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A survey conducted by Australian business credit provider, Shift, has found that commercial brokers are homed in on building long-term relationships while growing their client base as we venture into 2025.
The survey collected responses from over 200 commercial brokers in October, with Shift also hosting a series of roundtables to discuss the various opportunities and challenges for brokers and their clients as they gear up for the new year.
According to Shift, an overwhelming 98 per cent of brokers ranked maintaining client relationships as the most important focus in 2025. This was followed by finding new clients and growing referral partner relationships.
Additionally, respondents told the lender that businesses are seeking certainty and stability over the next 12 months, something that brokers can be instrumental in providing.
Shift sales director Kristian McCausland said that retention was also a crucial point of focus over 2024, which shows that brokers are taking “an increasingly strategic approach to their client management”.
“Relationships have been front-and-centre this year, and with challenging economic conditions this is set to continue in 2025,” McCausland said.
“Brokers have told us that now is the time to check in with their clients to more deeply understand their businesses and set them up with capital to access when the time is right.
“This aligns with our long-held view that it is crucial to take a whole-of-business approach rather than simply focusing on an immediate capital need, especially with many businesses still feeling cautious about their operating environment.”
Partner at Winquote SME Finance, Abhishek Maharaj, echoed the business-first approach: “The here-and-now opportunity or business challenge is why new clients are talking to you, but it shouldn’t be the broker’s sole focus.
“Understanding the client’s long-term goals and hurdles and helping them navigate access to capital to maximise opportunities down the track will make all the difference over the next year.”
The importance of client relationships was highlighted in a recent episode of Broker Daily’s Business Accelerator podcast, as discussed by hosts Alex Whitlock and Jason Back.
Back said: “The discussion is around the trusted adviser and the evolution of what our advisory industry is being seen as. Rather than a transactor, they are seen as a source of truth and as a confidant to people’s financial wealth and future.
“[It’s about] supporting your client and not necessarily about executing, but being the person that they come to, to either get the referral to someone, a specialist in another field that might be able to execute.
“If they’re going straight to these other professionals, if they’re not seeing you as the person that’s the centre of their wealth creation universe around things like debt, then they’re going to go somewhere else and the competition’s heating up.”
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