There’s no doubt about it: drumming up capital in the current economic climate can be very difficult, but there are some steps you can take to make yourself more attractive to lenders.

This was the word from several speakers at the 2009 Southeast Louisiana Small Business Conference, who offered small businesses a variety of tips that they can literally take to the bank. Among them:

“Most of the time when we think about banks we think about opening a checking account or getting a loan,” Turner said. “One thing we’ve found is that there are a host of other things small businesses need to do to be successful.”

That includes establishing a payroll system with direct deposit and becoming equipped to handle credit card transactions, Turner said. Many banks offer such services to businesses for a fee. Turner said establishing relationships with a banker through those means over a few years will better position a small business when it is ready to request a loan.

Read the entire article for a number of other tips for small businesses looking for financing help.