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Commercial Finance Launch Programme · Stage 10 of 10
Complete Your First Deal
Take your first client from fact-find to a completed deal. This is the milestone the whole programme drives at.
How long
Days 30–90, per deal
You’ll have
A first deal completed and your first commission received
Steps
4 steps
Resources
3 resources
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01 Step 01
Step 01
Onboard and fact-find
A clean, complete fact-find is the foundation of a placeable deal, and gaps here cause lender declines and wasted time later.
Do it yourself
- Issue your Terms of Business, with the commission disclosure you set in Get Compliant, and get it signed by e-signature.
- Complete a structured fact-find: the business, the need, the numbers, the security, and the timeline.
- Collect the documents from your product-line checklist through the secure portal.
- Run your AML and customer due diligence checks, and record them.
Common mistake · Submitting to a lender on a half-complete fact-find, triggering a decline that could have been avoided.
Time~half a day per deal CostUses your software stack DifficultyMediumResource for this step
PDFClient onboarding and fact-find pack
A Terms of Business checklist, a structured fact-find, a document list, and the customer due diligence steps in one flow.
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02 Step 02
Step 02
Source and package the deal to a lender
Packaging, presenting the deal the way the lender needs to see it, is the core craft of broking and the single biggest driver of getting a yes.
Do it yourself
- Use your sourcing tool to match the deal to suitable lenders, and evidence the rationale.
- Build the lender pack: a clear deal summary, the financials, the security, and the story of the deal.
- Submit to the best-fit lender or lenders, and manage their questions promptly.
- Keep the client informed on progress and timeline; the lender’s clock is theirs, so set expectations.
Common mistake · Sending a lender a pile of raw documents with no summary or narrative, so the deal sits at the bottom of the pile or is declined for insufficient information.
Time~1 day per deal. The lender’s decision time is their clock. CostUses your stack DifficultyHard (this is the skill)Resource for this step
PDFDeal packaging template
A lender-ready cover pack: deal summary, key financials, security, and the deal narrative.
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03 Step 03
Step 03
Present the recommendation
The client needs a clear, honest recommendation they can act on, and where regulated it must meet the required standard and disclosures.
Do it yourself
- Present the option or options with the costs, terms, and trade-offs in plain English.
- Include your commission and fee disclosure, using the wording from your compliance owner.
- Give an honest recommendation, and let the client decide.
- Where the deal is regulated, use your network’s suitability and recommendation documentation, and route perimeter questions to the right owner.
Common mistake · Presenting only the option that pays you most, or glossing over cost, exactly the conduct the commission-disclosure regime targets.
Time~half a day per deal CostUses your stack DifficultyMedium -
04 Step 04
Step 04
Complete the deal and get paid
This is the finish line of the ninety days of effort. The first deal completes and the first commission lands, and the business becomes real.
Do it yourself
- Support the client through the lender’s completion process; their clock, so keep them informed.
- Confirm drawdown or completion.
- Invoice or confirm your commission, the procuration fee, and reconcile it against the deal.
- Close the case cleanly in your CRM, and file everything for your records.
- Mark the milestone: your first deal completed and paid.
Common mistake · Going quiet at the finish line, when a completion needs the same attention as the start or it slips, and the commission with it.
Time~half a day per deal (completion time is the lender’s clock) CostUses your stack DifficultyMediumResource for this step
PDFFirst-deal completion checklist
The run to completion, commission confirmation, and case-close steps. The closing certificate of the programme.
What you’ll have after this stage
- Your first client onboarded, with a complete fact-find
- The deal sourced and packaged to the right lender
- An honest recommendation presented
- The deal completed and your first commission received
- The milestone: your first deal done