COLUMNS • MY BUSINESS
Paying it forward Helping both clients and fellow advisers to learn and achieve what is best for them is what motivates mySolutions director Keith Kerr to keep paying his financial knowledge forward. BY MIRIAM BELL
How did you wind up getting into the mortgage advice business? I started off as an engineer in the air force. But, at 23, I decided it wasn’t the career for me. Soon after, I got talking to a guy my age and he was in life insurance sales. It sounded good to me. So I resigned and, starting off in insurance, hit the ground running. Thirty-one years later, I’m still as excited about our industry as ever. I began at Government Life (Tower) in 1989, took an agency with Sovereign in 028
TMM 4
1991 and then, in 1996, I was one of the founding franchises of NZ Home Loans. A group of us sold up in 2003 and I’ve been in the mortgage and insurance advice business ever since.
And then how did you go about learning the business? There was good in-house training in those days. But my personal approach came from my air force days. In the military, the expectation is that you will learn from being instructed by experienced people as that has worked for hundreds of years. So, early on at Government Life, I approached some senior sales guys to learn from and they told me to “knock on 100 doors a day and aim for three sales”. I did what I was told and worked hard. That left them happy to mentor me, but they said that I also had to pay it forward in my turn – which I am now proud to do.
What makes you passionate about being an adviser? Initially, I was motivated by money. Because it was possible to make much more than as an engineer. When you are young you spend as much as you earn so it was attractive. But that soon changed. Now, I’m passionate about helping people and making sure Kiwis who need
it have access to great financial advice and a quality service.
Do you approach business differently to other advisers? If so, how? Different advisers approach business differently. It all depends on their background and their view. But I believe that providing advice shouldn’t just be transactional and about securing the next deal. I’m very process driven. I believe if you follow the processes and ask the right questions, you’ll get to the bottom of what a client needs and what is best for them. I’m very transparent and go deep with clients to really build up trust. Earning that trust is something we should not take lightly and is a privilege!
Is there any particular area that you specialise in? I take a very holistic approach. Home loans for first home buyers is something I enjoy as you can get them into good habits early around understanding debt and wealth creation. But I also offer advice in areas like insurance and KiwiSaver. My speciality is looking after my client’s entire portfolio, surrounding them with other professionals, like lawyers and accountants if needed, and helping them get to a better place.
