Some brokers have built their entire identity around being "the relationship person."

They genuinely believe introducing technology diminishes their value proposition. When clients want financing sorted efficiently at the best terms, these brokers spend 60% of their time on admin instead of strategic advisory work.

The resistance runs deeper than simple fear of change.

The Identity Crisis Killing Profits

Traditional brokers think platforms handling paperwork and compliance verification makes them irrelevant. This thinking is all backwards.

Technology frees them to do what they're actually good at: understanding client needs, structuring complex deals, and providing ongoing strategic guidance.

Elite brokers figured this out early. A Melbourne broker handling 15 commercial deals annually was spending most of her time chasing documents and coordinating between lenders. Basically acting as a glorified project manager.

Her clients called constantly asking for status updates because everything was opaque.

The Transformation Reality

Once she integrated digital platforms, the transformation was dramatic.

Her clients could see exactly where applications stood at any moment. No more phone calls asking "what's happening with my loan?" Automated compliance verification eliminated days spent chasing missing documents.

Here's where it gets interesting. Instead of relationships becoming distant, they became deeper.

She now has strategic conversations on 5-10 year property portfolios because she has time to analyse broader objectives. One client who came for a single development loan ended up restructuring their entire commercial property financing strategy.

Her deal volume jumped to 25 transactions annually. Average deal size increased 40% because she attracted sophisticated clients who valued strategic guidance over hand-holding through administrative processes.

Clients weren't paying her to coordinate documents. They were paying her to be a financial strategist.

The Aggregator Opportunity

Smart aggregators see this transformation as a massive competitive advantage.

They're integrating advanced platforms into their offerings to attract high-performing brokers. Forward-thinking aggregators embed commercial property expertise directly into their platforms, giving brokers access to global financing sources and sophisticated deal structuring tools.

The Economics Shift

The transformation creates fundamental shifts in compensation models.

Brokers still get upfront commissions for initial loan settlements. But now they charge annual advisory fees. Managing a $200M portfolio across multiple clients generates $200,000 plus in revenue.

The Melbourne broker now gets 60% of new business from existing clients expanding portfolios or referring other investors. Each client becomes a source of multiple future transactions.

This compounds quickly.

The Skills Gap Reality

About 40% of brokers attempting this transition fail.

The biggest stumbling block isn't technical. It's psychological. Traditional brokers are terrible at consultative selling. They've been order-takers so long that when they get access to analytics capability, they don't know how to have strategic conversations.

One Brisbane broker got incredible market intelligence showing his client's industrial property was underperforming. The system flagged refinancing options that could save $200,000 annually. Instead of positioning himself as the strategic advisor who uncovered this opportunity, he forwarded the report saying "thought you might find this interesting."

The successful ones stop thinking like brokers and start thinking like business owners.

They proactively schedule client meetings rather than waiting for calls. They block time for portfolio reviews, prepare agendas, and come with recommendations. They've shifted from reactive service providers to proactive business advisors.

You can tell within 90 days whether someone will make it.

The Market Evolution

The broking market will react like other financial services markets that adapted to digital transformation. Foreign exchange, bond trading, share trading, term deposits.

Smart forward-thinking brokers will scale substantially. The "non-believers" will become bit players or leave entirely.

Australian resi brokers achieved a record 76.0% market share in December 2024. But only 20% plan to adopt new digital solutions despite 60% planning to write more loans.

The problem is obvious. More work with same manual processes.

Commercial real estate presents the biggest opportunity. The market is valued at $ 2.58 trillion. Yet most brokers remain focused on residential lending where they face intense competition.

The industry is splitting into two camps. Traditional brokers clinging to relationship-only models face extinction. Elite brokers embracing technology-enhanced advisory services are capturing market share and building sustainable competitive advantages.

The professionals who see this reality first will leave their luddite colleagues in the dust.