A Guide for Business Owners
To help small businesses in your market locate the expertise they need, publish a small business resource directory. Focus on local and regional public- and private-sector organizations that provide financial, technical and marketing assistance for small businesses. Include information on types of credit available to small business, a brief discussion on which are best for particular situations, and tips for obtaining credit. Consider offering the directory via direct mail.
Drive in More Business
Make banking more convenient for your business customers by designating one lane of your drive-through for business deposits. Promote the new drive-in service with self-mailers to your commercial customers and local retailers. Outdoor banners and in-lobby signage would help spread the news.
Bye-Bye Petty Cash
Debit cards can be good for business -- small businesses, that is. A debit card tied to a business checking account can save small businesses from having to write so many checks for day-to-day expenses like supplies, travel and entertainment. It also gives you another important service tie to your business customers.
Gather 'Round
Form a President's Roundtable and invite key business clients to join the institution president and other senior officers for a quarterly breakfast seminar. Bring in an expert on employee relations, management, marketing, or other topic of general interest to give a short presentation followed by a discussion period. Ask business clients what they would like to know more about before developing your slate of seminars. To provide more networking opportunities, hold after-hours mixers for specific groups, such as retailers, manufacturers, or women business owners.
Retirement Made Easy
Strengthen your relationship with small business owners by offering a seminar on how to structure employee retirement plans. Gather a panel of experts to discuss the do's and don'ts in designing secure and profitable plans. Appeal to women business owners by ensuring that at least one of the seminar leaders is a woman. Market the seminar with stuffers in business account statements, news releases, and limited advertising.
Provide Unexpected Value
Want to do more to ensure the financial well-being of small business customers? Then it's time to think outside the box. Today's small businesses have myriad financial needs beyond checking, credit and cash management, needs you can fill with a well-designed small business program. The most successful small business programs provide customers with more than banking services, they offer business owners the kind of money-saving advantages once reserved for big companies, such as discounts on office supplies, business services and travel . . . competitive pricing for equipment or employee leasing services . . . and insurance products tailored just for them. .