Here are five ideas that you can use to help your customers grow their business.

1) Sponsor a series of business seminars
All business owners face the same set of challenges. Why not sponsor a breakfast or lunch seminar series that addresses the areas of marketing, sales, employee motivation, e-commerce and human resources? With this type of venue you have several opportunities. First, you can invite prospects and open it up to the public to attract new customers. Secondly, you can send your customers a special invitation to attend. Every attendee will benefit from the knowledge shared and each should be able to apply it to his or her business.

Encourage your customers to become involved in this series by asking them to sponsor one of the seminars in exchange for advertising their business at the beginning of the program and introducing the speaker. Sponsorship might also include a special display table in the room.

It's important to charge a nominal admission fee to cover your costs. People actually place a higher value on a program when there is a charge. (They are also more committed to showing up when they have paid money to attend.) And you can always find local consultants who will welcome the opportunity to share their expertise in public since this is a great marketing opportunity for them.

2) Increase the networking opportunities for your customers
Business owners conduct most of their business through networking and word-of-mouth. Because meeting other professionals in their fields -- or in related fields -- is a way of acquiring new customers, business owners tend to be heavy networkers and typically like to get out of their work environment to network. There are a myriad of possible activities you could sponsor and coordinate to get your customers together and allow them the opportunity to meet.

For example, you could host a series of roundtable breakfasts. This should be an intimate group of 10-12 customers who share some of the same demographics. Perhaps the size of the company each of them owns is similar. Use these breakfasts as a forum for people to meet each other and discuss challenges they face as business owners -- it's an ideal venue for your customers to solve problems and get support from their peers, other business owners faced with similar challenges and obstacles.

You could also plan an after-hours networking function at your bank. This is a great way to allow your customers to meet with other members of your bank, i.e. the branch manager, loan specialists and other personal bankers. At the same time, it gives your customers a chance to socialize with each other. Be sure to have a table in the room that allows them to display their marketing materials and business cards.

A third networking activity is a fundraiser event such as a golf tournament. Ask your customers to participate and then host a closing-ceremony luncheon or dinner. It's just one more way for your customers to meet each other in a smaller venue where they have more of an opportunity to develop business relationships with each other.

3) Review your customer's business plan on an annual basis
Your customer needs to show you his or her business plan if the company is planning on taking out a business loan or applying for a line of credit. Typically, once the company gets its loan, many business owners do not continue to revise their business plans on a regular basis. Your customer will welcome your feedback and guidance on how to make his or her business plan more effective and your feedback in an annual review will help keep the company on track with the owner's sales goals.

4) Take your customer to lunch on a semi-annual basis
The purpose of this luncheon is to find out how you can better meet the needs of your customer. Ask the customer if he or she has experienced any challenges in using any of your products and services. Find out how he feels about your customer service; ask her if she has a need for any additional products or services you offer. In many cases, your customers won't know about all the products and services you offer unless you make an effort to tell them what you have. In some cases, a customer might even bring up a product or service that is offered by your competition but not by you. This is your opportunity to keep a pulse on the marketplace so you can expand your product and service lines. The information customers share with you will help you to identify where and how they might be able to use your products or services to increase the profitability of their business -- and, ultimately, your own.

5) Become your customer's advocate
Your best referral sources are your advocates. When you develop strong relationships with your customers, they will inevitably refer business in your direction. This works both ways. Your customers might be potential customers of each other as well. When you are serving one of your customers, keep in mind all of your other customers who might also do business with this customer -- either as a customer or a supplier.

In developing a strong relationship with your customers, sales become a two-way street. You have the opportunity to help your customers increase their sales and, inevitably, they have a reason to do more business with your bank. The process comes full circle and turns into a win-win situation for everybody.

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