If this looks a daunting list and you feel that you will be bombarded with bank theory and never cope with it, you will find that you only need some of the modules and not others.
You will also be pleased to know that information has been kept to a minimum need to know basis and is entirely practical and to the point. The modules are easy to read and those parts that you want to remember are simple to highlight. We also like to think that you will be pleasantly surprised that banking is not such a dry subject after all and that you feel excited and empowered by the possibilities raised by our advice.
We have endeavoured to write this advice on the “golden nugget” principle – the advice is small in quantity but is all of high value.
Once you have checked out the module contents and decided what you need, have a look at our packages to see if there is one that meets your requirements. Packages work out at a discount of around 33%.
which
will feedback more users’ experiences and current market target
tariffs as these improve with increased market knowledge and
effective negotiations nationwide by other small businesses just
like you.
| Module |
Name (Click on heading to view module page and buy) |
|
1
|
Introduction
|
|
|
This is a free introductory module which is provided with all the banking modules and packages to give you some background on how they came about and how best to use them, plus a guide on how to evaluate the worth of your banking package prior to negotiating a better deal with your bank.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
2
|
Banking
Relationship
|
|
|
This
is an essential module which features in all of our advice
packages.
The
purpose of this module is to help you develop a strong and
mutually respectful relationship with your bank.
Your
banking relationship is fundamental to the success of your
business and knowing how it works and being able to nurture and
control it is essential.
This
module will help you get the best service levels and also
introduce you to the duplicity of bank manager “speak” and how
to interpret it to your benefit.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
3
|
Banking
Marketplace and Bank Negotiations
|
|
|
If
you are new to business banking or new to UK business banking,
this module will help you understand the players and the basic
mechanisms.
Even
if you are an experienced businessman / businesswoman you may not be confident in
your knowledge of the banking market and the negotiation ploys of
bankers and how to counter them.
Banking
negotiations are an art, not a science, and therefore skills need
to be developed and knowledge gained. This module provides
essential confidence and provides a sound basis and methodology
for a successful bank negotiation.
This
module is included in all our advice packages.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
4
|
Borrowings,
facilities, security, interest rates and charges
|
|
|
As
the title implies this module covers all aspects of borrowing from
type of borrowing and its source to the terms of borrowing
,interest rates and charges and also security. It deals with all the
fundamental issues of borrowing and explores the potential
sources and when and if you should use them.
It
tells you what rates you should be paying and how to counter rate
increases that your bank is trying to apply as well as how to
reduce current rates that are high and uncompetitive.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
5
|
Problems
operating within your facilities, facility excesses and charges
|
|
|
This
module covers many different borrowing issues that may be causing
problems and looks at the consequences and how to avoid them. It
covers problems operating within your facilities, facility
excesses and charges.
It
is laid out as a series of questions (you may be asking) with
answers. The questions escalate in degree as problems get more
serious and need more corrective action.
We
recommend that this module is read and used in conjunction with
module 4, so you are clear how you ought to be running a borrowing
facility and what the bank is looking for from a well run
business with borrowing facilities operating as they should be.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
6
|
Invoice
Discounting and Factoring
|
|
|
Many
banks are telling businesses that they cannot have overdraft
facilities and must either factor or invoice discount to receive
funding for working capital – stock and accounts receivable.
Invoice
discounting and factoring have always been a law unto themselves
and it is important that you understand the differences from
normal bank borrowing.
This
module covers whether this form of finance is right for you, the
pro and cons of using it, as well as all the different charges and
the levels at which they ought to be set to be competitive.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
7
|
Making Credit
Balances Work Hard
|
|
|
Most
businesses have credit balances sitting on their current account
at some time and want these to earn as much as possible. Banks do
not make this easy. This module will tell you what the banks can do to
make earning the best rates of interest straightforward and
automatic as well as how to shop around and make safe but
rewarding deposits at other banks.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
8
|
Client accounts,
Practice Accounts and volume CHAPS
|
|
|
This
module is aimed at Solicitors and other professional practices
that hold client funds. It deals with the practice’s own credit
funds as well as undesignated and designated client funds and the
various ways these can be controlled and returns optimised to the
benefit of practices in a manner approved by relevant governing
bodies. It deals specifically with achieving the best market
rates.
For
Solicitors it also looks at the volume CHAPS market and pricing
and what they should be paying.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
9
|
Offset
Arrangements, Pros and Cons, Savings and Charges
|
|
|
Many
businesses have credit funds as well as borrowings or loans. This
module explores the use of credit funds for offsetting borrowings
and the terms on which this can be achieved. It also takes a hard
look at the benefits that can be achieved to ensure they are both
real and sustainable – often they are not.
The
module also looks at the use of credit funds to achieve free
banking and whether this is actually beneficial to you or not.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
10
|
UK Domestic
Transaction Charges
|
|
|
This
module deals with every day charges for transactions within the
UK. It goes through all the different charging methods, explores
“free” banking, details the standard tariffs of all the main banks and sets out the tariffs that businesses should be looking to
achieve and why. It also helps you work out if you have been
overcharged in the past and what to do about it.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
11
|
Electronic
Banking – charges and transaction charges
|
|
|
Most
business banks tend to have a free internet banking service and a
more fully functioned version that has to be paid for (usually!).
This module tells you about them all and what is on offer. It
also covers the payment facilities available with each package and
the prices you should be paying for service and transactions
alike.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
12
|
International
transaction charges
|
|
|
Traditionally
international trade has been a lucrative area for banks. This
module mainly deals with international payments by electronic
funds transfer or by cheque. It touches on other methods of
international trade payments and when you should use them. As
with all our modules it looks at the prices you should be paying
for cross border payments and receipts, as well as new developments
in the cross border and Euro markets where “cross border” is
slowly becoming “domestic”.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
13
|
Foreign exchange
|
|
|
This
module deals with the practical aspects and costs of foreign
exchange, buying and selling spot and forward and the different
tools available to limit currency exchange risk and exposure. It
also looks at whether you should use your own bank or a specialist
for foreign exchange.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
14
|
Credit and Debit
card Merchant charges
|
|
|
Increasingly
becoming the mainstay of the retail market, credit and debit cards
and the recently arrived business and commercial cards still have
an element of take it or leave it pricing. This module will help
you get inside this pricing and the underlying Interchange fees
that rule it so that you can use market information and
competitive pressure to achieve the most competitive rates for
your business.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
15
|
Interest
Calculation errors, charging errors and refunds
|
|
|
In
the past there have been software products on the market that helped
you check your bank interest to make sure that you were being
correctly charged but they faded from use because businesses
lacked knowledge and confidence in their proper use.
This
module will help you assess whether you have a problem and how to
deal with it. It will also advise you on how banks react to you
challenging them and making a claim as well as the additional
interest you can claim to cover the time between the error and
repayment. The module also looks at charges and sources of
reclaimable overcharges as opposed to paying higher charges than
necessary which are often not reclaimable. It also goes through
the sources of help available on-line and from companies
specialising in making such reclaims.
More Details
Back to Top
|
|
16
|
Business Start
Up
|
|
|
Essential tips for
you if you are just about to start a business and need to open
your first business bank account.
More Details
Back to Top
|
