The services of a specialist and independent commercial finance broker can be invaluable to any business in securing the most appropriate funding facility or range of facilities to support its evolving cash flow requirements.
Here, we explore some of the benefits of using a broker, and how Hilton-Baird Financial Solutions can add significant value in your search for the right funding.
All businesses are different and have unique funding requirements. What’s right for one company may not be best for another – even when their challenges or requirements seem similar.
Hilton-Baird has knowledge and understanding of sector-specific aspects and will take the time to fully understand your business and its funding needs in order to identify the most suitable facilities. We will evaluate what is important to you with regards to a range of factors, such as funding levels, service requirements and the desired type of relationship, to draw up a shortlist of potential solutions and providers.
In addition to identifying the solutions which fit your current need, Hilton-Baird will explore your business’s wider and longer-term requirements to ensure the options made available to you for your consideration are as future-proof as possible.
If you are looking for funding to fulfil a specific requirement, such as to improve cash flow, buy plant and machinery or to purchase a property, it’s always worth exploring the various mechanisms that can provide you with the optimum funding. Hilton-Baird’s wide industry knowledge means we can highlight suitable facilities which you might not have considered, or initially dismissed.
For some businesses, it may be that a combination of complementary funding solutions will work best. Hilton-Baird can quickly identify which solutions would meet the needs of your business and work harmoniously with you to maximise cash flow.
A range of elements will need to be considered in the search for the right funding facility for a business. In addition to the most important – funding levels – key influencers such as the level of service you expect, the funder’s experience in your particular sector and the value of such facilities are always important.
With a multitude of options available, and lenders often using different terminology and varying how they structure and price their facilities, it can be challenging for businesses to identify the right solution.
In our role as a broker, Hilton-Baird’s knowledge of the lenders on the market, their lending criteria and their ethos allows us to introduce you to the best suited funders who share your culture, understand your sector, appreciate your needs and are able to tailor the right facility.
The range of funding products and solutions available to businesses of all sizes is vast and continuously evolving.
Given the mix of new, innovative providers with more traditional, established lenders, all offering a wide array of funding products, it can prove a time-consuming process to research and review the pros and cons of each one.
Hilton-Baird’s insight and knowledge as an experienced and award-winning broker will save valuable time and resource, as we are able to identify which funding options and providers would be the best fit for your business’s requirements and have access to key decision makers. Supporting you through the whole process, Hilton-Baird allows your key focus to remain your day-to-day business activities.
Another benefit of using a commercial finance broker is that they are often able to secure preferential rates with funders for their clients.
Benefiting from the ideal facility could potentially save you money – especially compared to an ill-suited one – and increase opportunities for your business. It can also add significant value and allow you to focus on your strategy for the business.
Commercial finance brokers typically work on a success-fee basis, by way of commission from the funder should you choose to progress, whilst others will take a one-off fee from the client.
At Hilton-Baird, we like to offer our clients the choice, though are usually remunerated by way of success-based commission from the funder you choose. We operate standardised commissions with the funders on our panel, so our introductions are entirely based on suitability for our clients.
Whilst a finance broker’s key focus is on finding the right solution for its clients, it doesn’t mean that the support finishes when you commence a new funding facility.
At Hilton-Baird, we believe the longevity of the relationship between our clients and their funders is immensely important, so we keep in touch to ensure the facility is running smoothly and as expected. If there are any issues, our Client Support Manager provides an invaluable service in assisting with communications between our clients and their funders.
There will be occasions where the funding facility you have in place no longer fits your evolving requirements and, as an independent broker, Hilton-Baird will offer support and insight in various ways. This can include time and help in providing you with updated potential facilities and providers in order to enable you to benchmark your existing facility and consider if an additional or new facility may be an appropriate solution.
Not all commercial finance brokers are independent, but independence is key to ensuring you receive support that is purely based on your business’s needs.
Hilton-Baird’s independence enables us to work with you to objectively assess the best options available to your business needs, and we work hard to ensure we have a diverse panel of lenders in order to secure the most suitable solutions for our clients.
Seeing how a finance broker has assisted other businesses via testimonials, success stories and social media can be insightful and provide reassurance when searching for funding.
Likewise, by using the services of a broker who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, you can be sure that they operate to the highest standards as they are subject to codes of conduct and disciplinary procedures. Other things to look out for is whether they are affiliated or associated with other leading industrial bodies that are relevant to their field of expertise, for example UK Finance and the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA).
As the UK’s leading independent commercial finance broker with specialist expertise of the invoice finance market, Hilton-Baird Financial Solutions has a proven track record at providing options and solutions to a wide range of funding requirements.
Our dedication to our clients means we invest significant time into ensuring we remain abreast of underwriting appetites, in order that we can accelerate the process for you, save you precious time and help you reach your goals.
So, if your business could benefit from accessing funding that is optimal for your business, or you would simply like to explore or benchmark your existing facilities, we’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact our team on 0800 9774833, or request a call back.
Since Hilton-Baird aided me in the search for a solution to successfully improve my cash flow, everything has been going very well. My business continues to grow and I now have the cash to ensure that growth is suitably funded.
Mike Renville, Director, Renvilles Law Costs Draftsmen & Consultants Ltd
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA number 730445)
We are a credit broker and not a lender and offer credit facilities from a panel of lenders
