Pascal Curran has been working in the financial services and mortgage industry for 14 years, twelve years with Irish Life and two years with Canada Life.
He started his own company, Advice First, two years ago providing advice on mortgages, life assurance, pensions, saving and investments.
Advice First is currently shortlisted for mortgage broker of the year 2007. The company is running a draw at the moment where the winner will get their mortgage paid for one year and all clients can enter. This also includes any new clients taking up their services.
Pascal and his wife Mattleen live in Ballyare, Ramelton, and they have three children.
What was your first ever job and how long did you last?
I started selling the Evening Press newspaper door to door when I was only eight years old and did that job for about two years. I used to stand outside Dunnes Stores on the road selling the papers to cars passing by, it was great for pocket money. But I think that experience may have tainted me in some way and put me off working in the newspaper industry.
What initially attracted you to working in the mortgage and finance industry?
I just wanted to see if I could actually do it and I heard that there was very good money in the industry so I thought I'd give it a go and have never looked back since. I love dealing with customers and couldn't have found a better job. They say when you find yourself the best job, you never work again, and that's exactly how I feel about my job.
Who did you learn the ropes from/who taught you the most about your career?
Michael Flynn was my sales manager when I started working with Irish Life, where I worked for twelve years. He's the man to blame for everything I learned about the industry. One of the key values that I learnt from Michael [Flynn] is that good customer service is crucial in this business and finding out the needs of your customer. Sometimes what the customer asks for is not the best solution for them so you have to be honest and give the best advice for them.
With the increasing prices of houses in Ireland, what advice would you give to first-time buyers?
Buy your property now and let us find your mortgage. Fifty per cent of our customers are first-time buyers and we are very strong in the first-time buyer market, at the moment. We have 17 lenders so we bring the market to our customers and find the best deal possible for them
What kind of customers do you deal with at Advice First?
We have clients from all walks of life. From first time buyers to experienced property investors and developers, clients who want to plan their retirement to those saving for their children's education. The other fifty percent of our clients are an even mixture of investors and people trading up. I have spoken to colleagues down the country and they aren't as busy as us. There is a boom in the Donegal property market, prices are lower than anywhere in the country and that's what's driving Donegal at the moment. Long may it last!
If you could work in any other industry, what would it be and why?
I would love to sell army tanks from Ireland and paint shamrocks on them, just for the craic.
What has been the highlight of your career to date?
The highlight of my career to date has been getting over the first two years and being shortlisted for mortgage broker of the year 2007. The final is later this month and we're all very excited at the office.
In this business it is very important to listen to your customers and find out their needs. I'm very hopeful that we will win the award this year and it would be a great acknowledgement for our staff of six her at Advice First as it is all about the people you work with and team effort.
