A new financial year is one of the best opportunities to reset and refocus your business.
While EOFY often brings a surge in activity, July provides an opportunity to look ahead. Clients are reviewing budgets, planning investments and setting priorities for the year, making it an ideal time to reconnect, strengthen relationships and build a healthy pipeline for the months ahead.
The actions you take now can shape your pipeline, client relationships and settlement numbers well into FY27.
Here are six practical ways to start the financial year strong.
1. Set Clear Goals for FY27
Before jumping into new opportunities, take time to define what success looks like for your business this year.
Rather than setting a settlement target alone, build a simple plan that outlines how you’ll achieve it. Ask yourself:
- How many new clients do I need?
- How many referral relationships do I want to build?
- Which industries present the greatest opportunity?
- Which lenders should I utilise more effectively?
- What support or resources will help me scale?
Breaking annual goals into quarterly actions creates focus and makes progress easier to measure throughout the year. Growth rarely happens by chance. It’s the result of consistent activity over time.
2. Reconnect With Your Existing Pipeline
Before focusing on new opportunities, revisit the conversations you’ve already started.
Review the deals, enquiries and client conversations from the lead-up to EOFY and identify where there is still potential to progress. Consider:
- What settled, and why?
- What didn’t proceed, and is there still an opportunity?
- Which clients flagged future asset requirements?
- Which referral partners generated the strongest opportunities?
Many purchasing decisions are delayed rather than abandoned, making July an ideal time to reconnect with clients whose priorities may have shifted now that the new financial year is underway.
Having a well-structured CRM makes this process significantly easier. It helps you keep track of conversations, schedule follow-ups and maintain visibility across your pipeline so opportunities don’t fall through the cracks.
For Fintelligence brokers, Ambition Cloud combines deal management and CRM functionality designed specifically for finance professionals, helping brokers stay organised and maintain momentum throughout the year.
3. Move Beyond Transactions and Into Planning Conversations
The highest-performing brokers don’t wait until a client needs finance.
Instead, they become part of their clients’ broader business planning.
The start of a new financial year creates a natural opportunity to ask questions such as:
- What are your business goals this year?
- Are you planning to expand?
- Will you need additional vehicles, equipment or technology?
- Are there contracts or growth opportunities you’re preparing for?
These conversations help uncover funding needs long before they become urgent.
More importantly, they strengthen your relationship with clients and position you as a trusted adviser rather than simply someone who arranges finance.
Having access to a broad lender panel is particularly valuable during these discussions, allowing you to tailor funding solutions to each client’s unique circumstances.
4. Review Your Systems Before Business Picks Up
The beginning of a new financial year is also a great time to review how your business operates.
Consider where friction occurred during EOFY, including:
- Client onboarding
- Document collection
- Application processing
- Client communication
- Compliance requirements
- Pipeline reporting
Small inefficiencies can quickly become larger challenges as volumes increase.
The most scalable broker businesses rely on consistent processes, supported by technology and automation wherever possible. Investing time in improving your systems now can save countless hours later in the year.
5. Invest in Your Own Development
The asset finance industry continues to evolve.
Lender policies change, new products enter the market and technology continues to reshape client expectations.
The brokers who consistently grow are those who continue investing in their own development through activities such as:
- Attending industry conferences
- Participating in lender training
- Completing compliance education
- Learning new technologies
- Building expertise in emerging asset classes
Ongoing professional development improves client outcomes, builds confidence and helps you identify new growth opportunities.
Many aggregators also provide dedicated training programs and education platforms to help brokers strengthen their skills and stay ahead of industry change.
6. Plan Your Networking Calendar Early
One of the biggest drivers of long-term growth is your professional network.
Referral partners, accountants, lenders, business advisers and fellow brokers all play an important role in creating new opportunities.
Rather than waiting for invitations throughout the year, map out the conferences, training sessions, networking events and industry functions you want to attend across FY27.
The strongest networks often provide early access to opportunities, valuable market insights and trusted referral relationships.
At Fintelligence, our annual events calendar includes broker development workshops, networking functions, webinars and our flagship Strive Conference, creating opportunities for brokers to connect, learn and grow throughout the year.
Start FY27 With the Right Foundation
The opportunity for asset finance brokers remains strong.
Businesses continue to invest in equipment, vehicles and growth, while clients increasingly value advisers who can provide strategic guidance alongside finance solutions.
The brokers who consistently succeed combine strong client relationships with efficient systems, ongoing learning and the support of a trusted network.
Whether FY27 becomes your biggest year yet will depend on the foundations you put in place today.
At Fintelligence, we’re committed to helping brokers grow with market-leading technology, ongoing education, a broad lender panel and a connected broker community.
Discover how Fintelligence can support your success in FY27.
