Nicola McCoosh, founder of Yada Yada Finance, and Jeff Knight, MD at Momenti Group, have partnered to launch the Broker Growth Blueprint, a data-led consulting service for specialist lenders.
In light of this news, The Intermediary caught up with the pair to understand what this partnership means for lenders, how it could affect brokers and the market as a whole, and the ins and outs of driving change through data.
How did this partnership come about, and what is it, specifically, that you are launching?
Jeff Knight: I came across Nicola a while ago – I think when she did a solo piece through The Intermediary, actually. We started talking about the market and the challenges for both lenders and brokers, and long story short, we’ve come up with a solution designed initially for more specialist lenders.
It’s very much an insight-driven approach where we identify opportunities for them to grow their business quite quickly, because all small lenders want to do the same thing. They all play the same game – tweak criteria, play with rates, and buy a broker a cake in the morning – and it doesn’t necessarily work.
We’re very confident that just by looking at data and doing some broker research with them, we can identify some quick wins and longer-term gains as well. And if we can’t, then we won’t charge.
How does that benefit brokers?
Knight: What we’re trying to do is help lenders build better relationships with brokers, and help BDMs understand how to do that through the insights we gather. There’s a lot of business out there – the market is growing – but many brokers are missing out because they think, “Oh, I don’t do that type of business.”
It’s easy for a lender to say, “You need to be doing this,” but no one’s actually saying, “Here’s how you do it.” So, if lenders write more business, brokers write more business too. It’s a win for everyone – especially the consumer.
We help lenders identify opportunities by looking at their data. Most lenders have brokers who only give them one or two cases a year – if you can get a few of them to do one more case each, that’s a big uplift.
How do you actually approach that work?
Knight: Our approach is similar to what both Nicola and I have done over the years. We start with the data, because there’s usually a lot of insight hiding there. Lenders give us access under NDAs, and we then do primary research with brokers. From there, we take a collaborative approach with the lender – here are the opportunities, now which ones should we prioritise?
We might find twelve opportunities, but no one’s going to do all of them. So, we work with them to decide what to focus on. It’s about driving growth for specialist lenders, but also adding value for brokers by helping lenders build better relationships through marketing, BDM engagement and underwriting support.
Where are you getting the data from?
Knight: It depends on the lender and what systems they use. If they have a good CRM system, that helps a lot. We look at their sales data – where business is coming from, which brokers, how often. Then we look at which products they’re selling.
Most lenders have 100-plus products, but five of those probably bring in 87% of the business. We also look at their marketing data – website traffic, email engagement, broker interest. Usually, lenders have a lot of sophisticated data, but they don’t always realise what they’ve got. We come in with a fresh pair of eyes and spot things they can’t, because they’re too close to it.
Nicola McCoosh: Lenders – and even brokers – have lots of data, but it’s about turning that into something actionable and tangible. You can have reams of data, but it’s pointless if you’re not going to use it.
So, we’ve packaged what we do into three levels, where the amount of analysis increases as you move up. Core looks mainly at sales data and in-depth broker interviews. Elite adds more data layers, like competitor analysis, website and email analytics, and more broker interviews.
Lots of lenders think they know how they differentiate, but often the perception versus the reality is quite different. The result is a clear, actionable plan – a roadmap for the next three months, collaboratively agreed so the lender’s team is bought in.
For Elite clients, we also include eight weeks of marketing activity – things like design, SEO, and content delivery – so we don’t just hand over recommendations, we help execute them.
How do you decide which brokers to speak to?
Knight: We get a mix – brokers generating business at different levels, and those who aren’t. That gives quite different insights. We’ll discuss the selection with the lender to make sure it’s most beneficial.
McCoosh: We also think it’s important to speak to brokers who don’t currently work with that lender but match the type they want to attract. That way we can find out what’s stopping those brokers from engaging – is it the messaging, the criteria, or something else?
Once you’ve done the research, how do you present it back?
Knight: It’s a collaborative workshop. We share the results, take questions, and work through prioritisation together. The key is that it’s their plan – not just ours. If they don’t feel ownership, nothing will happen.
McCoosh: Neither of us wants to produce a beautiful PowerPoint that sits on a desk. We want to deliver something practical that can actually be implemented.
How long does the process take?
McCoosh: We’ve planned for a six-week strategy sprint to identify insights and deliver a prioritised plan for the next three to six months. It’s important to keep that initial phase focused and fast-moving so people stay engaged. After that, we can either support delivery or hand it over to the lender’s team.
What happens if your recommendations aren’t viable for a lender – say their funders won’t support a certain product area?
Knight: We’d have a strong understanding of the lender upfront to prevent that happening. Plus, we always identify multiple opportunities, so the challenge is usually prioritising them, not finding them. Our ideas aren’t made in a vacuum – they’re driven by data and broker feedback.
McCoosh: That’s where our industry experience helps. We’ve both worked client-side and understand the realities and pressures lenders face. There are lots of great creative agencies out there, but finding one that really understands this industry is rare. We know how to speak the language and what’s realistic.
When does the consultancy officially launch?
McCoosh: We’re ready to go. We’ve done a soft launch with several conversations already, but no above-the-line activity yet. That’s why we wanted to do something editorial – it’s not just a press release; this needs explaining. It’s a niche, insight-driven product, so it deserves a bit more focus.
Is there anything else people should know?
McCoosh: Yes – we’ve backed this with a guarantee. If we don’t spot any gaps, you don’t pay anything. That should give people confidence that we believe in the value of what we’re offering.
