At the end of November, one of the founders of the blog, product and marketing director Marek Macura, will leave Broker Trust. After almost exactly 7 years, he decided to return home to the Karviná region to have more time for his family. He devoted one of his last interviews as a marketing strategist to Broker Trust on our blog.
Do you still remember what your first day at Broker Trust was like?
I remember how, as a very young and naïve student, I arrived at the BT headquarters with the aim of changing counselling for the better. At that time, it was the first residence on Hněvkovská. I started in the position of product support for investments. On the first day, I remember this shy introduction to the people at the headquarters. Then I still have a vivid memory of my first workplace, a tiny round table in the kitchen with a diameter of about 1m and a very uncomfortable chair:). Even then, there was no space to spare, but my job in the kitchen had to last for some time. However, I was in the field a lot with my partners, so it was possible. Today, the headquarters and premises of BT are completely different, I will miss that a lot (including excellent coffee).
How has Broker Trust and consulting changed in those 7 years?
When I started, BT’s turnover was around 100 million. This year, we are attacking one billion gross commission turnover, which is ten times! The wholesale of financial products has managed to become the strongest player on the market in the pool business. It is currently number two in mortgages (in 2016 it looks like 16-17 billion intermediated). Today, BT Business is a partner for its advisors. There are coaching programs, an education system, preparation for EFA, a lot of tools for professionals, calculators, online methodologies, electronic contract negotiation, a comprehensive BeTy system, a financial plan, and so on. I dare say that BT provides an unbeatable price-performance ratio for its clients, i.e. financial advisors.
The consulting market has also changed significantly. On the one hand, through natural development, but also through regulatory interventions. In addition, the pace of change is accelerating. There has been a significant professionalization of the field, although there is still room for improvement, without a doubt. Clients have more experience, they are more demanding. There are greater demands on exams and demonstrating expertise, and that’s a good thing. I am still in favor of further tightening. The market will continue to be cleaned up and significant changes are yet to come. In April and May next year, a large number of advisors will only realize what the real impact of the introduction of the 5-year cancellation is, how the LTV restrictions and the new credit law will manifest themselves. The year 2018 will bring other significant changes.
What are you most proud of during your work?
During my time at BT, I went through various positions. From investment support, through project work, creating BeTy, to the position of product and marketing director and board member, so these are different things at different times, but we can probably mention BeTy, where at the beginning I was the client of the main logic and concept of the whole system and I devoted quite a lot of time and energy to it. There are also online methodologies that have been created not only for mortgages, but also for cars, real estate, households, construction, life insurance. I am proud of the fact that thanks to the Life Insurance Rating , some insurance companies have managed to push for changes to exclusions and insurance conditions. I’ve had more than one phone call that we damaged someone and that they don’t do it that way, but most of the time it turned out that the conditions are a little different than what they say in training, and then insurance companies have changed the wording during the upgrades, thanks to this pressure, which has a great impact on clients. More than a few percent off. Dušan also plays a big role here. Then I am proud of the rebranding and setting up of the entire new corporate identity of Broker Trust. We have introduced BT EFA certification and preparation for it. I think it’s extremely important to continue your education, to go to the market with your skin, to go to the exam, to return to learning. This is not about some abbreviation, title, it is about the fact that some advisors are willing to do something they don’t have to, but want to. They want to declare quality and knowledge, further expand and maintain them, thus cultivating the market. Stepping out of the comfort zone is essential. I am also pleased that I have met a lot of advisors and consulting firms who do good advice, have a clear and significant added value for the client and are fairly and well remunerated for it, and we were able to help them do so.
You are known for your work commitment. Was it a difficult decision to leave BT and give priority to family?
Yes and no. I knew I wanted to be with my family. For quite a long time and a lot I traveled back and forth across the country and with the birth of my daughter I was clear that I wanted to be with my family much more, that traveling was enough:) Family is a very underestimated value today. We live in a time of prosperity and consumerism and we forget about basic values, and the most important one is family, so it was simple in this regard. It was difficult to find a solution and I was looking for it for some time. Those 7 years is a long time, before that there were more than two years at Sophia Finance, so a total of 9 years. However, I wouldn’t be afraid that I would slack off from my work commitment, I wouldn’t be able to do nothing. I’m lucky that I enjoy my work and I see the point in it. After all, when you do counseling well and honestly, as a craft, you help people fulfill their dreams and goals, whether it’s housing, providing for children, saving for something they have long wanted, you teach them to work with money, which is the alpha and omega of today’s system and the world we live in. Products and money are just a means to what people want, and a good advisor can find the right and effective way, and I think that makes a lot of sense.
Where do you see yourself and Broker Trust in the next 7 years?
Broker Trust has an excellent position in the market. It is one of the top 5 financial distribution companies and I believe that it will continue to be so. Legislative and other changes will lead to the fact that the larger ones will become larger and the smaller ones will gradually pass under the wings of the larger ones, because it simply does not pay off economically. I think that apart from a few large brands that will survive, smaller consulting practices/companies and individual professionals will continue to emerge. Broker Trust should offer them the best services and facilities even in 7 years. It will be more about digitization, education, professional skills, cooperation, the ability to adapt to change, client segmentation, client care, and for this, advisors will need a strong partner.
I believe that even in 7 years I will be doing things that I enjoy and that make sense to me.
Is there anything you would like to say to the readers of the blog?
Perhaps the readers of the blog should try to put their ego aside and look at the world critically and without emotions, without prejudices and stereotypes, maybe then they will see new things and from a different perspective. Ego is a big killer and brake on the consulting industry.
In conclusion, however, I would like to do the most important thing, that is, I would like to thank my colleagues with whom I had the opportunity to meet, cooperate, learn from them during that time. Behind everything are people, their joys and sorrows, which we have more or less shared for 7 years, and for that THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I was honored.
Thank you for the interview and we wish you good luck in your future personal and professional life!
