Aussie Home Loans boss John Symond followed an American model when he set up his sales force at Aussie's inception almost seven years ago. ``The Americans have been contracting consultants in the mobile lending industry for more than 30 years,'' he says.

Aussie Home Loans' current sales force stands at 350, with plans to expand to 500 nationally within the next three months. ``Every consultant has their own registered business and we contract their services,'' says Symond. ``We pay their companies and they meet their own wages, leases and expenses.''Aussie's people, mainly ex-bankers and senior finance executives, are paid a set fee for every loan conversion, along with various incentives and bonuses as specific targets are met.

``Because we do about 20,000 home visits a month, most at very odd hours, we need to give our consultants as much freedom aswe can,'' says Symond. ``Working for Aussie can become a family affair, with partners often helping customers in their inquiries, confirming appointments and so on.''

Does Symond think he has set a precedent? ``We certainly think we have in the mobile lending market, and it seems as though other industries are following suit,'' he says. ``The concept allows people to tailor their own packages. Being paid on performance keeps our consultants working at their peak.''

It's also a popular practice in construction; tradespeople start their own businesses and sub-contract their skills. Classic Home Improvements, a building company, is a prime example.

``We negotiate a set fee with our subbies to carry out each stage of a project,'' says director Ian Cubitt. ``For us, it doesn't matter if they take a day or a week to do the work -- the onus is on them to work as hard as they can and move on to the next job. That way we can budget the exact cost when we quote and not be caught by overruns.''