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Despite talk of an end to the recession, many small and medium-sized enterprises continue to struggle and so are looking at ways to cut costs and save money. Unfortunately, insurance will often be near the top of their list when it comes to looking at ways they can make savings.

To make matters more challenging, price focused direct brands and aggregators have started to gain a foothold in the SME insurance marketplace and this puts greater pressure on the broker relationship. Just as in personal lines, we look to be heading for greater commoditisation in commercial insurance.

As these changes take hold, the challenge will be to direct conversations away from price, and focus instead on new areas of support which their clients will value.

If business owners are trying to cut costs, this may be indicative that they have other issues they are struggling with elsewhere in their business. Small business owners have a range of hats to wear, from managing director to financial controller, health and safety manager and head of human resources. This puts significant strain on them and keeping up to date with the mountain of changing legislation, rules and regulations in just one of these areas is a full-time job in itself.

Providing tools and advice that help your clients in these areas and that take some pressure off them will enable you to develop different types of relationships that can transcend the immediate need to save money.

Employment is a key issue. The Office of National Statistics reports that 2.47 million people were unemployed in the three months to July 2009. This is up by 210,000 on the three months to April 2009 and up by 743,000 on the previous year.

Small businesses need guidance and reassurance when they have to make staff redundant, cut down hours or alter salaries. They need to be sure that they are operating within the law and not opening themselves up to complaints, bad feeling or worse an employment tribunal.

There is a huge opportunity for you to help your clients through your own expertise and via partnerships.

If you can do this it will help your clients deal with individual issues as they arise. Additionally, it will help them get the legal, HR and health and safety expertise they need to keep the business running smoothly now and once the upturn eventually arrives.

The opportunity is there for partners to offer extended products and services that will help your clients, their businesses and deepen the relationships you have with them.