Regardless of the state of the economy, all entrepreneurs, either new at their trade or old hats in business, when seeking financing, tend to get caught up in haggling over the lowest possible interest rate that they can achieve.Who can blame them? Cost savings – especially while we are still experiencing recession like economic symptoms – may be the key to their business’s survival and their personal financial future.But, sometimes, merely basing a financing decision on just its cost (its interest rate in this case) alone can be even more detrimental. All business decisions should be taken in the whole – with both benefits and costs consider simultaneously – especially with business loans.Let me explain: In today’s market, any offer of a business loan – regardless of its costs – should not be taken lightly given the fact that these business transactions are hard to come by. Thinking that this interest rate is too high and that a better one will come along tomorrow may just be destructive thinking as nothing may come along tomorrow – especially in this continued sluggish economy and all lenders being overly cautious.Further, if the business owner’s decision hinges so much on the rate of the loan, then maybe a business loan is not something the business truly needs at this time or may be a decision that just spirals the business further along an unhealthy path.Example: Let’s take a simple but common business loan situation. A $100,000 loan for 5 years with monthly payments at 8% interest. This loan would require monthly payments of $2,028 for the next 60 months. Now, let’s say the interest rate was 12% instead of 8%. This would result in a monthly payment of $2,225 – nearly $200 per month higher. A significant increase – nearly 10% higher with the larger interest rate.This is what most business owners, when seeking outside capital tend to get caught up in – the lower rate means more savings for the business and thus a better decision.But, what happens if the current lender will not lower the rate from 12% to 8%? Or, if another, lower rate loan / lender does not come along? Is it still a good business decision?Looking at the cost of the loan or the interest rate is purely one sided and could potential affect the long-term viability of your business – the benefits of the loan also have to be weighed in.Let’s say that the business can take that $100,000 loan and use it to generate an additional $5,000 in new, monthly business income. Does it really matter the interest rate at this point as the nearly $200 difference in the rate is really trivial (especially over the 60 months period) compared to possibly declining the higher rate loan and getting nothing in return (losing out on the $5,000 in new revenue per month).Or, what if the business would only be able to generate $1,000 in new, extra income from the $100,000 loans? Then no matter what the interest rate (8%, 12% 50% or higher), the business should not even be considering a loan in this situation.Why do I bring this up? Simply because I have seen business after business either lose out on their future potential or fatally harm their organization over a mere one or two percent increase in a business loan rate. We are just conditioned to think that if we do not get the rate we feel we deserve – then the deal is bad for us. That can not be further from the truth. Know that these conditioning instincts we tend to have are more from the fact that competitors (those other lenders seeking our business) tell us we can do better or that we deserve better – but in end only finding out that those ploys never really work to our benefit.The lesson here is that all business decisions are more complex then we may initially think or been lead to believe. We are taught from very early in life to negotiate for the lowest costs – like zero interest car loans or buy now with “the lowest mortgage rates in decades” – either case, one would not buy a car or a house (regardless of the interest rate) if there was not a great need – a need that provides more in benefits then its costs.The same should be done with business loans. Loans are merely an asset to a business and should be treated as such. Business loan assets should be used to generate more in revenue than they cost – the more the better. If they are not being used (like any other business asset) to generate the greatest benefit that they can generate, then they should be pulled from whatever use they are currently being employed in and put into use that will generate the greater benefit. It is simply a law of business.Thus, merely focusing on only one side of a business decision – the interest rate for a business loan decision – can have an unforeseen, adverse affect on the business – creating more harm then good. The entire situation should be taken into advice before a decision is made.In fact, in the case outlined above, the interest rate can increase as high as 56% for the 60 months before the cost would outweigh the benefits – provided there were no additional costs associated with the loan.In my experience, I have always found it much easier to look at the benefits first (like the increased monthly revenue that can be generated) then search out the lowest costs options to receive those benefits. But, as stated, this is essentially opposite of what we tend to be taught in our society or in our markets (remember the zero percentage auto loans – which have the lost interest revenue built into the price). But, sometimes the best entrepreneurs think outside the box and tend to go against any conventional wisdom we may have been subject to – mostly for the benefit of others and not ourselves.Therefore, when seeking a business loan and finding yourself fighting hard for a small decrease in your interest rate – be sure to step back for a moment and look at the entire picture – as a low interest business loan may not be in the best interest of the business in all circumstances.
Internet Marketing and Its Evolution
Internet marketing is also called as online marketing and it can be defined as the process or promoting a product, brand and service by using the internet. Its broad scopes include electronic customer relationship management, email marketing and also many promotional activities that are done using the wireless media.It can also combine the creative as well as technical aspects of the World Wide Web such as designing advertising, sales and development. Moreover, the process of internet marketing also deals with placing advertisements, creating and this is done throughout various different stages of the customer management cycle.The different types of online marketingThe different types of online marketing have been briefly explained below.Affiliate marketingIt is a type of marketing practice in which the business pays an online retailer or an e-commerce blog or site for each and every visitor or sale that the website can make for the brand.Display advertisingThis type of online marketing process refers to the advertisement banners that are displayed on other blogs and websites to boost traffic for their very own content. This also can increase the awareness of a particular product.Email marketingAs the name suggests, this marketing process involves reaching out to prospective customers by using the facility of email.Inbound marketingSharing of free and valuable content to a target market and convincing them to become their loyal customer is done in inbound marketing. This can also be done by setting up of a business blog.Search engine marketingSearch engine marketing can be defined as a form of marketing that promotes a particular business through paid advertisements. These paid advertisements appear on search engine result pages. This also includes contextual advertising paid placement and a paid inclusion through search engine optimization.Social Media marketingBased on its name, this process of social media marketing is the process of promoting a website by using various types of social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook. This is a very effective form of internet marketing as it can reach a very wide user or customer base.The internet has a unique power of connecting millions of people from around the world. Thus it has the capability to bring your business to millions of people in your target market and this is obviously done around the world. Thus internet marketing can be a very useful tool for promotion. It is one of the important things to remember.
Manly Men Skin Care Products – It’s Just Good Business Sense
For too long, the concept of “men skin care products” has been placed on the back burner. For most men, other things just seem to crowd out the idea of “skin care”. The idea of natural skin care for men seems almost sissy. Au contraire mon frere! A face-full of healthy skin is a commodity you can’t afford to waste.So here’s what I’ll do for you. You can read this article, and get practical how-to advice about men skin care products and no one will know! It will be our little secret.Close the SaleMost men have this mistaken idea that men skin care products consist solely of soap, shaving cream, and some aftershave or cologne. The phrase “skincare” conjurs up images of women with cucumber eyes, trying to keep their skin feeling soft and pretty. But what man really cares about “soft and pretty” skin?But I know a lot of men who care about first impressions. They care about being able to close a high-end sale, or confidently lead a group of associates, or give killer-presentations. They care about RESPECT. And respect is harder to attain when you look like your 14, but your really pushing 40. And those little red dots sprinkled on your face and neck certainly don’t help your case.Believe it or not, but a good skin care regimen is actually more important for a man than it is a woman. Women don’t regularly take a sharp blade and scrape it across their cheeks, chin, and neck. That constant irritation can make skin itchy, red and irritated. Throwing on those alcohol-based aftershaves and colognes afterwards can make things even worse.Talk about a solid return on investment! That 30 seconds you take in the morning and evening to properly care for your manly man skin will pay you dividends on your overall health, and your ability to “wow” at those first oh-so-important impressions.A man with a healthy, young-looking complexion (but with an experienced face) is going to feel more confident about that getting promotion, or delivering that effective sales-speak to potential customers. Give yourself an emotional and physical edge on your competitors.Go Below the RadarAlthough they are an absolute necessity in order to nurse razor-burned and irritated skin back to health, high-quality men skin care products are very difficult to find. I say “high-quality” because most of the men skin care products being offered are not specifically designed for the unique needs that a man has.You might as well be putting cucumbers on your eyes too…because your getting the woman’s formula in a new package. If there are any changes at all, it’s most likely just a new scent. At least they’re smart enough to figure out that YOU don’t want to smell like lavender.If, by some miracle, the products were different, I would still not recommend that you use them. Why? Because they are full of chemicals and petroleum-by products that don’t help your skin, and are even worse for your total body’s health.You need natural skin care for men. You need men skin care products that contain healthy ingredients to effectively soothe, and moisturize your skin, nullifying the effects of daily shaving.What are the ingredients you should look for in your natural skin care for men products? Brazilian Babassu wax (as opposed to cancer-giving paraffin), and witch hazel. Both of these act to relieve both the razor burn that you have and the dryness and itching.Natural skin care for men should always include these two ingredients, the witch hazel especially. Look for naturally processed witch hazel, not synthetically re-created.You should also be on the lookout for Capuacu butter as an ingredient, because it is also especially good at treating dry, itchy, inflamed skin. It has even been proven powerful enough to be helpful in healing eczema.As a rule, if the product you’re using isn’t produced by a company that includes all-natural ingredients as part of their mission statement, move on. Go below the radar, and use natural skin care for men products from companies who are smaller in scope.In my experience, if the huge mega-skin care companies would spend just half of their marketing budget on research and development, their products would be infinitely higher-quality.Your Bottom LineIn this economy, it’s important to make the best impressions on your customers, boss, and coworkers. Everyone’s skin (including mine) could use something. If you don’t eat healthy foods, your body will remain unhealthy. If you don’t use men skin care products that are healthy, your skin will remain blotchy, irritated, and wrinkled.Taking 1 minute a day to attend to your skin’s needs is an incredibly simple way to boost your confidence, and maybe even your bottom line. To see the specific ingredients you should look for in your natural skin care for men products (including more details on the ones I’ve already mentioned), and where to find them, visit my website hyperlinked below.