development manager Trevor Clisby was awarded second place behind Browne. Clisby has 20 years experience in the financial services industry — the past three with Tower and the rest with Westpac, where in his most recent role he managed institutional sales.

Clisby says that because Tower Trust is heavily focused on the smallAustralian Prudential Regulation Authority(APRA) fund market, specialising in self-managed super funds (SMSFs), much of his focus is on providing administration services and technical and strategy seminars within this area.

This involves educating planners about the use of SMSFs within their business and offering them support and advice to increase the income they generate for their clients nearing retirement.

The attraction of the BDM role for Clisby is that “the company lets you run your own race and the buck stops with you”. He says this autonomy means it is his responsibility to generate leads, relationships with clients and positive outcomes for both them and Tower.

Clisby says the secret to being a good BDM is following up the promises you make and working for the needs of the client’s business by building their practice, not just selling a product.

And in the area of service, Clisby excels, according to Andris Lielkajis fromMawson Securities.

“Trevor is prompt in returning calls, he provides excellent service and assistance and is very quick to get back to us. He’s an all-round nice guy and a pleasure to work with.”

Suzanne McCouaig,Macquarie Wrap, QLD

SuzanneMcCouaig, who won third place in the BDM of the Year award, has been a strategic business manager with Macquarie Wrap for the past 18 months, after leaving IOOF, where she spent two years as a BDM.

McCouaig lists getting the highest score in Australia for her ASFA certificate of superannuation taxation as her greatest academic achievement.

But the real secret behind being a successful BDM she says is dedication, absolute passion for the industry, listening to clients, wanting to help people to actually make a difference to their business, and adding value.

McCouaig loves the fact that her work involves interaction with people.

“It makes me feel I am helping to make a valuable difference and that I am contributing to the industry”, she says.

Her passion for her work shows, according to Anthony Gillett from Retirewell Financial Planning in Queensland.

“She’s gone out of her way to help me in my practice, more than any other BDM I’ve ever known. She has acted above and beyond the call of duty — she is so much more than a brochure delivery man,” he says.

Highy commended

Tony Page, AXA, VIC

AXAbusiness development manager Tony Page began with the funds management group 22 years ago, working his way though both business development and sales development roles to his present position within the company.

Page says his past roles gave him a solid background in both product make-up and administration, as well as an exposure to the sales process that enabled him to more effectively market towards and approach clients.

He says his role at AXA entails providing product information and value added services to a panel of 80 advisers aligned with the AXA dealer group network.

According to Page, a good approach is to “roll up your sleeves” to work with advisers so they see you as part of their team.

Meaghan French, ColonialFirst State, NSW

ColonialFirst State(CFS) business development manager Meaghan French has been with the funds management group since October 2000, and says she finds her job a lot of fun.

She believes the key to her success is her real desire to understand her clients’ needs and businesses and to provide them with appropriate products and services. It is her knowledge of products that allows her to dispense with “a scattergun approach” and more effectively match products with clients, she says.

She finds the biggest challenge is keeping on top of changes within the industry, including information on new products and movements within the market.

French is now studying for her diploma in financial planning and may choose to be a financial planner further down the track.

Fabian Cockle,Timbercorp, VIC

Timbercorpbusiness development manager Fabian Cockle says being a BDM is all about building friendships with clients, gaining their trust and maintaining professionalism.

Cockle joined Timbercorp after leaving university, and moved through marketing and sales roles within the organisation before settling into his BDM role.

He says the contact he has with financial advisers is what he loves most about the job, and being a people’s person has resulted in many of them becoming very good friends.

The most important aspect of the role is being accountable, according to Cockle, by making sure that when an adviser needs something it is provided and having some form of results on the board at the end of the day.

The mixture of being on the road talking with advisers and a small amount of number crunching is “a happy medium” for Cockle at the moment — at 25 years of age he is still excited about the job.

Although Cockle says he feels he still has a lot to learn, he thinks the most successful BDMs bring their personality to the role.