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Melbourne-based brokerage BLVD Finance has finished off the year with flavour, putting on a special coffee cart event in its office building to boost its brand and engagement with co-located businesses.
Daniel Koutzamanis, director of the brokerage which launched in 2022, said the coffee cart event in its Toorak HQ was primarily aimed at boosting brand exposure among fellow tenants in the building.
“It was an opportunity to meet as many people as we could in the building, and have a few conversations about who we are, what we do and how we’re different,” he told Australian Broker.
BLVD Finance, which has a high-net-worth and medical professionals focus, already has formal referral relationships in place with two businesses in the building it moved into 18 months ago.
“We’re trying to deepen those relationships and start a few more conversations; many do know us, but we’ve managed to engage with more and get our name out there,” Koutzamanis said.
“The conversations were really what it was about; the fact we were able to speak to as many people as we did, and have some enquiries on the website on back of it is really great,” he said.
Coffee has been a running theme in BLVD Finance’s efforts to build deep client relationships, thanks to Koutzamanis’ own background as part of a family of long-term café owners in Melbourne.
“Growing up as a kid I was part of those businesses, so I know coffee quite well; that was another inspiration for doing the coffee cart as opposed to a different type of event,” he said.
BLVD Finance offers its own branded blend of coffee as a settlement gift for its clients, having co-developed the congratulatory offering with one of the local roasting houses in the area.
At annual review time, BLVD Finance sends its existing clients a coffee mug, together with a note for its clients reminding them that it is “time to catch up for a coffee”.
Koutzamanis said clients also receive a thank you card as another touchpoint, which introduces his family history and why coffee is symbolic to the business of meeting, connection and relationships.
The coffee theme ultimately ties back into BLVD Finance’s business and chosen style; to date it operates primarily on referrals and is ultra-focused on developing strong client relationships.
“The point of difference with us is that we are very heavily relationship-based,” Koutzamanis said.
“A lot of brokers will say that, but we are probably over-servicing to a degree; we’re checking in every six and 12 months, and actively seeking to grow and build on our client relationships.”
This will often see Koutzamanis meeting prospective and existing clients over coffee either he or they have made themselves at home, or even Melbourne’s many restaurants or wine bars.
“We try and be a bit different from the suit and tie approach,” Koutzamanis said.
“That suits a lot of clients in the high net worth bracket who are really time poor; it’s not uncommon to see them on the weekend, particularly those in the medical field doing night shifts.”
The business’ client services manager, Andrew Ferreri, also works to cement relationships throughout the process, with a focus on helping clients achieve long-term opportunities.
Koutzamanis said BLVD Finance had grown its settlement volume growth in 2024, despite the subdued Victorian market; the businesses has been focused on deepening its referral relationships, including proactively engaging with real estate and financial planning referrers.
The business is capitalising on Koutzamanis’ background in banking, which has been followed with a career in broking, to position higher net worth clients for the upsides that do exist in the market.
“The ethos of the business is to ensure our clients are in a position to take advantage of opportunity,” he said.
“For high-net-worth clients, their structures may be more complex than standard clientele, and that is in our wheelhouse; we utilise our expertise to work in with private banking and bus banking relationships to allow clients to take advantage of opportunity,” he said.
In 2025 Koutzamanis said the business will continue to focus on building its client base in its chosen target markets, with more events similar to the coffee cart event being planned.
“There will also be more interaction with potential referrers in those segments, particularly around the areas of Toorak, South Yarra and Malvern,” he said.
