Zorica Grubic, our BSM in QLD, shares how she has adapted to work during COVID-19

Find out how Zorica Grubic, our Business Support Manager in QLD, builds stronger relationships with her clients during these challenging times and how she helps them achieve their business goals.

How did COVID-19 change the way you support your clients?

Change and uncertainty can be unsettling. Protecting their confidence in business and providing guidance in an industry under stress has become more critical than ever. My ability to embrace this role and build my brokers up in uncertain times sets me apart in my industry. The emotional awareness of my broker relationships has driven me to focus on ways I can better prepare them for the future. It's been important to upskill my brokers to build their confidence in running their business successfully.

How are you managing and maintaining your relationship with your brokers during this time?

During this time, it has been really important for me to ensure a close relationship with my brokers, as many are adjusting with the change of working from home. Although, at the moment, we have no face-to-face appointments, I’m still engaging with my brokers in a digital format through video meetings and also over the phone.

How did your workday change now that you don’t have face-to-face meetings?

My workdays have become a little more intense working from home as there isn’t much down time! It has allowed me to be more efficient and engage with many brokers in a day. COVID-19 has seen me strike a balance between an industry consultant and mental health counsellor – and my willingness to lend an ear or have a quick chat has been a significant contributor to building the strong relationships with brokers I have today.

How are you building relationships with new clients?

I try to have a good understanding and awareness of who they are so I can help them. It comes down to ‘we’re all people’ and it’s caring about them; not so much just their business, but about them and who they are, their family, their children. It’s about understanding all of them.

How are you supporting your clients who are struggling with their business?

Most importantly, it’s about offering an empathetic ear and making sure they are okay. It’s about understanding why they are struggling and looking at ways to help and get them through this time. If they are struggling with their business levels, it’s about helping them come up with a business plan during these times. This can include strategies to engage their client database via phone, email, social media marketing- looking at ways they can diversify their business and generate other revenue streams and also look at ways to engage their referral partners.

How does the broking industry look to you post COVID-19?

There has been some great changes for the broking industry due to COVID-19, especially with banks being quick to move onto accepting digital signatures and digital ID verification. These are great time savers for brokers & will help further as we become more paperless and move into a digital era.

What value do you think an aggregator brings to brokers?

There is so much value an aggregator brings to a broker! Technology, learning and development, marketing and most importantly the fantastic support! An aggregator should be working with you to help you achieve your business goals, drive efficiencies within your business and help you grow.Being an aggregator BSM means I can take more of a dive into helping brokers take their business to the next level. What is particularly important to me is helping brokers achieve those “little milestones”.

Note: Zorica Grubic has been named a finalist as QLD Aggregator BDM of the Year in the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Excellence Awards 2020. Zorica was also awarded QLD's Best Aggregator BDM at the 2020 Better Business Awards in March.