PRESS RELEASE 8/8/13  WHY BUCKINGHAMSHIRE BUSINESSES USE A VIRTUAL FD

"At the end of the day, banks are a bit like Bumble the Beadle - that character in Oliver Twist," says finance expert Graham Hall. "They don't like you asking for more."

Graham does, however, speak their language. And that's how he gets results. "You've got to know how to do it, speak to the right people at the right time in the right way. Once I have an understanding of your business and its needs, that's what I'll be able to do for you."

Graham has spent a lifetime in banking and his insider knowledge is now being put to use on the other side of the fence. Working with a range of companies from start-ups to large companies, he identifies cash flow issues, puts together proposals and negotiates for clients in different banking sectors.

Graham is the virtual FD you've always needed - but have never been able to find.

"It's imperative to structure your banking these days to make the most of every pound," he says. "Companies are often focussed on their core business, keeping the wheels in motion, yet the practicality of their finances; who they are with, why and for how long; are often overlooked."

Using his knowledge and a bank-wide contacts book that is second to none, Graham is able to forensically dissect accounts, growth predictions and seamlessly match financing accordingly.

"Many companies make the mistake of retaining their holdings with one bank for example, when they maybe better served by retaining certain pieces and going elsewhere for other parts of their banking needs. I am, in effect, a gamekeeper turned poacher - I know what the banks will be looking for."

Along with you, or if appropriate, alone, Graham will talk to financial institutions on your behalf and negotiate complex and beneficial terms and lending that companies wouldn't ordinarily be likely to find and access.

"I'm also less likely to be fobbed off," he explains, "as I know what the criteria are and how to properly address situations."

A sought-after speaker and business recovery expert too, Graham has been known to take seemingly hopeless cases and breathe life back into them.

"As an outsider, it's easier to take the emotion out of situations and handle the facts," he says. "When things start to go drastically wrong, a calm head is needed to take control of the situation and set parameters to limit the ongoing damage. And banks don't help sometimes when the panic sets in."

By stepping in and negotiating new terms - using precedents set by former cases and his own experience - Graham can renegotiate preferential terms which may just be the difference between survival and disaster.

"There are always options, always things you can do, always better ways to handle these. Not everyone in business is cut out to deal with the details of financial planning and management when almost the entirety of their focus has been spent on building the business, maintaining the business, keeping things ticking over on a day to day basis. These crucial times are exactly when you need to invest in expert help rather than clutching at straws and trying to do everything yourself.

"You need to work with banks, rather than against them, make them feel comfortable with what you are trying to do and give them information rather than keeping them at arm's length. In the same breath, you do need to be strong enough to say no, or to put alternative suggestions to them. It is not a one-way dialogue, as so many people experience."

"The bank manager is not always the devil - it's possible, with the right approach, and the right advice, to turn him into something a lot more loveable - despite what the papers might say!"

Graham is available for one to one coaching and can advise you on business growth, commercial negotiation and mediation and act as a mentor or a Non Executive Director.

Hall of Finance seek to reduce business stress through proactive involvement and oversight of financial strategy. By appointing Hall of Finance to work with you and your existing directors/ advisers  on a weekly or monthly, quaisi  or formal Non Executive Director  basis, we  help you ‘get ahead of the curve' .

For your free initial consultation with Graham Hall, Chief Managing Consultant of Hall of Finance, call 07889 780170 or email graham@halloffinance.co.uk

www.halloffinance.co.uk

ENDS

Picture shows:

Graham Hall (CMC - Chief Management Consultant) Hall of Finance