'It’s not just about copying and pasting policy but being a good operator, having fun with your brokers... and enjoying working with them'
- Name: Luke Butcher
- Job title: Business development manager
- Company: Bluestone Home Loans
- Number of years in the industry: Over 13
- Location: Brisbane, Queensland
In this instalment of MPA’s ever-popular series, Luke Butcher discusses his role as a business development manager with non-bank lender Bluestone Home Loans.
Butcher discusses how he got into the industry in the first place, and what he loves most about working with brokers. He’d also like to see mandatory nine-day working fortnights to create a better work-life balance in the industry.
This series is dedicated to shining a light on the best and brightest BDMs and state managers in Australia’s thriving mortgage finance scene.
When and how did you join the finance industry?
I was inspired to join the industry which I've been a part of for 13-plus years now after seeing my parents work with a mortgage broker when they emigrated and bought their first home in Australia.
He is also from my native country England and extremely successful in the industry. He encouraged me to pursue a career in finance which set me on my career path. I took his advice and started in banking, did a total of seven-plus years in the banking space in multiple lending/leadership roles, became a mortgage broker, and later transitioned into the lender BDM space.
What does your current role involve?
I build strong relationships to support my portfolio of brokers in Queensland with complex lending scenarios, workshopping and providing structure guidance, educating brokers that may be unfamiliar with outside-the box-lending not fitting traditional/bank lenders, creating confidence and helping more customers.
How do you assist brokers to grow their business?
Education is key. By simplifying complex lending scenarios and helping brokers understand that they can expand market share and confidently tap into new segments of the market they might not be familiar with, I assist clients they may have been referring on, or would have trouble placing with the banks.
Whether it be complex structures with multiple entities, alt doc verification, or SMSF lending, me being a reliable extension of their business allows them to achieve strong outcomes and see growth.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Growing with my brokers over my time as their BDM and seeing how they have grown, making a difference and being a real asset to their business. Every day is different: kicking goals, lining up, adjusting, and kicking higher goals.
What’s the most important advice you can offer to a new-to-industry broker?
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Find the BDMs that will spend the time, educate, and be there from the start – reliable and responsive, helping you connect the dots as you are finding your feet in the industry.
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Learn all the different options available, and don’t be afraid to push and branch out into different areas of lending, being able to help a wider range of customers, not just customers that fit the Big Four.
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Set achievable targets and chase them. Create a one-, two-, three-year plan and hold yourself accountable to get your book where you want it to be, creating more financial freedom and work-life balance as a result.
How important is broker feedback in ensuring you provide the best service?
It’s crucial. Broker feedback helps me improve processes, refine support, and continue growing as a BDM, which in turn helps us grow as a business.
What makes a great BDM or state manager?
Responsiveness, honesty, and clarity. Providing accurate information, offering realistic options and alternative solutions, and never over-promising are essential to building relationships and trust. It’s not just about copying and pasting policy but being a good operator, having fun with your brokers at the same time, and enjoying working with them.
If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?
Make nine-day working fortnights mandatory to give everyone more work–life balance and see productivity go up from seeing less fatigue and more time to do the things that matter most.
Describe your ideal weekend:
Spending time with family, staying active, being by the water, walking the dog and getting the steps in with a morning coffee, doing fun activities with my daughter, or squeezing in a round of golf and playing the majority of the round on the wrong fairway. Catching up and having drinks and a nice lunch or dinner or BBQ with friends!
