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Why Tunnel Vision Is Holding You Back

June 14, 2022
Why Tunnel Vision Is Holding You Back

It’s super easy as a mortgage broker or loan writer to get ‘tunnel vision’. The work load, the compliance load, the client load - it’s a lot. 

So getting through the ‘work’ can easily see you maintain lazer focus on the numbers, not necessarily looking broader at the activity that drives those numbers. 

And it’s ok to focus on the numbers, but whilst you’re maintaining focus - you need to turn on a light inside the tunnel. 

Understanding where you’re going, and why you’re heading there will let you think broader, bigger and better. 

And this is the key for your business expanding. 

One of the sayings I like to remind coaching clients is; “What happens today, creates your reality three months from now”.

So what drives the numbers? 

If you only focus on the numbers day in and day out you won’t hone in on your skill, your relationships or your capacity for truly succeeding in this industry. 

The factors that really drive the numbers are your people skills. 

Never underestimate the value you can bring to your business when you hone your skills as an amazing communicator.  

For people to trust you and do business with you [aka add to your numbers] they first have to like you. 

They like you through your ability to relate to them, through your empathy to them, through your communication and your professionalism. 

It’s these ‘soft’ skills that bring in the ‘hard’ dollars. 

Relate To Resonate 

 

Tunnel vision in focusing on numbers and work can also relate to your referrals. If you are looking at your referral partners purely transactionally, then you’re missing out on the big picture. 

For you to really be of value and service to a referral partner, you must understand what is important to that referral partner? If you don’t know what it is they value in a relationship, then how you can be the best possible source of that value? You easily lose that referral partner to someone who has taken the time to know. 

Clients, referral partners alike will buy into your care factor. You can become a source of insight, wisdom and value to them. This is when you step up from being a mortgage broker or loan writer to a trusted advisor. This is when your business will see a turning point. 

Relate to resonate; it’s a big deal. 

Understand Your Value

As a mortgage broker or loan writer you will know: systems and processes are your friend! 

But what about the elements of your business that are not easily quantified - like your value? Do you feel you ‘sell’ your value enough? 

If you’re like most of the broker’s we work with through our coaching process - probably not. You’re most likely massively undervaluing and underselling your value. 

So what’s your value? What can you bring to the table? 

These questions become easy to answer when you spend the time asking yourself and your team; 

What makes me the best partner for my clients on their home loan journey?  

Who am I (in the market) and what am I selling? 

What is my market proposition? 

If you know what this is, you know what your client actually needs from you. 

And guess what? Then you can communicate these answers back to the client and most likely win more business. 

So when you understand your value, and live into it - the numbers take care of themselves. 

 

If you’re stuck in the tunnel, burrowing, working, not looking up or out, trust me, you’re in the middle of an opportunity.

An opportunity to take a step back, breathe and recommit your focus to the bigger picture. In six months from now, what do you want your day to look like? Your client list to look like? Your referral partners to look like? Your bank balance to look like? 

Be the top 10% of brokers who ask themselves these questions and work NOW on what the vision looks like.

If you'd like to book in a session with our team to get on track with your vision and your future, Get In Touch today via this form, book your discovery call and we’ll be able to book in your session soon Or stay updated by signing up below. [vc_wp_text]

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Ian Winn profile picture
Ian Winn
24 September 2026
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Ruan has been my mortgage broking coach for 6 months. Having owned a very successful mortgage broking business and now a coach of many businesses he has unparalleled experience to share with his clients. He does this in a very clear and consultative manner. He is always looking for improvements and innovation for clients to implement in their businesses. He has a big picture approach which really helps you get out of the weeds when analysing your business. He has helped me grow my business and provide clarity to achieve my goals. Thanks for your support.
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Anisa Buckley
14 September 2026
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I have learnt so much from Ruan and the team at Success & Broker. Ruan's practical advice to me as a new broker has been incredibly helpful and I have incorporated many of his strategies and approaches into my own business.
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Bree Rivers profile picture
Bree Rivers
14 September 2026
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Working with Ruan has been great. He genuinely cares about your success and provides honest practical advice from his own experience that can be applied to get real results. I highly recommend Ruan to any broker wanting to grow.
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Your favourite Bald & Bespectacled broker
6 August 2026
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Great weekly 50min session with Ruan himself, done online over Zoom with other brokers. Intimate session of around a dozen people, including Ruan and the host. If you're a new broker and have under three or four years of experience, and wish to get an insight into Ruan's mind + pick up tips and tricks, it's a very good six month-long training program. Even if you're a more seasoned broker like myself (nine years in December 2026), it's worth an education session - I have a few pages of notes and thoughts. Give it a go, brokers.
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Christopher Dodson
6 August 2026
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Thanks Ruan for your insight and warm approach
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Achani Kodippili
4 August 2026
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That was an amazing journey with Success & Broker. Excellent guidance is simply practical. Thank you team for the opportunity.
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Sara Shome
1 August 2026
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I’ve really enjoyed being part of Ruan’s Grow Broker Program. As a broker with an over 5 years of experience, it is easy to reach a point where you feel like you’re doing well but not really moving forward. This program challenged me to rethink almost everything I thought I knew about broking, relationships, branding and what it really takes to build a sustainable career. Ruan has an incredible ability to make you look at your business and thinking from a completely different perspective while providing genuine support and practical strategies that you can implement immediately and easily. It is not about quick wins or generic coaching. It is about building the right foundations and becoming a better broker and business owner. The confidence and clarity I gained through the program played a crucial role in my decision to move into a BDM role. It helped me recognise where my strengths truly lie and gave me the self confidence to take that next step. I would highly recommend Success and Broker to anyone who feels they have reached a plateau or wants to take their career to the next level. It has been one of the best self investments I have made.
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Jonathon Rhydderch
22 July 2026
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The Success & Broker course has been fantastic. As a new broker, you learn a lot about the technical side early on: compliance, lending policy, structuring deals. But what nobody really teaches you is how to build a sustainable business around all that. Ruan's program fills exactly that gap, giving you so many practical, actionable ways to grow: daily habits and consistency, marketing that actually works for a brokerage, operations and systems that scale, and how to genuinely deliver a great client experience rather than just process loans. What I liked most is that it's not generic coaching. It's built specifically around where you are as a broker, whether that's establishing strong foundations early on or working toward running a proper business with leverage and a team behind you. The 'Broker Journal' kept me on track throughout the course and is a great reference point when i need to work on my business. It is like a blueprint for success. All of it is delivered in a refreshingly warm, positive, and genuinely invested way. You can tell they actually care about your outcomes, not just ticking a coaching box. Big thanks to Ruan, and to Ryan too. Highly recommend to any broker serious about building a real business, not just writing loans.
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Alex Ritchie
8 July 2026
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Ruan and the Success & Broker team have been really helpful in getting us to think about how we operate, how we build out or team, and where we want to go. Ruan is super knowledgeable, having spent many years as a broker running multiple firms. He asks the right questions and challenges your thinking.
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Lachlan McKean
6 July 2026
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I've worked with Ruan at Success & Broker for the last 12 months~ and it's been great. Always makes time to discuss what's going on and the advice is invaluable. If you're a broker thinking of using Ruan's services, it's definitely worth jumping on board.
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