1. Expanding digitally

Business transactions are increasingly being completed online, and research shows that by getting digital right, companies can boost their revenue and cut costs1.

With an overview of your clients’ financial performance, and perhaps that of other companies in the region, you’re well placed to help them identify if there’s an opportunity to grow their digital presence.

Whether it’s creating a website, getting on social media or setting up online payments, if developing the business online is the next step for growth, you can point your clients in the direction of Barclays Digital Wings [digital.wings.uk.barclays/growing-your-business/] to help them advance their skillset and gain more confidence.

(1) Source: http://startups.co.uk/start-ups-have-digital-potential-to-boost-economy-by-56bn/

2. Expanding overseas

Exporting is a key consideration for many of the UK’s smaller businesses as they look towards international markets to grow sales.

But for businesses that are just beginning to export, fears over the complexity of international trading can be a barrier. This is a great opportunity for a finance professional to help allay their fears by pointing them to reliable sources of guidance.

Our 10 tips on becoming an exporter [barclays.co.uk/startupsupport /10-tips-for-exporting] can provide a good start, while UK Trade & Investment [gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-trade-investment] also has a useful hub of information about exporting.

3. Understanding the market

One area where time-pressed business owners can often use a hand is in learning more about the wider market they are operating in – or are planning to expand to.

You can help by steering them towards Barclays Local Insights [insights.barclays.co.uk/] .

Here they can get a localised overview of consumer spending trends and business performance, deepening market understanding and potentially helping to guide business decisions too.

4. Growing a network

Networking is important for most successful small business owners.

You may hold a wealth of important business contacts for your clients, as well as an awareness of local events that could suit their business.

Using this knowledge can help connect your clients to a much wider circle. Not only could they benefit from establishing relationships with more of their peers, they could also raise their profile among the local business community and put themselves in a strong position to take advantage of any opportunities that may arise.

5. Raising finances

Business owners are often looking for ways to move their business forward.

You’ll probably already know the current objectives the business has, but discussing your clients’ future ambitions with them can help you to determine the most appropriate options for them to raise any capital they may need.

You can help your clients consider what the right direction may be by looking at the available borrowing options [barclays.co.uk/business-banking/borrow] with them to define which might be the most appropriate.

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This article is proprietary to Barclays Bank PLC. Every attempt has been made to try to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate at the time of publication. However, any articles written by any third party are the views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Barclays Bank PLC group (‘Barclays') nor should they be taken as statements of policy or intent of Barclays. Barclays takes no responsibility for the veracity of information contained in any third party articles and no warranties or undertakings of any kind, whether express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information is given. Barclays accepts no liability for the impact of, or any loss, however arising, from, any decisions made based on information contained and views expressed by any third parties or in their articles.

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