“[The Aussie franchise] was in my DNA from an early age. Now, after 16 years or so of brokering in one form or another, I’m still enjoying the challenge”
Matthew Rogers, Aussie Newtown
“Aussie gave a great mentoring plan, excellent training, got me through the diploma and got me through the initial hurdles of setting up a new business”
Dipal Patel, Aussie Seven Hills
“With my small team, it would be very hard for me to access the sorts of resources that we have available in a franchise model”
Phil Gallagher, Aussie Belmont; Aussie The Junction; Aussie Elanora
“We believe firmly in the retail channel, that the retail channel is a significant driver of our business performance today, and certainly into the future”
Karen Sorrenti, Lendi Group
Karen Sorrenti
Lendi Group
Phil Gallagher
Dipal Patel
Aussie Seven Hills
Matthew Rogers
Aussie Newtown
Industry experts
IN THE competitive world of mortgage broking, the ability to stand out and achieve sustainable growth is a challenge many brokers face.
One effective strategy is to join a franchise, but some are better than others. The Aussie Home Loans franchise model offers brokers a platform to leverage an established brand, gain access to essential resources, and receive robust support from the broader Lendi Group.
Aussie franchisees come from various backgrounds, each bringing a unique perspective to their business. Whether transitioning from different industries or building on existing financial services experience, these brokers find that the franchise model equips them with the tools and support needed to thrive. The structured environment, combined with the strength of the Aussie brand, provides a solid foundation for growth, enabling franchisees to achieve their goals and deliver exceptional service to their clients.
Australian Broker recently met at Café Sydney restaurant with Karen Sorrenti, recently appointed as general manager of Lendi Group in NSW/ACT, and three of the Aussie franchisee owners in her area to discuss the advantages of the Aussie franchisee system, how it has helped them succeed and where the franchise is headed in the years ahead.
Owning a franchise brokerage offers a multitude of advantages, key among them being the association with a reputable and established brand.
“[Aussie is] a brand that's been around for 30 years in the industry, that's built a fantastic reputation for making a difference in the lives of customers and really being a good choice when they make important financial decisions," said Sorrenti. The brand instils immediate trust and confidence in clients, which is crucial for brokers in establishing relationships and building their client bases.
Another significant benefit is the comprehensive support system provided by the franchise. The franchise model includes marketing, training and operational support, which allows brokers to focus on their core activities – engaging with clients and providing financial advice.
Franchisees leverage the franchise model in different ways. Many have transitioned from other industries and found that the structured support and resources provided by Aussie have enabled them to build successful brokerage businesses.
Rogers, whose father, Lindsay, worked at Aussie, learned to drive in an Aussie-branded car. He joined Aussie himself in 2008 and has held a number of roles since then.
“[The Aussie franchise] was in my DNA from an early age,” said Rogers. “Now, after 16 years or so of brokering in one form or another, I’m still enjoying the challenge.”
Dipal Patel, mortgage broker and franchisee at Aussie Home Loans in Seven Hills, came from a totally different direction.
“I come from an IT background,” she said. “One day, I just decided to resign and go. I wanted to run a business; I didn’t just want to work for somebody.
Aussie is committed to supporting its franchisees in achieving growth and scaling their businesses. This includes comprehensive training programs that cover essential aspects of the mortgage broking industry, from compliance to customer service. These programs are designed to equip franchisees with the knowledge and skills they need to excel.
“With my small team, it would be very hard for me to access the sorts of resources that we have available in a franchise model – things like a good-quality CRM, compliance systems that I know are robust; I don’t have to worry about that,” said Phil Gallagher, mortgage broker and franchisee at Aussie Home Loans in Belmont, The Junction and Elanora.
“I’m responsible for it, but I know somebody’s keeping an eye on that stuff,” he said.
“[What the franchisee system] effectively does is help businesses scale and grow, and help them with the tasks that they’d otherwise have to do within their own businesses, that they’d have to fund, that they’d have to train, they’d have to develop an app to cover,” Sorrenti explained.
This support infrastructure is essential in helping brokers achieve efficiency and productivity, ultimately driving growth.
“[Owning a franchise is] a great way to leverage, or enhance the leveraging of, an already strong brand,” said Matthew Rogers, mortgage broker and franchisee at Aussie Home Loans Newtown.
Additionally, Aussie invests heavily in marketing and technology to aid franchisees in growing their businesses. This includes national advertising campaigns and local marketing tools that help franchisees establish a strong presence in their communities.
“It’s all designed to uplift efficiency and productivity,” Sorrenti said. “If we can help that part of the process, then that should release capacity for brokers to grow by getting out there and meeting more customers.”
Rogers concurred: “I feel we’re already seeing [the franchise system deliver results] – particularly with scaling up and bringing on new team members, it’s allowing growth through the support of associates, in particular. I’m definitely seeing the productivity and efficiencies coming through.”
One of the most gruelling times is when franchisees are just starting out, but Aussie has this area covered.
“Aussie gave a great mentoring plan, excellent training, got me through the diploma and got me through the initial hurdles of setting up a new business,” Patel said. “[Then] I got recognised as a platinum broker, and then a diamond broker, which was amazing. This is a real success for me. I’m really happy with Aussie as a franchise.”
Scaling often centres around expansion through hiring additional brokers and support staff, opening new offices or acquiring other brokerages – all as part of an effort to increase market share and revenue in a sustainable manner.
“You’ve got to grow at the right rate. You’ve got to be thinking about how you make sure you’ve got the opportunity coming in as you bring the brokers in,” said Sorrenti. This strategic approach to growth ensures that franchisees can expand their operations without compromising service quality.
“We believe firmly in the retail channel, that the retail channel is a significant driver of our business performance today and certainly into the future,” she said. “We want to continue to work in strong partnership with our franchisees; we are very heavily invested in that channel and that outcome.”
One of the key areas of focus for Aussie is on enhancing the customer experience. The company recognises that the combination of digital tools and personal interaction is crucial in providing clients with the confidence and assurance they need.
“The digital has to be complemented by the person because the person is the one that gives [customers] confidence and assurance that they’re on the right path,” said Sorrenti.
Aussie is committed to helping customers understand the value proposition that brokers bring to the interaction. “It’s about helping the customer understand where we are and how they connect to us and what we offer, and just being really clear around the value proposition that a broker brings to the interaction,” Sorrenti emphasised.
By focusing on clarity and value, Aussie aims to strengthen its relationships with customers and ensure long-term success for its franchisees.
Rogers agreed, saying: “I think as an industry, but particularly at the Lendi Group, we’re very much about adapting and looking forward, but not forgetting our roots.”
The human side of broking is important to the Aussie brokers also.
“Financially, we do want to achieve our goals, and that’s one part of the business, but we really want to make a difference to people’s lives,” said Patel. “Having that smile from the customer or that lovely review on Google is really most important to me.”
The Aussie franchise model allows franchisees the freedom to cater to the human side with their own personal approach.
“Everybody talks about customer service, but I think we deliver differently,” said Gallagher. “The philosophy that I have in business is that people don’t really care very much about what you do for them – what they remember is how you make them feel.
“Whenever I manage an issue in my business, what I always refer back to is how the customer feels about that process, because it’s very easy to get very driven by process in this business and just forget the human view of it. I think that’s really what’s made us successful.”
Aussie has robust plans for the future of its franchise channel, focusing on innovation and continuous improvement.
“We have a roadmap over the next five years,” Sorrenti said. “It’s about having great brokers in the right locations around the country to deliver the right experiences for customers.”
Aussie plans to optimise its ‘Platform Plus’ supported model in stores and across its network to facilitate growth.
“We know we need to be thinking about things like how we optimise the supported model within our stores and across our network for when people are ready to lean into that support to allow them to grow the business,” Sorrenti adds.
“It’s about how do we capture as much of the market opportunity as we can by being what customers need of us when they need us to be there for them.”
Technology and innovation are at the forefront of Aussie’s strategy to support its franchisees and enhance customer experience. The company has introduced various digital tools, including a new mobile app, to streamline the property search and loan application process for customers.
“Ultimately, if we need brokers to drive the business forward, we rely on the efforts of thousands of people. This is an opportunity where we can actually lean into those efforts in providing a great technology as well. One example is that we’ve just introduced a new mobile app,” said Sorrenti.
These tools are designed to improve efficiency and provide real-time assistance to both brokers and customers. “We actually have a tool that will be in the hands of our customers that helps them on their property searches, or helps them download their credit scores, but ultimately helps them to connect into their current lending and also to their broker as much as and when they need to,” Sorrenti explained.
This integration of technology ensures that brokers can offer a seamless and efficient service, thereby enhancing client satisfaction and driving business growth.
LENDI GROUP IN NUMBERS
Lendi Group was created in 2021 though the merger of Aussie Home Loans and Lendi to form Australia’s largest retail mortgage broker. Both were founded as market disruptors to help Australians get better deals, better rates and better information on home loans. Lendi Group’s platform helps customers compare, apply and settle loans online while being supported by a team of experts and brokers who power its brands, products, services and relationships. With a shared history of challenging the status quo, the two brands provide different experiences for customers, with the same goal of helping more Australians achieve homeownership.
Find out more
Bringing over 20 years of financial services experience to the Lendi Group, Karen Sorrenti joined the Aussie business four years ago and has since been a driver of strategy and performance in various roles across the Distribution division. Over the past 12 months, Sorrenti has supported Aussie retail franchisees and brokers through significant transformation, overseeing the migration to the new Aussie Platform and the rollout of the Plus and Grow supported store models. Sorrenti has recently transitioned to the role of general manager – NSW/ACT and will spearhead growth in both the Aussie retail and mobile channels in the region.
Lendi Group
Karen Sorrenti
Aussie Belmont; Aussie The Junction; Aussie Elanora
Phil Gallagher
Dipal Patel had no mortgage broking experience when she joined Aussie in 2018, but that hasn’t stopped her from achieving great success. When Patel opened Aussie Seven Hills in Western Sydney in 2018, she quickly found her feet in a new arena by leveraging her prior experience in running a franchise business, after a long and successful career at Boost Juice. Since joining Aussie, Patel has gone from strength to strength and now ranks as one of Aussie’s ‘Signature Diamond’ brokers, an honour reserved for the top 2% of highest-performing brokers across the entire Lendi Group network of over 1,300.
Aussie Seven Hills
Dipal Patel
Matthew Rogers has over 20 years of experience in financial services. He joined Aussie as a mortgage broker in 2008 before becoming franchisee of Aussie Newtown in inner Sydney in 2012. As an Aussie ‘Signature’ broker, Rogers is among the top 10% of performers across the Lendi Group broker network. He is regularly sought out for his expertise and has provided commentary and thought leadership both within Aussie and in the external marketplace through various mediums, including panels and podcasts.
Aussie Newtown
Matthew Rogers
Road to success with Aussie Home Loans franchise
Aussie franchisees lift the lid on how the industry's most recognised retail brand allows them to leverage resources and support to achieve growth, scale and client satisfaction
Read on
Matthew Rogers
Aussie Newtown
Dipal Patel
Aussie Seven Hills
Phil Gallagher
Aussie Belmont; Aussie The Junction; Aussie Elanora
Karen Sorrenti
Lendi Group
Industry experts
Lendi Group was created in 2021 though the merger of Aussie Home Loans and Lendi to form Australia’s largest retail mortgage broker. Both were founded as market disruptors to help Australians get better deals, better rates and better information on home loans. Lendi Group’s platform helps customers compare, apply and settle loans online while being supported by a team of experts and brokers who power its brands, products, services and relationships. With a shared history of challenging the status quo, the two brands provide different experiences for customers, with the same goal of helping more Australians achieve homeownership.
Find out more
Bringing over 20 years of financial services experience to the Lendi Group, Karen Sorrenti joined the Aussie business four years ago and has since been a driver of strategy and performance in various roles across the Distribution division. Over the past 12 months, Sorrenti has supported Aussie retail franchisees and brokers through significant transformation, overseeing the migration to the new Aussie Platform and the rollout of the Plus and Grow supported store models. Sorrenti has recently transitioned to the role of general manager – NSW/ACT and will spearhead growth in both the Aussie retail and mobile channels in the region.
Lendi Group
Karen Sorrenti
Phil Gallagher is a multisite Aussie franchisee with over 20 years of experience in mortgage broking. Gallagher opened his flagship store, Aussie Belmont in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW, in 2009. Today, Belmont is one of Aussie’s highest-performing stores in the country, out of 220 locations, and has been recognised as one of MPA’s Top 50 Brokerages for the past two years. Over the last 12 months, Gallagher and his business partner, Nick Jones, have spearheaded an intense phase of growth, expanding their operation to three stores. In late 2023, they acquired an existing store in Elanora on the Gold Coast, before opening a greenfield site at The Junction in Newcastle in early 2024.
Aussie Belmont;Aussie The Junction; Aussie Elanora
Phil Gallagher
Dipal Patel had no mortgage broking experience when she joined Aussie in 2018, but that hasn’t stopped her from achieving great success. When Patel opened Aussie Seven Hills in Western Sydney in 2018, she quickly found her feet in a new arena by leveraging her prior experience in running a franchise business, after a long and successful career at Boost Juice. Since joining Aussie, Patel has gone from strength to strength and now ranks as one of Aussie’s ‘Signature Diamond’ brokers, an honour reserved for the top 2% of highest-performing brokers across the entire Lendi Group network of over 1,300.
Aussie Seven Hills
Dipal Patel
Matthew Rogers has over 20 years of experience in financial services. He joined Aussie as a mortgage broker in 2008 before becoming franchisee of Aussie Newtown in inner Sydney in 2012. As an Aussie ‘Signature’ broker, Rogers is among the top 10% of performers across the Lendi Group broker network. He is regularly sought out for his expertise and has provided commentary and thought leadership both within Aussie and in the external marketplace through various mediums, including panels and podcasts.
Aussie Newtown
Matthew Rogers
In Partnership witH
Road to success with Aussie Home Loans franchise
Aussie franchisees lift the lid on how the industry's most recognised retail brand allows them to leverage resources and support to achieve growth, scale and client satisfaction
Read on
Industry experts
Aussie Belmont; Aussie The Junction; Aussie Elanora
Phil Gallagher
Dipal Patel had no mortgage broking experience when she joined Aussie in 2018, but that hasn’t stopped her from achieving great success. When Patel opened Aussie Seven Hills in Western Sydney in 2018, she quickly found her feet in a new arena by leveraging her prior experience in running a franchise business, after a long and successful career at Boost Juice. Since joining Aussie, Patel has gone from strength to strength and now ranks as one of Aussie’s ‘Signature Diamond’ brokers, an honour reserved for the top 2% of highest-performing brokers across the entire Lendi Group network of over 1,300.
Aussie Seven Hills
Dipal Patel
Matthew Rogers has over 20 years of experience in financial services. He joined Aussie as a mortgage broker in 2008 before becoming franchisee of Aussie Newtown in inner Sydney in 2012. As an Aussie ‘Signature’ broker, Rogers is among the top 10% of performers across the Lendi Group broker network. He is regularly sought out for his expertise and has provided commentary and thought leadership both within Aussie and in the external marketplace through various mediums, including panels and podcasts.
Aussie Newtown
Matthew Rogers
Share
Share
Share
Bringing over 20 years of financial services experience to the Lendi Group, Karen Sorrenti joined the Aussie business four years ago and has since been a driver of strategy and performance in various roles across the Distribution division. Over the past 12 months, Sorrenti has supported Aussie retail franchisees and brokers through significant transformation, overseeing the migration to the new Aussie Platform and the rollout of the Plus and Grow supported store models. Sorrenti has recently transitioned to the role of general manager – NSW/ACT and will spearhead growth in both the Aussie retail and mobile channels in the region.
Lendi Group
Karen Sorrenti
Benefits of owning an Aussie franchise
Published 22 Jul 2024
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Specialty
Best In Mortgage
News
News
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
Firms
People
Copyright © 2024 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
Loan book in excess of
$100bn
1,300+
brokers in Lendi distribution network
220+
retail stores across Australia
>600
team members in home office supporting brokers
Leveraging the franchise model for success
Supporting growth and scaling business
Timeline: Aussie Home Loans and Lendi Group
1992
Aussie Home Loans founded
2005
Aussie retail launches
2013
Lendi founded
2021
Lendi and Aussie merge to create Lendi Group
2023
1,000+ brokers live on new platform
2024
Aussie mobile app launched
Enhancing the customer experience
From left: Dipal Patel (Aussie Seven Hills), Matthew Rogers (Aussie Newtown), Karen Sorrenti (Lendi Group) and Phil Gallagher (Aussie Belmont;
Aussie The Junction; Aussie Elanora)
Technology, innovation and future plans
Pathways for development at Aussie
Aussie places a strong emphasis on the development of its franchisees. This commitment helps brokers stay current on industry trends and regulatory changes, ensuring they can provide the best possible service to their clients.
“One of the hardest things when you’re building a team is to give them enough opportunities so that they can actually contribute to the business and reach their own goals,” said Gallagher.
The franchise model also recognises that career growth within the business is important for brokers and
creates room for talented employees to take the next step.
“The challenge we’ve had in 20 years of being in business is that we would work with people for two or three years, and if they’re good enough they would set up their own business,” Gallagher explained. “So our business model now is, we grow up with you. We bring people in at admin level, we teach them how to be brokers, and then we’re on the path to work with them to have business ownership … [which is] a 50% share in their own business.”
For many franchisees, personal satisfaction and financial success go hand in hand.
“The personal satisfaction of helping clients achieve goals can’t be underestimated,” Gallagher said. “Most brokers are actually really turned on by that. To actually make a difference in a human being’s life, that’s usually a pretty important part that can’t be underestimated.”
This intrinsic motivation is often what drives brokers to excel and continually strive for excellence in their service delivery.
Being a successful Aussie franchisee is about more than just the bottom line. “I’d say that success is a well-run business,” Rogers said. “Of course, we’ve got to feed ourselves and our families, but it’s also about happy customers, a happy team and happy staff.”
Looking forward, the potential for further growth both at individual franchises and across the group is high.
“We’re seeing many of our franchisees successfully leveraging the model by scaling their growth and becoming multisite operators,” said Sorrenti. “Almost 30% of our current franchise network are multisite operators, and we expect this figure will continue to climb as franchisees leverage the efficacy of our Platform Plus supported model to build thriving businesses.”
Personal satisfaction and financial success
Aussie Belmont; Aussie The Junction; Aussie Elanora
Read on
Aussie franchisees lift the lid on how the industry's most recognised retail brand allows them to leverage resources and support to achieve growth, scale and client satisfaction
Road to success with Aussie Home Loans franchise
In Partnership with
“[Being part of the franchise model] offers peace of mind and gives you all the support so that you’re not really reinventing the wheel. Everything is set for you; you just have to follow the guidance – it’s really worked for me.”
The praise carries weight because Patel has had experience with a franchise that failed in the cupcake business.
“With the cupcakes, it was a lot of personal decisions with the franchiser… Aussie has a clear vision, a clear goal, and has been around now for 30 years,” she said.
Aussie franchisees benefit from what Sorrenti calls “top-funnel support”, which helps in lead generation and client acquisition.
“That top funnel support is really about turbocharging all our businesses and effectively channelling customers to a broker when a customer wants to talk to the broker, as opposed to the really hard task of navigating through leads,” Sorrenti said.
This system not only increases the efficiency of client acquisition but also ensures that brokers can maintain a steady stream of potential clients.
“Every lead is different, but they’re customers that are ready to talk to a broker,” Rogers said. “That’s allowing growth because I feel we’re getting more leads thanks to the funnel system.”
Lendi Group associates sort out company-generated enquiries and ready opportunities for broker engagement.
“Associates are doing a bit of the legwork, and that’s feeding the team, feeding the brokers – and that’s where we’re going to get our scale and growth from,” said Rogers.
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Specialty
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Benefits of owning an Aussie franchise
Published 22 Jul 2024
Copyright © 2024 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
Advertising
Authors
E-newsletter
Contact Us
Contact Us
Australian Broker Talk
Events
White papers
Webinar
Australian Broker Talk
Resources
TV
Sector Focus
Power Panel
Independent Feature
Executive Team Profile
Exclusive Leader Profile
Business Update
Business Focus
Big Deal
Premium Content
Technology
Reverse Mortgages
Investment Loans
Specialist Lending
SME
Commercial
Specialty
Best In Mortgage
News
News
Copyright © 2024 KM Business Information Australia Pty Ltd
RSS
Sitemap
About us
Conditions of Use
Privacy policy
Terms & conditions
People
Firms
Phil Gallagher is a multisite Aussie franchisee with over 20 years of experience in mortgage broking. Gallagher opened his flagship store, Aussie Belmont in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW, in 2009. Today, Belmont is one of Aussie’s highest-performing stores in the country, out of 220 locations, and has been recognised as one of MPA’s Top 50 Brokerages for the past two years. Over the last 12 months, Gallagher and his business partner, Nick Jones, have spearheaded an intense phase of growth, expanding their operation to three stores. In late 2023, they acquired an existing store in Elanora on the Gold Coast, before opening a greenfield site at The Junction in Newcastle in early 2024.
Phil Gallagher is a multisite Aussie franchisee with over 20 years of experience in mortgage broking. Gallagher opened his flagship store, Aussie Belmont in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW, in 2009. Today, Belmont is one of Aussie’s highest-performing stores in the country, out of 220 locations, and has been recognised as one of MPA’s Top 50 Brokerages for the past two years. Over the last 12 months, Gallagher and his business partner, Nick Jones, have spearheaded an intense phase of growth, expanding their operation to three stores. In late 2023, they acquired an existing store in Elanora on the Gold Coast, before opening a greenfield site at The Junction in Newcastle in early 2024.
$100bn