Helping Advisers Build Confidence in High-Volume Years

The next two years will bring one of the most significant opportunities the mortgage advice sector has seen for a long time. With millions of fixed-rate deals set to end across 2025 and 2026, there’s a window to demonstrate real value to clients – but only if mortgage advisers are properly equipped and supported to act.

Why Early Engagement Matters

At Cornerstone, our focus is making sure our network of advisors is ready. That starts with helping them contact clients early.

Don’t Let the Lender Get There First

The challenge is that if an adviser doesn’t reach out in good time, it’s the lender who will – and while that might mean a product transfer, it doesn’t mean the client will get the access to the whole of market. It also doesn’t help the adviser build a long-term relationship with that client.

More Than a Product Switch: Make It a Full Review

Ask More, Learn More, Do More

Our message is simple. Don’t treat these moments as product transfer calls. Treat them as full reviews. Ask more questions. Be curious about the client’s journey since their last mortgage. Their circumstances may have changed dramatically. A full review opens up meaningful conversations about:

• protection
• home improvements
• term changes
• new financial priorities or plans

Planning Ahead with the Right Technology

Visibility That Drives Proactivity

Advisers should prepare well for each conversation. That’s where technology plays its part.

Time Well Spent: Streamlining the Process

One of the key reasons we use Acre as our back-office platform is because it allows our advisers to look ahead with clarity. They can generate reports to see exactly which client calls are coming due, not just in the next month but three, four or even six months ahead.

That level of visibility is crucial, especially in the kind of volume market we’re about to experience. It enables proper planning, timely contact, and space to have conversations that matter.

Technology also plays a major role in enabling that time to be well spent. The platform streamlines the process so advisers aren’t tied up with data entry or trying to manually track client files. In fact, one of the real strengths of the Cornerstone approach is that we combine the technical capability of cutting-edge systems with a human focus – because ultimately, it’s about helping advisors build relationships.

Be Better at the Conversations That Count

Conversational Fact Finding Is a Superpower

That’s why the message we’re sharing with our network is this: be better at conversational fact finding. If I had one wish for this year, it would be that every adviser working with us becomes 50% better at having those meaningful conversations. That’s where the real opportunity lies. When you listen well, when you ask open questions, when you give people time, you build trust. And when you build trust, you turn a customer into a long-term client.

The Adviser Makes It Matter

I’ve seen it happen countless times. An adviser goes into a conversation thinking it’s just about the next mortgage deal, and it turns into a far broader discussion – about life changes, future plans, financial goals, protection needs. The technology makes that call smoother and more secure. But it’s the adviser who makes it matter.

Staying Agile, Staying Compliant

We’re a young and agile network, and that agility allows us to stay ahead of change – including adapting quickly to new regulations like Consumer Duty. We support our advisers with compliance checks in real time, not retrospectively. We offer secure portals that replace old-fashioned email trails. And we build systems that allow advisors to spend less time on admin and more time where it counts – with their clients.

2025 & 2026: Volume Meets Value

The volume of business coming through in 2025 and 2026 is not something to fear. It’s a huge chance to show how good advice, delivered by a well-prepared and well-supported adviser, can make a difference. Our role is to give our advisors the tools and the confidence to have those conversations well – and to keep getting better at it.