Business owners should anticipate that many commercial lenders will provide an online application for commercial loans on their website. It is important that business borrowers understand how to proceed in their search for viable working capital financing and why it is not in their best interest to submit an online application for business loans.
This working capital management report provides advice about how and why to avoid the online application trap involving business loans. Commercial borrowers should avoid submittals of any application forms until after individualized lender discussions and under most normal circumstances, commercial borrowers should avoid online applications for commercial loans and business cash advances.
Business owners and commercial borrowers will consistently find an almost limitless supply of internet sites for commercial loans. Most business cash advance websites will include some version of an online application. Here is a four-step process for avoiding the unwise use of applications for business loans.
The first step is to avoid the initial temptation to submit a commercial loan application online. It does appear to be convenient for a business borrower to apply for business financing online. Perhaps some business owners are attracted to the anonymous nature of the online business finance application because they have been previously annoyed by sales tactics and evasive answers in loan discussions.
Many commercial lenders have contributed to the pervasiveness of online business finance applications in large part because they are fearful of losing some competitive advantage by not having this capability. However in attempting to match their competition, business lenders and brokers are sacrificing the best interests of their commercial borrower clients by facilitating the online application approach for commercial loans.
The second step is to understand why it is essential to avoid an online business finance application. Applying for commercial loans via a website is similar to submitting a resume without previous research or discussions when seeking employment. What makes an online business loan application even more risky and inadvisable than the anonymous resume example is the usual inclusion of tax identification numbers and other sensitive business data on a commercial funding application document.
There are several key problems associated with an online business finance application. First, there are always potential security breaches during transmission (as well as before and after transmission). A second problem is the loss of control over using sensitive tax identification numbers because most online application processes will automatically check credit prior to any personal conversations between lender and borrower. Third, most commercial loans are simply too complex to initiate by an oversimplified automated process. If we can use a brief sports analogy, starting the commercial mortgage loan or business cash advance process with an automated application is tantamount to the kickoff of a football game occurring without any pre-game warmups, coaching pep talks or the traditional coin toss. The easy and convenient approach simply omits too many preliminary and essential steps.
The third step is to replace an online business loan application process with a better approach. The simple and pragmatic solution to the business finance application dilemma is to insist on preliminary personal discussions with an experienced advisor before submitting any form of commercial finance application. A suitable and ethical commercial lender will not ask a commercial borrower to submit any application until the borrower has completed a thorough discussion with the lender confirming that business financing is appropriate for a specific business situation.
Commercial borrowers should anticipate that many lenders and brokers will deny any potential problems in using their online applications. In such situations, business borrowers should search for a commercial loan advisor who routinely emphasizes an individualized and conversational approach to commercial funding.
The fourth step is to explore additional resources that will facilitate a better understanding of complex business finance issues. The Commercial Real Estate Loans Guide and The Working Capital Management Guide are two examples of business financing resources that will provide strategies for many problematic circumstances dealing with small business cash management.
Failure to Communicate Within a Small Business
A failure to communicate can create havoc in several critical areas for small businesses. Three potential solutions include business training, negotiating and writing. Ironically these functions are also among the most likely to be severely impacted by a failure to use business communications strategies effectively in the first place.
Communication Strategies for Small Businesses
When individuals and businesses talk about communication, there can be many possibilities as to what they are including in the topic. While cell phones and tablet computers might be relevant to small business owners, the more actionable areas of interest are likely to include business proposals, negotiating and teamwork. Writing seems to have fallen into neutral territory as a strategy for communicating, and along with that the use of business proposal writing has also declined within many small businesses. Until companies discover more effective business development strategies, writing business proposals should be looked at closely.
Finance and Business Mistakes
Business and finance mistakes can be costly and cause other serious complications. While it can be helpful to learn from mistakes, it is also preferable to avoid such situations whenever possible.
