How to reach people who haven’t used a broker before

Originally published 10/08/23

Some buyers haven’t used a broker before. Not necessarily because they don’t value advice. In many cases, it’s because they’ve never needed to question their usual route.

They may have gone straight to their bank or building society before. Used a comparison site. Assumed brokers are mainly for complex cases. Or simply believed they’d save money by arranging things themselves.

If you’re trying to reach this group, it can help to think less about persuasion and more about visibility. Often, it’s about showing up earlier, explaining your value clearly, and making the first step feel straightforward.

For many firms, this group represents a quiet growth opportunity. These are not disengaged customers, they’re simply following familiar routes. Reaching them often comes down to earlier visibility and clearer explanation, rather than stronger persuasion.

Why some buyers haven’t used a broker

You may find that buyers who’ve never used a broker tend to sit in one of a few broad camps:

• They’ve always gone direct
  
• They believe their case is simple
  
• They’re focused on visible costs
  
• They’re comfortable researching online
  
• They haven’t yet seen what a broker does behind the scenes

None of those positions are unreasonable. They’re understandable shortcuts.

In many cases, these decisions are habitual rather than strategic. If a buyer’s parents went direct, or their bank app suggests a mortgage product, that route can feel like the default. Challenging a default requires a reason, and that reason often needs to appear before they’ve made contact elsewhere.

Cost perception can also play a part. If a lender doesn’t charge a fee and a broker does, the decision can appear simple on the surface. What’s less visible is the broader role advice can play, from navigating criteria and affordability nuances to handling unexpected issues mid-process.

The market itself is also more layered than it first appears. Product ranges are wide. Affordability expectations evolve. Buyers are often saving for longer and borrowing later in life. Even confident, digitally minded customers sometimes look for reassurance once decisions begin to feel more significant.

Rather than correcting assumptions, it can be more effective to make your role clearer before they’ve committed elsewhere.

Showing up earlier in the research journey

People who haven’t used a broker don’t always begin by searching for one. They often start with questions.

For example:

• How much could I borrow?
  
• Is it cheaper to go direct?
  
• Do brokers charge fees?
  
• What happens at a first appointment?

If you’re not answering those questions, someone else probably is.

A practical starting point doesn’t need to involve a major marketing overhaul. One useful exercise can be to log the questions that come up most often in client calls or initial enquiries. Those questions can then be turned into short website pages or blog posts written in plain English. Over time, that kind of content helps build familiarity and trust before someone makes contact.

For firms with more established marketing activity, there may be scope to look more closely at search intent, retargeting website visitors, or testing content that calmly compares “direct” and “broker-led” journeys without becoming defensive. Exploring how and when potential clients encounter those comparisons can help position your advice earlier in their decision-making process.

Social media can support this, but it doesn’t need to dominate the strategy. In many cases, consistent, simple content works best. Short posts answering common questions. Brief videos explaining process. Anonymised case examples that demonstrate how situations were handled. The aim is steady visibility rather than constant promotion. For a practical framework you can build into your routine, you may find this webinar on creating a month’s social content in 60 minutes useful.

The business benefit can be gradual but meaningful. Leads may arrive better informed. Initial calls can feel warmer. Fewer conversations may need to start from scratch.

If you’re reviewing how your marketing supports this stage, you might also explore approaches to building a consistent lead pipeline.

Making your value visible

Referral-led businesses often don’t need to explain what they do in detail. New clients arrive with context. With buyers who’ve never used a broker, that context isn’t always there.

General statements such as “expert advice” can be easy to skim past. More specific explanations tend to land better.

For example:

• What typically happens in a first meeting
  
• How you’re paid and when
  
• What research takes place behind the scenes
  
• How you support clients through to completion
  
• What happens if circumstances change
  

Clear explanations can build confidence. In a Consumer Duty environment, clarity around process and value isn’t just helpful for marketing. It also supports better understanding and outcomes.

Building smoother journeys from the first enquiry

Some firms choose to support early-stage engagement with a short email sequence for new enquiries. Someone downloads a guide or completes a form. They then receive a small number of follow-up emails outlining how the process works and what to expect. Within a CRM dashboard, this can often be automated without adding administrative burden. Over time, that consistency can reduce uncertainty and improve engagement.

For firms reviewing scalability, this type of early-stage nurturing can also protect adviser time. Enquiries that proceed are often clearer, more informed and more aligned with your service model.

If you’re reviewing your wider approach to nurturing and scalability, you may also find our guide to business growth enablement useful.

Supporting clients who are new to the process

For someone who hasn’t used a broker before, hesitation can sometimes be about uncertainty rather than resistance.

Questions may sit in the background:

• Will this be complicated?
• Will I feel pressured?
• What will I need to provide?

Small adjustments can help lower that barrier:

• Offering a short introductory call
  
• Making online booking straightforward
  
• Explaining clearly which documents are required and why
  
• Sharing anonymised examples of how similar cases were supported

Even small wording shifts can reduce perceived pressure. For example, describing an initial meeting as a “conversation about your options” rather than an “appointment” can influence how accessible it feels.

From a workflow perspective, you might tag new-to-broker leads within your CRM and slightly adjust your follow-up messaging. In many cases, reassurance around the process can be more important at this stage than detailed product discussion. These subtle shifts can sometimes improve first-call quality and reduce drop-off.

Where broker expertise goes beyond technology

Comparison sites, lender portals and AI-driven tools are likely to remain part of the journey. For many buyers, they’re a natural starting point.

Rather than competing directly, it can be more sustainable to position your role alongside them.

• Digital tools can provide speed. You can provide context.
• Online systems can compare rates. You can explain suitability and long-term impact.
• Automation can gather data. You can interpret it and apply judgement.
  
  

Buyers who haven’t used a broker don’t always need convincing that technology works. In many cases, they’re comfortable with it. What may be less visible is where advice can add clarity, reduce risk and support better outcomes over time.

That message tends to remain relevant, even as tools evolve.

And, as AI tools become more visible in financial services, this distinction between automation and judgement is likely to become even clearer in clients’ minds.

Turning insight into action

People who haven’t used a broker before aren't in a separate market. They’re often first-time buyers, remortgagers or confident researchers who simply haven’t experienced advice yet, or whose understanding of the role may be based on past perceptions rather than current practice.

For firms looking to approach this more strategically, it can be useful to track how this segment behaves within your pipeline. For example, what proportion of your new enquiries have never used a broker before? Where does drop-off tend to occur between enquiry and first meeting? And how long does it typically take for these clients to move from initial contact to instruction?

Small patterns in those numbers can highlight whether visibility, reassurance or process clarity needs attention. Over time, that insight can help you refine both your messaging and your client journey.

Reaching them can involve:

• Showing up earlier in their research
  
• Answering real questions in plain English
  
• Explaining your value in specific terms
  
• Making the first step feel simple and low-pressure

Applied consistently, those principles can support both steady growth and longer-term pipeline resilience. Firms that invest consistently in early visibility often find they’re less dependent on rate-driven or last-minute enquiries, creating a steadier and more predictable pipeline over time.

Stay up to date with compliance issues, so you can be sure you’re following all the latest requirements that affect you or your business.

Further reading you may also find useful

If you’re reviewing how your firm engages new-to-broker clients, you may also find these resources helpful:

• Attracting first-time buyers – practical approaches to engaging earlier in the property journey
• How brokers can increase customer retention — a practical guide to using data and engagement to grow business
• Lead Generation topic hub — ideas and tools to support visibility and enquiry growth

Exploring these alongside your current approach can help strengthen both visibility and resilience across your pipeline.