There’s No Room for More Competition

In the next 6 months, (MANY) Broker Companies will start dying out. To the surprise of many, just when the Year of the Broker was in full bloom, chaos was forming on the horizon and the realization that there is no more room for “new” messes. Simply because we aren’t finished cleaning up and organizing the messes we have now!

There are basic facts that we can take from the “Broker Boom”

– Not enough beginning knowledge about this industry and how the Merchant Cash Advance process works.

– No time to make strong relationships: The concept of having “more” is usually more harmful than having a handful of trusting relationships.

– Overhead costs: the make-up costs from the spending on dead leads and the “start-up” costs of having an office, staff, draws – gave the wrong perception of what a “MCA” is when the rate mark ups pay for those expenses.

– Quick turnover when the top dog can’t fool the sales rep out of commissions any longer: Rep goes out into the world and starts their own company. This can lead to recycled bad practices or the few who want to do right.

– Co-Brokering: Everyone’s done it. I’ve done it. Edited agreements taken from other brokers/funders don’t always cover everything leading to many debacles that turn into “Jerry Springer” Forum threads. P.S. Don’t think merchants can’t see the forum either.

It’s absolutely exhausting to explain to someone from the mortgage industry or any industry that comes into the MCA space the “Rights” and “Wrongs” and the teachings. Most new Broker Company Owners and their sales come from those who don’t believe in “Best Practices” anyway.

Marketing and Leads in the Broker Space is affecting Brokers and Funders Alike – Are brokers ruining leads as well?
So, your questions about Marketing and Leads have the same answer- It does not matter what type of leads you get, it’s all about your presence, knowledge, and your “Handle”. These are the answers from actual merchants who get calls from UCCs. (This information came from old merchants that I had, I shortened the answers and stuck to the points).

• They don’t trust you because of your approach
• They tried before and was promised “X” and got a bunch of “Y” with excuses on how so many “Y’s” = “X”
• Backdoor calls- Sometimes the money isn’t the biggest savior- it’s the relationship that goes with it
• They don’t need it that bad to pay 30%. If they do need it- they want something structured to build their credit and keep their business afloat

When people think of getting money for their business- they used to think “Go to the Bank”. Professionalism, a structure that is always the same for each type of program, and knowledgeable staff they can rely on. They made the choice to come to your bank because of what is offered. Now, all but the “Capital” part is missing from this equation, but merchants still want to have that one consistent place to go to for their business needs.

I think we all lost sight of this Industry.

Brokers = Resellers and Marketers of Direct Funding programs. The Broker takes the programs from these Direct Funders and builds a portfolio of which each tier and industry and credit rating is satisfied by which funders he can qualify them to. The options are given to the merchant to satisfy their need for working capital.

You work for the Funder – Your Sales Target is the Merchant.

The Merchant has put everything into starting and maintaining their business. Most of them wanted the “American Dream” of owning a business since childhood. They have it now, and you come in and try to tell them what they need. Some believe you- some are money hungry and know the game. It’s all a numbers game no matter what kind or type of leads you buy.

All that am I saying is, the way this industry is looked at from a “Brokers” and “New-Age Funders” point of view vs. a “Veteran Broker” or “Veteran Funder” is two totally different aspects.

Unfortunately, there is no immediate solution for new “Brokers” and many solutions for the “New-Age Funders” to be on the path of “Best Practices” and less shenanigans.

There is no room for competition as we don’t know what we are competing for and rather than creating a solution so those leads can understand the growth and structure of what we are offering, we are too busy trying to find out how to get leads that won’t stick.