A business loan broker gets clients two ways: directly from owners who have a visible reason to borrow, and indirectly from the accountants, brokers and equipment sellers those owners already trust. Start with referral partners, because one accountant with 80 small clients is worth more than 80 cold emails, then add direct outreach to owners who are buying a building, a competitor or a piece of equipment.

This guide sets out the plan with numbers, what to say in the first message, how to talk about fees, and the mistakes that make borrowers decide you are a lead seller rather than a broker.

Why an owner uses a broker at all

An owner who needs money rarely knows which lender fits. A bank may say no to a young company. An SBA lender may take months. An online lender may be quick and expensive. A broker is useful because they know which door to knock on and how to present the file. That is the only pitch that matters: you save them time and a decline.

For reference, the U.S. Small Business Administration's page on 7(a) loans says the maximum loan amount is $5 million and that SBA does not lend to borrowers directly; participating lenders make the loans. A broker who can explain that sentence in plain English, and tell an owner which of their numbers a lender will look at, already sounds more useful than most of the market.

Referral partners first

People who meet owners before they borrow are your best source. Build a list of 30 of them in your area:

  • Accountants and bookkeepers who prepare financial statements and see cash gaps first.
  • Commercial real estate brokers whose buyers need financing to close.
  • Business brokers selling companies to buyers who need acquisition loans; the business broker guide shows their side.
  • Equipment dealers whose customers want to buy but cannot pay cash.
  • Commercial insurance agents who hear about growth and new locations early.

Your message to a partner offers something concrete: a fast answer for their client and a promise not to touch the rest of the relationship. "If a client of yours asks about financing, send me the one-page summary and I'll tell you within a day which lenders fit and what the file needs." That is a service to the partner, not a request. If you intend to pay referral fees, check the rules in your state and whether the partner's own profession allows receiving them before you offer.

Owners with a funding event

For direct outreach, choose owners whose situation is visible:

  • A recent purchase of a commercial building or a new lease for a larger space.
  • A second or third location opening.
  • A business listed for sale with a buyer likely to need financing.
  • A contractor who just won a large job and needs working capital before the first payment.
  • A company posting for ten roles at once.

Record the owner, the event, and what kind of loan might fit: equipment, working capital, real estate or an acquisition. For help with the phone side, the cold call script for business loans has a version for the same buyer.

Say who pays you before they apply

Money talk is where this business loses trust. Decide how you are paid and say so early and in writing: for example, a fee paid by the borrower at closing, a fee paid by the lender, or both, with the amounts or the percentages. Give the borrower the answer before they hand over bank statements. A broker who is open about the fee sounds like a professional. A broker who is vague sounds like a lead reseller.

Licensing and disclosure rules for commercial financing vary by state and by loan type. SBA loans have their own rule: under 13 CFR 103.5, an agent paid for work on an SBA loan signs a compensation agreement on SBA's form (Form 159, the Fee Disclosure and Compensation Agreement), and SBA can make an agent refund a fee it finds unreasonable. Look up your state's requirements and, if you work on regulated loans, get legal advice before you advertise rates or promise approvals. Never promise approval or a rate in an email. You do not set those; the lender does.

A filled-in message to an owner

Subject: Financing the second Ridgeway Grill location

Hi Tom, I saw Ridgeway Grill has signed a lease for a second location. Buildouts like that usually need a mix of equipment financing and working capital, and the order matters. I'm a business loan broker, and I'll tell you in a day which lenders would likely look at a restaurant with two years of history, and what they will ask for. You'd pay me nothing: my fee is paid by the lender when a loan closes, and it is on page one of my agreement. Want me to send the checklist?

Alicia Brandt, Brandt Commercial Funding, 45 Mill Road, Suite 1, Tampa. Reply "stop" to opt out.

The example shows a fee paid by the lender because that is the arrangement in this made-up case. Use whichever arrangement is true for you. The principle is that the message says who pays and when.

The mistakes

  • Promising a rate or an approval. Do not. Say what lenders look at.
  • Sending a borrower to the wrong lender. A decline on a hard credit pull costs the owner something. Match carefully.
  • Collecting documents before explaining the fee. Trust comes first.
  • Ignoring the partner after a referral. Update the accountant or broker who referred the client on the outcome, always.
  • Working every kind of loan. Pick one or two types, such as equipment finance and acquisition loans, and learn the lenders in them well.

Weekly rhythm and expected results

Spend Monday building 15 names, Tuesday to Thursday sending 10 messages a day and answering replies, and Friday updating partners. Over a quarter: 30 partners contacted, 8 replies, 4 coffee meetings, 2 active referrers. Add 100 direct owners, 10 replies, 4 applications, 2 closings. If a typical closing pays you $5,000, two closings are $10,000 in the quarter and the referrers keep sending files into the next one.

Other advisors who work with the same partners are covered in how to get clients as a mortgage broker and how to get commercial insurance clients.

Rocketship can build the list of accountants, brokers and owners from a plain description, read each company's website before writing, send from your own Gmail and follow up, and a 7-day trial with a card on file lets you see the first list before you pay.