Gregg Elberg asked:
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary has five definitions for the word tandem. Used as an adjective, tandem means:
“1: consisting of things or having parts arranged one behind the other
2: working or occurring in conjunction with each other”
If you are marketing your business on the internet you may be presented with this challenge and dilemma: internet popularity with the major search engines and popularity with your potential customers do not necessarily coincide. In other words, the search engines, and Google in particular, rank sites in terms of quality content and popularity of links to other relevant sites. People rank sites based on their immediate needs or preferences.
Consider this: is the site listed on page one number one position on Google always the best choice for what you are seeking? Of course not. Might there be another site among the ten million sites listed that would lead you to a better product or service? Absolutely. Are you going to look through ten million sites to find out? No way. It is like the old philosophy question: if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear it fall, did a sound occur when the tree fell? If you cannot find the best site it might as well not exist.
In three previous articles: 1) Search Engine Optimization for Beginners; 2) Search Engine Optimization- The Long Road to Internet Success; and 3) Website Redesign- A Perilous Road this author described the steep learning curve required to attempt to understand the ever changing goal called search engine optimization for your website. The purpose of this article is to describe a tandem approach to search engine optimization and why this technique may be useful to accomplish the dual goals of popularity for your site with the search engines and popularity with your potential customers.
Every day the internet becomes increasingly complex and sophisticated. Things we take for granted today, like internet radio, movie trailers, Google Earth, social networking, dating, multiplayer video games, You Tube- all could be hardly imagined five years ago. People like images that move and great sounds from the internet. It follows that if your site has some of these types of features, people may like your website more.
Today the search engines do not see dynamic content on the internet. It is like a movie that is visible to visitors and invisible to the search engines. It is this dichotomy that inspired a tandem approach to search engine optimization. One site can have a normal static section (or version) where nothing moves and a dynamic section where many things move to attract visitor’s attention to the product or service. The two approaches can be combined in one site but it may be extraordinarily annoying to have things moving if this bothers your prospective customer, and exceedingly dull if your customer prefers flashy images with content. It is a tough decision to settle on a combined static and dynamic site, or a tandem approach. You can give your visitors a choice with the tandem approach.
In 1892 Harry Dacre wrote a song called Daisy, Daisy; most people know of it as A Bicycle Built for Two. Here are the lyrics:
There is a flower within my heart,
Daisy, Daisy!
Planted one day by a glancing dart,
Planted by Daisy Bell!
Whether she loves me or loves me not,
Sometimes it’s hard to tell;
Yet I am longing to share the lot
Of beautiful Daisy Bell!
Chorus:
Daisy Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I’m half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won’t be a stylish marriage,
I can’t afford a carriage,
But you’ll look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two !
There is a flower within my heart,
Daisy, Daisy!
Planted one day by a glancing dart,
Planted by Daisy Bell!
Whether she loves me or loves me not,
Sometimes it’s hard to tell;
Yet I am longing to share the lot
Of beautiful Daisy Bell!
Chorus:
Daisy Daisy,
Give me your answer do!
I’m half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won’t be a stylish marriage,
I can’t afford a carriage,
But you’ll look sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two !
The bottom line: Harry Dacre could hardly have envisioned the internet or search engine optimization issues but he had the same idea: a tandem approach is a good way to go.
Copyright © 2007 Gregg Financial Services
www.greggfinancialservices.com
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Archive for the ‘Loans’ Category
Search Engine Optimization- a Tandem Approach
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Bank Loans – Loan Collateral – You and Your Lenders Safety Net
Thursday, December 29th, 2005Aaron Dyer asked:
Your eyes gaze at the man in front of you, then quickly dart to the stack of papers on the desk separating you and he. That desk also separates you from the man who could make or break your entrepreneurial dreams. You have researched, calculated, and organized all your information, but is that enough? The other man clears his throat and interrupts your thoughts “What kind of collateral do you have to offer?”
It’s a straightforward question with a complex answer and one that a borrower must be prepared to answer thoroughly with knowledge of the fine print that goes along with various types of collateral. The collateral you offer will provide insurance to the lender in the event that payments aren’t being met, funds can be procured from one of the previously offered sources of collateral. Lenders are running a business and they are trying to protect themselves. For this reason, the lender has varying types of collateral categories that will match the loan being made.
Ideally, lenders will look to take collateral that will meet or exceed the term of the loan in order to fully protect themselves. For example, in cases where there is a short-term loan, such as a line of credit, short-term assets like receivables and inventory are deemed acceptable securities. In the case of a long-term loan, receivables and inventory would not be valid forms of collateral. People seeking loans often incorrectly assume that anything with value can be offered up as collateral, but this is not the case. Certain collateral is more attractive to the lender according to the type of loan being sought.
Another important and relatively unknown condition to collateral is that often the lender will want to verify that their claim to the offered collateral is the first secured interest. This will guarantee that the collateral will be used solely as insurance against the loan they offer to you. It would also mandate that no prior or future liens would be created against that particular form of collateral. This would guarantee the lender priority over any other claimant in the event that foreclosure proceedings take place in the future.
Don’t attempt to fool your lender by offering the same collateral to different lenders as not only is it dishonest and likely to hurt your credibility, but they can easily find out. The lender can search public records for security interest in real estate or personal property. They will want to ensure that no prior claims exist on that specific collateral. In circumstances where the collateral is in the form of real estate, a title insurance company can be consulted to conduct a search of public records. This outside company will compile a title report that will highlight the details on the property, such as pre-existing recorded secured interests.
If you are offering collateral in the form of personal property, the lender will run a U.C.C. search through public records that will reveal any existing claims on the property. Be straightforward, the lender will be offering their funds to you, so you must earn their trust.
Another important point to be aware of is the loan-to-value ratio that is used amongst lenders. To further limit their risks, lenders will place a lower value on the offered collateral rather than meeting the collateral’s highest market value. The type of collateral being offered will also play a role in the loan-to-value ratio.
The following is a guide to typical loan-to-values used by banks. Each lender’s formula for discounting collateral will vary, so be sure you understand your lender’s method of discounting.
Real estate – Real estate is common collateral for startup ventures, as the entrepreneur will take out a first or second mortgage on their home. If it is occupied, the lender might lend up to 75 percent of the highest appraised value. Property that is unoccupied, but has been improved in some way can meet a value of up to 50 percent of the appraised rate. Unfortunately, vacant and unimproved property will likely only receive 30 percent of the appraised value. The reason behind these dramatic drops in rates is simple, if sold, it is likely the first scenario would receive the most money at a more rapid pace than the other two cases. The bottom line always returns to the numbers.
Inventory – A lender may advance up to 60 percent to 80 percent of value for ready-to-go retail inventory. A manufacturer’s inventory, consisting of component parts and other unfinished materials, might be only 30 percent. The key factor is the merchantability of the inventory — how quickly and for how much money could the inventory be sold.
Accounts receivable – You may get up to 75 percent on accounts that are less than 30 days old. Accounts receivable are typically “aged” by the borrower before a value is assigned to them. The older the account, the less value it has. Some lenders don’t pay attention to the age of the accounts until they are outstanding for over 90 days, and then they may refuse to finance them. Other lenders apply a graduated scale to value the accounts so that, for instance, accounts that are from 31-60 days old may have a loan-to-value ratio of only 60 percent, and accounts from 61-90 days old are only 30 percent.
Equipment – New equipment can be given an estimate value by the lender at 75 percent of the purchase price. This is a best-case scenario, as some lenders seriously mark down the equipment value as soon as it is classified as “used”.
Securities – Marketable stocks (usually stocks traded on the NYSE or NASDAQ) and bonds can be used as collateral to obtain up to 75 percent of their market value.
As a budding entrepreneur who might be tightening your belt and strapped for collateral to offer, this can be disheartening, but don’t lose hope. This is another plan the lender puts in place to further limit their risks, because just as you are safeguarding your future, so must they.
What is important to remember, is that beyond the red tape and formulaic analysis of your finances is the infusion of funds that will ultimately benefit you. The steps you are taking now, such as reading this article, are invaluable in cultivating an informative and thorough business plan for evaluation. When you find yourself sitting across the desk from that seemingly omnipotent lender, take a deep breath, remember what you’ve learned, and enjoy the realization that you can answer his question with confidence.
For more on these topics http://dyerconsultinggroup.com”>visit Dyer Consulting Group.
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