Over a strong long black coffee: Chris discusses strategies on drumming up business and how to provide A1 service that delivers clients exactly what they want – when they want.

With over 15 years’ experience in asset finance, sales and customer service, Chris brings a wealth of, not only support for our partners and their clients, but also the Nodifi team.

Chris is known around the office for his high morale backed by a strong work ethic.

Here are his insights on keeping applications flowing via a stream of satisfied clients.

Key Takeaways

  • Speed and communication are key to positive feedback
  • If vehicle delivery wait times are a concern, look for alternatives
  • Partners don’t need to be asset finance experts to transact asset finance
  • Education is sometimes the most important part of good service
  • It’s all about fast, efficient and stress-free finance

1: Firstly, take us through what asset finance clients generally give good feedback on, and their pain points.

We see a lot of positive feedback around easy, streamlined processes, and even simple things such as clients being kept up to date throughout the process with great communication. Achieving good rapport also helps make the client feel welcomed and at ease.

On the other hand, pain points generally stem from long delivery wait times for new vehicles. While this has been unavoidable due to the pandemic, setting the expectations with clients is paramount – something that hasn’t always been done.

2: Brokers and dealers reading this will want to know how to avoid these complaints – what’s your take?

It’s a supply and demand scenario. Currently there is a large number of people looking to purchase a new car with finance and there isn’t enough stock available.

As mentioned, educate your client on this at the beginning and set realistic expectations. If they’re urgent for a car, help them source an alternative vehicle (potentially a demo/used car) with all the features they desire.

3: Some people in the asset finance space worry about a lack of knowledge on the latest lender policies – how can they keep up?

We don’t expect our partners to be experts in asset finance – that’s why they partner with Nodifi. With our support and credit processing team, we’re a phone call or email away from discussing potential lender options and can talk them through the process.

We also provide our partners with access to our online knowledge bank and lender cheat sheets, such as a low-doc reference guide.

4: A lack of understanding of asset features (such as trim levels), can also be a pain point. Does this hinder good customer service?

For the most part, I think customers do have a level of understanding depending on the asset involved. With that being said, Nodifi provides partners with access to Glass’s Guide, a powerful tool to determine market value of vehicles and their respective features. We use it all the time.

The vehicle valuations in particular, allow partners to advise clients if they’re buying a good value or overpriced vehicle. This type of knowledge is another string to your bow when delivering exceptional service.

We’re well aware that product knowledge is an important tool for our partners.

5: Sometimes, even experienced brokers can come across tricky scenarios. What’s your advice for managing these conversations with clients?

As a starting point, a simple call or email to Nodifi with a rough scenario is all that’s needed. From there, we can then provide advice on potential lender options and/or any further details that would be required from the client to secure the deal.

Furthermore, if unforeseen circumstances arise during a deal, educate your clients as to why the situation may have changed and also develop a plan for when it’s appropriate to proceed again. If they’re happy to proceed again, set a reminder to contact them again when appropriate.

The key is open and honest communication – it always works best.

6: For those new to the Nodifi platform or just thinking about getting onboard, sum up the benefits.

What our partners love most is our support – the fact that they can use Nodifi as an asset finance extension of their business allows them to scale without the need for additional overheads.

Outside of that, access to over 40 commercial and consumer lenders means partners can provide comprehensive, competitive solutions for their clients.

We also offer:

  • The choice of submitting full applications (meaning you have complete control over communications with customers) or a Tick ‘n’ Flick referral
  • Support from our in-house credit specialists and state-based relationship managers – I’m one of them!
  • And, we are a referral partner so it doesn’t matter who you aggregate through

Oh, and the platform itself is award-winning technology.

7: And, for those familiar with Nodifi, are there any changes or improvements in the pipeline?

There are a number of new and exciting changes on the horizon. One is the roll out of our new platform which gives partners more flexibility and visibility – this is happening now.

I won’t spill the beans on everything but watch this space! There’s more to come and I can’t wait to see it in action.

8: Unfortunately, COVID and its threats to businesses are still present in Australia. What do you think is the best strategy for navigating the pandemic?

Lockdowns are a constant threat as we’re experiencing across the country. Reach out to your clients and see if there is anything you can do to support them, they’ll really appreciate it even if they don’t need any help.

If they do, one option is to look at refinancing current debts in order to reduce repayments and increase cash flow which can minimise the risk of hardship.

9: Finally, complete this sentence: Clients recommend asset finance to their friends if…

…the process is fast, efficient and stress free.

At Nodifi, we have a great team that is arguably all of those things and more. Our team is packed with knowledge, experience and a positive attitude. We always make sure partners and their clients are kept up to date every step of the way.

Stay tuned. We’ll be hearing a lot more from Chris in the near future.

Other coffee chats

We talked to Support Team Leader, Elliot Bloem, and found how to get it right the first time.
Chris Sims, Chief Product Officer, discussed the importance of technology in finance and business.
Tim Wells, Chief Operating Officer, explained key issues like how to avoid losing clients, COVID recovery data and BID.

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