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How Online Lenders Help Small Businesses With Funding

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With many mainstream and conventional financial systems across the world, it is very difficult for a small business to access a loan. A significant number of small and medium enterprises are usually unable to get bank loans due to lack of assets that can act as security. Finances are a great hindrance to the success of most of such businesses. However, there are now other ways you can get loans for your small business.The answer to such a problem is online lenders! This is where you can easily get funds to help you run your business. These are new types of money lenders who not only give you a loan but also use modern technology that makes their services efficient.

Where can you get a loan for your business?
Are you looking for a loan to service your working capital? The answer is Business Credit and Capital. At Business Credit and Capital (BCC), we will ensure your business succeeds by responding positively to your financial woes. We offer loans to retailers, shops, and food outlets all over the country. At Business Credit Capital you will also get cash advance swiftly, without having to go through many tiresome processes.

How to apply for a business loan
Applying for a business loan at Business Credit & Capital is convenient, fast and reliable. You can get a business cash advance to finance your small or medium business enterprise. Whatever business deal we get for you regarding a loan should be suiting you well. The first step is to get approved by meeting some small requirements.

These requirements are:
• Have a monthly revenue of at least $300
• Have at least a one-year remaining lease on your retail or business
• Should not have any outstanding bankruptcies
If you meet those simple requirements, then you are ready to get a loan from us.

How to contact us for your business cash advance
We have an easy application guideline on how to receive a cash advance from our company. All you need to do is complete a simple application on our website. Alternatively, you can download our application that is in PDF format. After downloading it, fill it in and send it to us by fax at 347-464-0503. There is also an option of emailing your filled form to uw@businesscreditandcapital.com.

We will receive your application, analyze it, and get back to you in good time. For those who wish to apply over the phone, you can call Business Credit & Capital using 347-274-0907 or (718) 831-6934. You are also free to learn more about our programs. You can also review how we work and even how to become our partner. As the owner of a small business or even an interested client, feel free to visit our website https://businesscreditandcapital.com/.

Advice and tips for small businesses
You can always get loans for your small business with bad credit. Most small businesses suffer from this prevalent problem. Alternative programs are there to help you get a loan that will help you fund your business. To be a smart business owner, you can try some tips that will help you stay clear of bad credit. You can utilize credit boosters by partnering with other businesses or even individuals who have larger credit-worth. You can also raise money through crowd funding, which is an online platform that works perfectly for small businesses.

Business Credit and Capital has been helpful to many small businesses out there. If you join us now, be sure to get many benefits accruing from our friendly credit terms. We have worked with many businesses all over the country, and a good package has been found for each. Visit us today and get funding that will help you grow your business!

Online lenders are working to simplify the processes of borrowing for small and medium businesses. With their secure online platforms, the lenders are enabling the business owners to access sufficient funds at the click of a button. What’s more, some platforms are also bringing together business owners in a bid to create and explore easier ways of financing their projects. This could be the future of financing business projects.

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Five Customer Appreciation Ideas

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Show your patrons how much you value their loyalty with special customer appreciation ideas. Whether you offer products or services, tweak these suggestions to fit your area of the industry. Consider the money you spend hosting these events as advertising dollars and include them in your marketing budget. If your funds are limited, choose the ideas that cost less money, or consider checking into funding sources to gain more working capital to grow your company. Even if banks turn you down, places like Business Credit and Capital prides itself on supporting small business and medium size businesses.

Drawings
Everyone likes something for free. Throw in the added excitement of winning something, and you have a perfect combination to keep repeat customers. The prize could be a gift basket of your products, a free service, or another fun item. This is where networking with other businesses in your area can come in handy, as well. For example, if you are a pastry shop raffle off a gift certificate to the local diner for a free burger. If you own a diner, trade with the pastry shop to hold a drawing for a free novelty cake or a dozen special cookies. The prize does not have to be expensive. Do this on a regular basis, even monthly, to get customers waiting in anticipation of finding out the prize for the next drawing

Special Sales
Everyone knows a good sale catches the eye of the most discerning of consumers. Once again, it does not have to be a large price reduction to grow your customer base. Market the specials based on the time of year. Keep it fresh by having the customer be an active part in receiving the discount. Consider 10 percent off purchases if a patron dresses up to reflect the season. For example, advertise that anyone wearing an ugly Christmas sweater gets the sale price on festive goodies. Or, anyone showing their hunting license during opener week receives a discounted service price.

Contests
Tie in your drawing or sales with seasonal contests. For example, everyone wearing an ugly Christmas sweater gets into a drawing or gets their picture taken to put up on a board at the cash register. Then, other customers vote on which sweater they like the most. Change it up monthly, keeping it fresh by offering different contests. In addition to fun dress up days, hold a love story or poetry competition for Valentine’s Day, a guess the number of jellybeans in a basket for Easter, and a patriotic artwork event for Independence Day.

Fundraisers
A perfect way to show how much you appreciate your patrons, as well as the entire community, is to get involved with fundraisers for local charities or organizations. This could mean matching funds for a Cancer Walk, donating products or service gift certificate for charity raffles, or sponsoring a local youth team or club with gear. (The last option also allows you to place your business logo on T-shirts or other uniform pieces you donate.) Tie in your other customer appreciation ideas, such as offering an entry into a raffle for every item of food someone brings in for the local food shelf or a special discount for anyone taking part in a charity race.

Customer Appreciation Days
Having an annual, or more frequent, Customer Appreciation Day is a must for any company looking to expand its target market reach. Hold a special sale, drawing, contest and local fundraiser opportunity on these days. Offer free food and beverages, or really cheap menus with the proceeds benefiting the community. Network with other businesses on your block to hold larger events to attract even more patrons to check out your shop.

If your marketing budget is already stretched to the extreme, and you feel like you just can’t afford even the smallest of these customer appreciation ideas, it is important to check out options to increase your working capital. Business Credit and Capital offers business funding programs for every size company. Options include cash advances and lines of credit, as well as nontraditional payment choices, such as a percentage of your daily credit card transactions or banking options. Advertising to gain new patrons is one of the most important parts of growing your business. Marketing to ensure those customers feel appreciated is just as vital to your success.

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How to Find Your Star Employee

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Whether you’re hunting for top new talent, or trying to identify your most promising employee to handle a new client or vital project, there is a consistent set of traits to look for. Knowledge and skills can be taught. But an exceptional character that drives business growth is rare. Here are some things to expect of a star employee.

Ambition
Ambitious people are those who set goals for themselves. They want more responsibility and more challenges. They have higher expectations for themselves and work harder to achieve them. They understand that to get promoted they have to contribute more to the organization. This makes ambitious people more open to communication and problem-solving.

True, there are those who want more respect only because they think they deserve it. But in combination with some of the other traits on this list, ambition includes the willingness to earn advancement. You can count on ambitious workers to go above and beyond their normal duties, and do it gladly.

Passionate
You will find that the best employees are passionate about their jobs and the company. They are engaged, focused, and driven to get things done in the right way. They fit the company culture because they naturally adapt to it. These are more devoted employees that will be around for the long haul, and honestly, care about the company and its future. Going through the motions and picking up a paycheck just isn’t in their nature.

People who are passionate about their jobs don’t see it as work so much as a life calling. Their love for what they do shows in their attitude and their need to surpass expectations. It is communicable to other employees so that everyone around them becomes more engaged. They enjoy staying busy and are comfortable being part of the team.

Reliable
Reliable employees are those who put a high priority on their job and their duty to their employer. They listen to the information they’re given and follow instructions. They show respect for management and established procedures rather than trying to do things their own way or take the easiest route they can find.

Employees that are reliable appreciate their jobs. They make an effort to show up on time, collaborate with coworkers, keep deadlines, and keep managers informed about any issues. Loyal, dedicated employees that you can count on in even the bad times can be one of your best assets.

Self-motivated
Self-motivated employees want to see results for their own satisfaction as well as the company’s success. You don’t have to push them to get things done or stay focused. They tend to learn more, work harder, and take criticism well because being of value is important to them. They set a standard for coworkers to follow, and don’t typically expect assistance, rewards, or recognition for even difficult tasks.

Employees that work hard with minimal supervision save you money. This is a concern for every business that’s struggling to stay profitable and build credit. A motivated and efficient workforce helps financial companies like Business Credit and Capital get you the loans you need to expand operations.

Proactive
There are generally two approaches: proactive and reactive. People that are reactive need direction and tend to overlook strategy when undertaking responsibilities. Proactive people are thinkers. They plan ahead and look for ways to improve their methods to provide greater results for the company. They usually pay more attention to detail and learn from their experiences.

Proactive workers are able to anticipate needs and requests. They deliver a high level of service to colleagues and customers. Proactive workers are in control of their environment and manage their time and resources better. They tend to shine amongst disengaged employees who are slow to adapt and require hands-on supervision.

When promoting from within, it’s usually proactive employees you consider first.
Leadership roles go to those with self-confidence and devotion to duty. But there are other traits that make great leaders, such as interpersonal skills, character, planning, and appreciation for innovation and improvement. Spotting the star employees and putting their talents to use is one of the best management moves you can make.

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How to Woo Potential Clients

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Businesses sell their products and services to people in order to make money. Without customers, the business cannot sustain itself and meet its basic goals. As a result, business owners use various techniques to get their brand name out there. While many large corporations enjoy the success of marketing, most small businesses find themselves in challenging situations that hinder their marketing progress. Some of them lack the knowledge and financial capability to market their products. This article will look at simple and cost-effective techniques on how to woo customers as a small business owner.

Create Partnerships

You need to team up with businesses that offer the same products and services to enhance your market presence. For instance, if your business specializes in computers, interact with technology companies. Building relationships with other companies will help you enhance your customer base and improve your sales volume. Your relationships should not only apply to companies, but it should also involve individuals. Strong human relationships will also increase your chances to get customers. A person who interacts with you well on a regular basis will most likely refer other people to your business.

Offer Discounts

Offer discounts and deals to customers who come to buy your products and services. Many people love discounts since they give them an opportunity to save money and enjoy the product they want at the same time. Some deals and discounts even encourage customers to buy more products than they intended because the opportunity may not be there the next day. When you offer deals and discounts, the customers will develop a strong brand loyalty and even refer others.

Discounts and deals can also create a strong brand recognition. Most small businesses use the technique to publicize themselves. The good news is that there are a wide variety of websites that advertise deals from different companies on their platforms. You can take advantage of these platforms to promote your offers.

Word of Mouth Works

Though it is an outdated form of marketing and advertising, word of mouth will always work for you. It is an effective method that can bring good results at a low cost compared to TV and radio advertising. Since most people are increasingly becoming wary of paid advertising services, this method continues to be a safe alternative. Another good thing with this technique of advertising is that you can use your loyal and satisfied customers to spread the message. However, you have to provide a great customer experience to give them a reason to market your products and services.

Evaluate the Market

You need to do a comprehensive audit of the market to determine what customers want. As a small business owner, focus more on what the customers want than what you want to offer. For instance, a customer may want a product that costs less than $30, yet you have a complementary product that costs $50. In this case, you have to adjust your pricing to meet the customer’s need.

Increase Your Budget

Budget is one of the primary factors you need to consider when wooing potential customers before they leave. It is obvious that you have to spend to get high-quality customers. You must increase the budget to enable you to present and identify customers efficiently in the market. In case you don’t have enough money, you can always borrow from the bank. Most banks require a lot of documents, which are difficult to get, to process your loan. However, there are other effective lenders such as Business Credit & Capital that can give you a quick loan without a lot of documentation.

Use Online Marketing

Most people prefer online stores for their shopping needs. Create an interactive website where the customers can come to view your products. Also, create an interactive blog section to allow you discuss with your customers and solve emerging issues. You can also invest in pay-per-click services. Create a Facebook and a Twitter account to funnel traffic to the website and increase your prospects. Also, offer free shipping services to customers who prefer to shop online. Make sure you put in place simple payment methods that allow the customers to purchase remotely without any problem. You can open a PayPal, Skrill or a Pioneer account.

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The Beginner’s Guide to Making a Good Website

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A website is a powerful marketing tool, especially if it’s done right. If you’re thinking about starting a website for your business, you will want to make sure you’re focused on creating something that is trustworthy, professional and motivating. This isn’t something you want to create during your lunch hour.

In today’s technological era, having an online presence is crucial, and if you don’t have this presence yet, it’s important this priority is at the top of your to-do list.

To make sure your website rises above the rest, here are a few things you will want to keep in mind to create a website customers will love:

Fast Loading Times

Google and other search engines love fast loading times, and if your website takes longer than 10 seconds to load, you will have a problem ranking for key terms. Since most websites today are made with CMS platforms, such as WordPress, it’s important to pay close attention to the plugins you download. These plugins are often the cause of a slow loading website.

Back It Up

Hackers are everywhere, and they don’t care how small your website is. If your website has a flaw, it’s going to be hacked, so to save yourself the headache of redoing your website, make sure you have a backup system in place. This backup system should download a copy of your website daily, and it can often be done with your hosting provider. If they don’t offer this feature, consider using a third-party service.

Watch the Domain Name

Try your hardest to stick to a .com domain name since these are the easiest to remember. Also, avoid using any hyphens or numbers in your domain because this can often lead to confusion as well.

Have a Business Plan

Just like a business plan for your brick and mortar business, you should have a plan for your website. What do you want to get out of this website? Do you want to promote it via search engines to gain more exposure, or are you just looking for a place to send potential customers? Preparing a business plan allows you to set goals and have a clearer path for the future.

Be Prepared to Publish Content

Be prepared to publish content to keep both the search engines and your visitors happy. Search engines tend to favor websites that are frequently updated because this shows them you’re actively working on your website. Good content also keeps visitors coming back because they may deem you an expert in the field. When it comes to the creating the content, don’t publish it for the sake of updating your website; instead, you will want to make sure you’re creating something of value. Before you publish it, just ask yourself: Would I truly enjoy this article if I were to find it?

Think Mobile

There’s a good chance more than half your visitors will come to your website using their mobile phones, and if the website isn’t optimized for these visitors, this could lead to a poor user experience. As search engines begin to create new search engine indexes for these mobile-friendly websites, it’s very important your website works on all mobile platforms.

Trust Your Web Designer

If you do your research and find a reputable website designer, there’s a good chance they have already developed hundreds of successful websites. While you may have a lot on your mind, a web designer may have some actionable tips that may make sense. Remember, you hired this expert because they probably know more than you, so try to let them exceed your goals with their own ideas.

Summing It Up

Hiring a professional website professional can be a lot of money, but like anything in the business world, you won’t want to skimp on this investment. Since this website, if done right, can lead to a hefty increase in business, it’s so important you take the time to either invest your own time to learn about developing websites or picking out the right professional. Even if you feel you can’t afford one right now, consider small business loan companies, such as Business Credit and Capital, that specialize in this sort of financing. A website is something that can’t wait in the business world.

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The Biggest Hurdles for Small Business Owners

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Starting a business is a big dream that takes considerable resources to actualize. When you finally have your enterprise in place, some challenges come up, which you may not have fully factored in. Operating a business is just as hard as starting one. Before your small company can take footing and hold its own, you are going to deal with a few obstacles. Small businesses are a crucial part of any economy and are responsible for significant jobs across different sectors. Learning about the biggest hindrances gives you an opportunity to ensure yours stays afloat to play its role in society.

Recruitment

Finding the right people to handle the everyday operations of your business is one of the hardest parts of running a small business. You may wonder how that is with so many people looking for work. For one, an entrepreneur has to find the right talent first. However, getting qualified individuals who can take your company to the next level means spending a lot of money.

It is hard for a small enterprise to match the salaries that established organizations are willing to offer these kinds of employees. The benefits, taxes, training, equipment and bonuses that come with new recruitment can be too much for a small business to afford. Employee healthcare costs are the biggest issues that some companies have to deal with when getting new workers.

Marketing/Branding

Getting the proper exposure for a new product or service can be hard even with all the online marketing options available. When you are a newcomer to the world of business, it can be challenging trying to understand the different web marketing alternatives out there. The noise generated from social media and other marketing tools can be difficult to block out. You find that competitors are already established in those platforms, making it complicated for you to find the right avenue.

Advertising budgets are also a huge problem for small business owners. You may have a few dollars to spare for PPC ads but then find out that the funds are not enough to meet your marketing objectives. Additionally, choosing a marketing platform may involve a lot of trial and error, causing you to lose money. For example, you may start out with pay-per-click only to find out that content marketing is more appropriate, but you have already spent money.

Cash Flow

Small businesses deal with cash flow issues all the time. One reason for this is the presence of clients who don’t pay on time. Another is capital drain, which happens with startups. So you have very little money coming in when there are still bills to pay and no cash reserves – your suppliers still need payments, and the payroll has to be cleared. Economic programs and incentives provide great options for small business owners but, qualifying can be a problem. Fortunately, an SBO can consider different financing options to solve cash flow issues. Getting a loan is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your workers get their salaries and operations don’t stall. A company like Business Credit and Capital offers financing alternatives for SBOs, which you can capitalize on.

Diversifying Client Base

Client dependence refers to the practice of a small business having only one client providing its revenues. It is excellent to have a customer who pays well and on time. There is a need to diversify even though such a client brings in a lot of revenue. Having only one company as a client means that your business is entirely dependent on the existence of that entity. If it were to stop operations, that would be the end. All the risks faced by that one customer trickle down to your small business. You can avoid that by selling your products or services to more than one enterprise. Doing this allows you to have other clients to fall back on in case one doesn’t come through.

Small business owners face other obstacles besides the above like changes in legislature, growing profits, and staying motivated among others. The best way to stay in business is to concentrate on finding solutions to the problems you can control. Getting the right financing, for instance, will help you deal with almost half of the challenges that arise when running a small business.

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Does Your Small Business Need An Accountant?

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When most people think about accountants, they think about huge corporations and other large entities. However, many accountants work for small and medium businesses. While not all businesses need accountants, the workload demanded of accounting can make it a smart move. Here are a few reasons why your small business might need an accountant.

Spend Your Time Elsewhere

Most small business owners don’t start a business to deal with money, yet many owners find themselves spending more and more time working on accounting tasks over time. Small business owners and managers are at their best when they’re working with clients, making business-related decisions, or otherwise working within their expertise. Hiring an accountant lets people focus on what they do best while letting an accountant deal with the rest.

Another way to think about the cost of hiring an accountant is the opportunity cost not hiring one demands. Accountants work quickly, and, even if they command a relatively high hourly wage, they can perform work much faster than an inexperienced business owner or manager. As a result, some companies, including small companies, can effectively save money by paying for an accounting by freeing other individuals to perform other tasks.

Ensure Accurate Work

Accountants have extensive training and education, and many have years or even decades of experience. As a result, they know how to work accurately and efficiently. This is especially important for small businesses, where money is often at a premium and small financial mistakes can have disastrous long-term consequences.

Accuracy also matters when it comes to handling various legal issues, especially taxes. Mistakes while filing taxes can lead to significant fines, and small mistakes can often pop up years later, after a significant amount of interest has built up. By hiring an accountant, small businesses can greatly reduce the odds of having to deal with these issues.

Better Analytical Data

As digital technology continues to become essential in the business world, data is becoming more and more important. Many computer accounting programs generate data reports and other information automatically, but it can be difficult to interpret and analyze; it can even be misleading for untrained individuals. Accountants know how to come up with accurate and useful data that business owners and managers can use to better understand how the company is performing.

Although many accountants are not analysts, they often have the education and experience needed to interpret data, and full-time accountants, in particular, can become valuable resources for owners and managers. By having accountants attend relevant meetings, businesses can mitigate the odds of making potentially expensive mistakes or missing out on potential opportunities.

Maximizing Business Growth

Small business owners are sometimes afraid to take on debt, but failing to do so at the right time can lead to missed opportunities and, potentially, falling drastically behind competitors. The data provided by accountants helps companies make wise decisions when it comes to taking out loans, and it enables companies to expand when the opportunity presents itself.

Loans can be complicated, and while a business owner might be able to handle basic accounting and tax-related tasks, understanding how loans work is often difficult. Companies such as Business Credit and Capital provide various types of loans for small businesses, and these loans can be the difference between a company flourishing and stagnating or failing. An accountant can help.

Legal Issues

Laws vary significantly, but some types of businesses are required to use accountants for certain tasks. Failing to hire a properly certified accountant can lead to fines and other sanctions. Business owners need to determine if laws dictate they hire an accountant for certain tasks.

In addition, hiring an accountant shows a level of competency that can be especially useful when resolving civil matters. Lawsuits can effectively shut down many small businesses, and companies can better fight against charges of negligence or malfeasance by showing that all financial work was handled by a qualified accountant.

Running a small business can be incredibly rewarding, but it comes with a host of challenges. While some businesses can operate fine without hiring an accountant, owners of businesses of all sizes need to ensure that they’re ready and willing to hire an accountant if doing so in the the company’s best interest.

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A Human Approach to Digital Marketing

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Digital marketing has become an affordable and effective way to market your brand. Unfortunately, it’s easy to lose your perspective in social media and blogs and email blasts. While you can carefully curate your online presence, marketing messages can get overwhelmed in notifications, news feeds, and updates.

While this is unfortunate, no business that hopes to evolve can ignore the potential of digital marketing. Whether we understand it or not, the world has become a digital consumer, meaning not even the smallest business can afford to disregard the importance of connecting online. With a single upload, business has extended their commercial potential, reaching new customers and markets. But this is alongside consumers discovering more junk mail flooding their accounts, more abandoned shopping carts and, worse, knowing there are a kabillion places to find the exact same products and services.

Putting a Face on Your Brand

They may love their devices, but customers still appreciate an authentic and personalized experience. If a business wants to deploy digital marketing, they need to manage one of the most critical components of their campaigns and that’s to maintain a human relationship between their brand and the customer. As a business, you have to recall a day when a name and a brand meant something to a customer.

So, how do you bring more humanity into your digital marketing?

Start with Persona Based Targeting

Persona-based targeting begins by grouping your customer base by shared interests and commonalities. This gives your business the opportunity to better personalize messaging. Despite their sophistication, customers still want emotional connections. They appreciate brands that make the effort. Persona-based targeting helps you develop marketing lists, design effective conversion ads, manage compelling website content and tailor email campaigning to different audiences.

Maintaining Face on Facebook

For all-important social media interaction, the challenge to remain human can be great. Social media marketing is often coordinated and organized like a social calendar and many forget its effectiveness is dependent on active participation. This can be difficult outside of having a team devoted solely to the endeavor. Still, we have to find a way to manage personal messaging in social communities. Find a balanced approach to content categories and targeting specific customer segments. It might be good to do a little research and see where groups and organizations are already segmented in social media communities with customers you want to reach. There is tech that can automate the process while still allowing the business to remain human through compelling and original content.

Support Channel Partners

Customers are not the only entity that may require a human approach to digital marketing. If you have channel partners, they could be looking for guidance and support. We often assume these operatives already know what to do and how to use programs from the onset. This can be a risky assumption. Channel partners may be looking for personalized support. See what guidance they may need and manage communications to ensure everyone is always on the same page.

Create Human Experiences

The Internet gives us greater opportunity to exchange information, but it’s become so easy we often forget to replicate the human experience. Real world interactions engage visual and emotional cues. Since that can be difficult to duplicate through a keyboard, our safest bet is to rely on the best aspects of social contact.

  • Let your customers know their opinions are respected and want to be heard
  • Take the time to create strong relationships
  • Understand the frailty of trust and how it has to be earned
  • Give customers the opportunity to voice their concerns, be it through email, chat, social pages, etc.
  • Use polls and surveys to get better views of what your customers are thinking and want
  • Use incentives, discounts, and programs to reward loyalty

Conclusion

From getting leads to good reviews and referrals, your digital marketing campaigns will be vital to success. While we cannot duplicate the one-on-one contact with the real world on the Internet, we can create a sense of empathy and understanding in our digital media campaigns. The human approach is living digitally using the same mutually beneficial social contracts from the real world.

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Tips on How to Help Control Your Small Business Finances

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A small business requires constant financial monitoring to ensure that revenues continue to stream in and expenses remain within reasonable bounds. One of the most difficult tasks of business owners is to take the time to review their financial statements on a regular basis to ensure that these two numbers are matching up appropriately. However, it is easy for expenses to overtake incoming revenues, whether because of uncontrolled spending or because of the need to spend on opportunities that have arisen unexpectedly. Here are a few areas that should be carefully monitored to ensure good financial management of your business:

Review Expenses Regularly
The workweek goes quickly for most small business owners. They are usually engaged in meeting with clients, finding solutions for problems, scouting out new markets and ensuring the efficient operation of daily tasks. Business owners often neglect going over financial data to ensure that they are making a profit. But weekly and monthly profit-and-loss reports can alert them to problems that are currently occurring that could have a large impact on the business’s success. Setting aside time each week to review this important data will help to avoid a variety of financial problems that can come up unexpectedly.

Monitor Expenses and Get New Quotes
Business owners should always be wary of “expense creep” that inevitably causes the upward movement of prices from vendors that can undermine the ability to show a profit for the month or the year. If the owner doesn’t have time, delegate the monitoring of the most common expenses to someone in your purchasing department. When prices get out of line, look for new vendors and get new quotes for these items. You should also get a new quote annually for business insurance and auto insurance to keep these regular expenses from inflating over time.

Control Credit Card Purchases
Credit cards make it easier to keep track of travel and entertainment expenses, but they can also make it too easy to go over-budget. Allow only your most trusted staff members to have a company credit, with strict instructions about acceptable expenses. Monitor credit card expenses regularly to ensure compliance with your restrictions.

Have Access To Financing When Needed
Small business owners should always be alert to the need for short or long-term loans that will help them through difficult times in the economy or that will allow them to take alternative-business-financingadvantage of opportunities that come to their attention. It’s always a good idea to establish a working relationship with a company like Business Credit and Capital, so you can tap into the cash you need when you need it.

Pay Off Loans Quickly
When a small business owner does borrow money for business operations, he or she should make every effort to pay the balance off as quickly as possible, so you will be ready for the next opportunity. If possible, pay off loans before their term, so you establish a good credit record that you can tap into whenever the need arises.

An old adage says that if you take care of the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves. If you maintain a daily effort to keep your expenses in line, you will be rewarded with financial gains at the end of every month and the end of every year.

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How a Small Business Loan Can Save You Money

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Small business loans are powerful tools. When utilized responsibly, they can provide the resources needed to launch a business operation, improve an existing one, or expand the business so that it can reach more customers. Along the way, that small business loan can help the company stay in the black. Here are a few of the ways that the loan will save the company money over the long haul.

Starting Up Without Investors

Conventional wisdom dictates that entrepreneurs don’t use their own resources to start up a new business venture. While there are times when that does make sense, there are other times when the founder wants to maintain complete control. Keeping control is more difficult when there are investors who expect answers and who want to have some say in how the company operates.

Many people are surprised to learn that a solid credit rating and a strong business plan is often all it takes to secure a small business loan. Provided the amount is sufficient to get the company through that first year of operation, and the founder already has resources on hand to make the monthly loan payments, there is no reason to cede any control to other parties.

Upgrading Machinery and Equipment

The small business started out with refurbished equipment that served the operation well for several years. Now the time has come to think about upgrades. Rather than attempting to fund those upgrades using the revenue stream or dipping into whatever reserves the company has, why not secure a small business loan? In the best case scenario, the new equipment will increase productivity and reduce expenses. That will be more than enough to cover the total cost of the loan. In the meantime, there are plenty of resources on hand to resolve any unanticipated events that the company experiences.

Providing Funding for a Growth Phase

The small business is firmly established and generating a respectable amount of collected revenue each month. While that’s great, there isn’t a lot left after all the bills are paid. That means money to expand the venture or to allocate to product development is not there.

Choosing to secure a small business loan is the solution. The loan proceeds can be banked in an interest bearing account, and used when and as necessary to fund the growth project. That makes it possible to manage those additional expenses without relying on the cash flow. Assuming there is enough after taking care of the usual and standard expenses to cover the loan payments, the company will remain financially secure.

Taking Advantage of an Upswing in the Market

There’s reason to believe that the demand for the company’s products is about to increase significantly. That means the business owner needs to be able to meet that demand without risking the loss of current customers. Using a small business loan to secure more raw materials and pay employees to work overtime is a great way to build up the inventory and be ready for that upswing. In many cases, the increased business volume will more than cover the loan costs, and may even allow the owner to settle the debt ahead of time.

Steering the Course During a Slow Season

Not all types of businesses operate in markets where demand is more or less consistent throughout the year. If the small business is part of an industry that tends to thrive during a couple of quarters each year and then lags the rest of the time, there must be a way to get through those slow seasons. A small business loan will make it easier to ensure there is always money on hand to keep the operation on an even keel.

Using the loan proceeds, the business owner can take care of all essential expenses without having to deal with late fees and penalties. Once the slow season is over and business is booming again, it’s possible to retire the remainder of the loan early. That saves more money by reducing the amount of interest paid over the life of the loan.

Take the time to consider what a small business loan would do for your operation today. Think in terms of a specific goal and identify exactly how the money would be used. Having a properly designed plan of action ensures that you will get the greatest benefit from the use of this financial resource.