Before continuing, read the first and second installments in the ‘How to Prospa’ series, which look at how to expand your client base by understanding the sentiment of your small business clients, and how to connect those clients with the funding solutions that suit their circumstances. 

In this series designed for brokers looking to grow their business, we’ve established there is potential in providing financial support to small businesses and being able to offer fast solutions tailored specifically for this market can help you diversify your income. 

This final installment looks at how to attract prospective clients and expand your business alongside theirs via a referral network. 

Make yourself visible 

There are some easy steps you can take to spread the word about your business: 

  • Build your online presence. Before announcing your range of solutions, update all your outward-facing communication platforms: social media, website, and any other profiles you may have in groups or associations of which you are a member. 
  • Make regular posts. Consider revisiting your LinkedIn profile to create a post introducing your new services, using appropriate hashtags. Remember to post regularly, either with your own content to demonstrate your expertise, or sharing content that is useful to the people you would like to become your clients. 
  • Engage with people online. Facebook can also be used to build awareness: look for local community and business group pages where you are allowed to promote your business. Engage in online conversations when the opportunity arises to share your knowledge and solutions. 
  • Remember SEO. Make sure all your social media leads back to your website, which includes some way to capture that interest. Consider hiring an SEO specialist to run an eye over your website to make sure it appears in searches for your specialties – knowing the exact terms people search for can make a huge difference to your visibility. 
  • Remember the personal touch. Don’t forget to come out from behind your computer and meet people in person. Local business groups, chambers of commerce, and even co-working spaces can be great places to start creating a network of allied professionals. 

Also make a list of the professions where you think you would complement their services, such as accountants, financial advisers, and business consultants. Go in with an attitude of being able to help, not simply to sell something, and start creating mutual referral networks. 

Tip: Be patient, as it can take time to work out where your offering fits best.

Start with who you know 

You may have already met the future of your business without knowing it. 

Review your database to identify small business owners. Don’t forget to include the partners of people for whom you have already helped secure finance and prospects who didn’t quite get to the conversation stage.   

Update your CRM accordingly, and make sure they are open to being contacted for marketing purposes. Then prepare an email, showing that you understand their potential pain points and that you have a new range of solutions that might work for them, and a quick overview of what the next steps are for you to be able to help them. 

It may also be worth asking for referrals. Your clients may be happy to recommend you to friends or business contacts. 

Tip: When a new client does contact you from a referral, consider thanking the person who referred them with a simple thank you email or small gift. 

Nurturing new clients 

Before you start receiving contact details of new clients, whether from referrals or your own marketing efforts, take the time to set up your CRM system so you can work out where best to direct your efforts.  

Being able to track the type of emails that are most commonly opened, and the action taken as a result can help you fine-tune your outreach. 

On the backend, rank prospects by their behaviour: did they open your email, visit your website, or interact with you on social media? Prioritise the clients who seem most interested and direct your attention towards them perhaps with a personal email or quick phone call to ask qualifying questions that can help you to know whether you can meet their needs.   

Maintaining your network 

In addition to thanking people for referrals, don’t forget to recommend your referral partners. Over time, you may be able to pinpoint where in your network the bulk of your referrals originate from and focus on building those relationships.  

Tip: A few strong partnerships can be just as fruitful, if not more, than a wider but shallower base, especially when you are just starting out as a small business broker.  

It’s easier than you think 

Prospa offers an array of white-label marketing content to Partners, including everything from emails and newsletters to brochures and social media content.  

These materials don’t just talk product – they also speak to relevant topics in the small business space. Our marketing team has written all the content, which is ready for Partners to use – so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.