The bank, privileged partner of our SMEs?
Since the Swiss National Bank abandoned the Euro/Franc floor rate, SMEs and banks have never found so many good reasons to collaborate. One naturally thinks of a financial relationship, but what we wish to argue here is that this mode of collaboration, while essential, is far from sufficient: other forms of collaboration exist, sometimes unsuspected. The bank of tomorrow must therefore be perceived by SMEs as a provider of versatile and innovative services — "much more than just a bank", as an advertisement might say.
The bank as financial partner of SMEs
An entrepreneur starting out, or a start-up, will both go to their banker to obtain financing. It is the most common service, and yet it remains the most difficult to obtain. Even if it seems unfair from the borrower's perspective, one can understand that it is difficult for an agent to bet on a company that has a 50% chance of failing.
That said, while one cannot expect a bank to do the same job as a Business Angel or a public development support structure, this does not preclude it from engaging in other modes of financing with more mature companies where the risk is lower. Some banks do not hesitate to grant credit lines to SMEs that need them, generally unlocked after the submission of files and supporting documents such as quotes and orders. This type of service brings us back to the banker's core trade. Other services are more unexpected.
The bank as a networking platform
Just as social media plays an increasingly fundamental role in organising the labour market, banks too can act as relational platforms in the service of experience sharing. Much as LinkedIn or Xing connect companies and potential employees, the banker can also play this intermediary role.
Subject to banking secrecy, the banker is bound to full discretion, but nothing prevents them from organising events around generic and unifying topics to bring clients together. Whether conferences, training sessions, symposia, or even vernissages, a bank can find numerous event formats that become as many occasions and pretexts for generating professional encounters. These are invariably fruitful, as they create new business opportunities. The interest is therefore mutual, since all parties benefit from the synergy. It goes without saying that a bank has every reason to support the entrepreneurial dynamism of its clients. It should be noted that to successfully attract SMEs, organisers must prioritise entrepreneurial topics over large international issues, which are too removed from the concerns of the target audience.
Establishing a privileged and close relationship
In the comedy Radin, comedian Dany Boon calls his banker for the slightest reason, confiding his secrets — to the point where the relationship resembles that of a psychoanalyst and their patient. Every caricature contains a kernel of truth, and every company should be able to have a privileged relationship with its bank. In concrete terms, this means the banker, being aware of all ongoing business affairs, should not hesitate to offer constructive criticism to their client. The client in turn benefits greatly from this feedback to progress. Conversely, the company must be able to confide freely so that the banker can identify its needs as closely as possible and, where necessary, help it course-correct. A bank cannot be content with financial reports alone — it needs field feedback to refine its service offering. A relationship of trust between banker and entrepreneur is therefore essential for productive exchanges. It naturally follows that every change of contact person undermines this privileged rapport.
In conclusion, the bank is a living organism that can continuously innovate in its service design. This is precisely why it should feel as comfortable with small SMEs as with large groups — all the more so since creativity in terms of client relationship initiatives can be inversely proportional to the size of the company: the smaller it is, the more the bank can take initiatives to foster innovation and move forward. All the more reason to get even closer to SMEs and not overlook start-ups.
