Comment
Trust is the name of the game in bridging
Seeing the world through a child’s eyes can bring what really matters back into focus
the benefits could be mutual; the child learns something new and the experience might be reciprocal in that the parent too might learn and experience something new.
by Steven McColl, investment partner, Soho Corporate
Easter this year was a long one. It was long on two fronts: firstly it was long in the context of bridging in that with Good Friday and Easter Monday it gave us the opportunity to take a break from work. This of course meant that deals due to settle around Easter were stretched out with clients, solicitors, vendors and other parties involved in transac- tions clearing away on vacation. Secondly, it was long from a fam- ily perspective: my children had four weeks holiday from school. We did the usual things - a holiday to the west coast of Scotland, beach, friends and family and sleepovers from overseas visiting relatives. This didn’t quite fill four weeks or create a holiday highlight for my eldest, Finlay, 6. I have always been an advocate of innovative learning. I have preached to other parents and indeed anyone else who will listen about the ironies involved in the concept that we spend however many thousands pounds per annum educating our children, paying for sport lessons, private tuition, music lessons and other specialist activity but often don’t give them the benefit of our own knowledge and skills. The short-term sector in my mind is skilled, interesting and varied and
16 BRIDGING INTRODUCER MAY 2012
BABY BRIDGING A social experiment was in the offing. I had decided to take my six year old to work, a twenty four hour experience as a bridger. So we ar- rived bright eyed and bushy tailed in London and headed for the office. Finlay made himself at home hap- pily observing office life and activ- ity and understanding where Dad works, what he does and assisting with some small office tasks. The next part of the day was the client meetings. There has been a historical aversion at involving children in business meetings. From past experience I have found that having children in-tow can soften a meeting and make the event a little bit different from the usual process. I was not to be disappointed.
FAMILY VALUES
My first meeting of the day was with a client that was seeking to borrow £2m. I had met him twice previously and there had been a lot of procras- tination as to whether my funder would deliver for him as he had previously been stung on advance fees from unscrupulous lenders and brokers. I was fighting an uphill battle due to this historical situa- tion. I arrived at the meeting with Finlay and the look on the client’s face was fabulous, you could tell he at first found it bizarre as he had not
expected my executive assistant but within minutes the client was talk- ing to my boy and I could tell that he was buying into the fact that we were ‘real’. The whole client rela- tionship changed in that I was now a real living person, not just another broker out to take his money.
TRUST Over the course of the first meeting I conducted my client business and Finlay listened in, having made his input at the early part of the meeting during exchange of introductions. Needless to say off the back of this meeting the client has formally in- structed me to progress the funding, which certainly was helped by my son’s involvement.
PEOPLE BUY PEOPLE We had another two meetings that day with another client and a lender. Both were similar to the above story in that there was initial surprise at my son’s being there but everyone seemed to like and enjoy his pres- ence and it put a lighter yet still business-like touch to each meeting. The key point that I took out of it was it brought real life to bridging: people buy people and with Finlay along it revealed another side to me that I am certain went down well with clients and funders that day.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
My son certainly learned a lot about business, people and exciting London. The moral of this story? On occasion take your child to work, you might just enjoy it and learn something.
www.mortgageintroducer.com
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