Building Business Credit for Small Business
Do you know what Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and William McKinley all have in common other than being U.S. Presidents? 
They all worked as credit reporters at The Mercantile Agency, a predecessor to Dun and Bradstreet.
The history behind the business credit reporting giant, Dun and Bradstreet, is fascinating stemming all the way back to an American businessman and entrepreneur known as Lewis Tappan.
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On the previous post I reviewed two business credit builder products at Dun & Bradstreet that were great for start-ups and companies that had a few trade experiences they wanted to add to their credit profile. In this post I’m going to cover two more advanced products that have received a makeover that’s definitely worth mentioning.
Now remember that obtaining a DUNs number does not cost anything to your company but receiving your number can take over 30 days if you choose the free route. However, you can obtain your DUNs number in less than 24 hours by either purchasing one of its business credit builder programs that I’ve reviewed or if you are a government contractor, government vendor, or grant recipient.
Let’s take a look at these business credit solutions and how they can help build company credit for your business.
DNBi Self Monitor Plus Inquiries
Price $799
This product is similar to the DNBi Self Monitor Basic except that it allows you to submit up to 24 references over a period of 3 months for a total of 12 payment experiences to be added. The basic version allows you only a total of 4 payment experiences to be added. They provide this extra cushion just in case they are unable to contact one of your references for payment experience verification.
In addition you have the ability to track the inquiries that others are making into your business credit file. This is a great way to make sure you are up to speed on the latest information that vendors, banks, suppliers and customers are seeing and an effective way to determine if your business is generating the positive interest it needs in the marketplace.
If you choose to purchase this product then most likely they will waive the DUNs File Creator fee so don’t hesitate to request it. This product is ideal for you if you already have existing trade references that you want to add plus closely monitor the activity and inquiries on your file.
Some other product features include:
• Key D&B scores & ratings including D&B Rating, Financial Stress Score, Commercial Credit Score and Supplier Evaluation Risk Rating.
• Comprehensive overview of payment history including D&B’s PAYDEX
• D&B’s Credit Limit Recommendation
• Financial performance including Key business ratios that measure financial strength.
• An overview of public filings including Suits, Liens, Judgments and UCC filings.
• Notification (alerts) when significant changes occur within your credit file.
• Easy-to-use web-based interface
* Tip – there are business credit builder companies like the Business Credit Insiders Circle that provide access to vendors, suppliers, business credit cards and companies that report to DNB for building small business credit.
DNBi Self Monitor Premium
Price $1,399
This product is the grand daddy of DNBs business credit solutions. In my opinion it’s a big upgrade to DNBi Self Monitor Plus Inquiries product because it allows you to submit up to 200 references over a period of 6 months for a total of 100 payment experiences to be added. The ‘Plus Inquiries’ version allows a total of 12 payment experiences to be added. That’s 88 additional references you can add with this product and 6 months time frame to do it.
Some of my members who have been in business for years and have just now realized they needed to build a business credit history found this product to be a no brainer. Since they already had long standing relationships with many companies they quickly had the ability to add dozens of trade experiences to their files and create a paydex score of 80+ in a matter of weeks!
*Tip – there are credit builder companies like BCIC that report your payments to a business credt bureau. Not only do they give you access to vendors, suppliers, business credit cards and companies that report to DNB but they also help you build business credit history too!
If you decide to purchase one of these DNB products or need some guidance regarding the status of your DNB report then call Dun & Bradstreet at 866-203-3151.
I hope that you found these product reviews to be helpful to you in getting started in building small business credit for your company.
To access business credit insider secrets, premium vendors, leasing companies, business credit cards, and lenders that report to all the major business credit bureaus become a member of my Business Credit Insider’s Circle. Submit your name and email below for details and receive a free audio seminar ($597 value) =>
The majority of us can easily identify with the three major consumer credit reporting agencies known as Equifax, Transunion, and Experian. These are privately held companies that specialize in collecting data on consumers and then compiling the data in a format known as a credit report.
Did you know that there are companies that collect data specifically on businesses? These privately held companies are known as business credit reporting agencies and they compile their data into formats called business credit reports. They collect data from banks, suppliers, finance companies, business owners, and look at public records such as tax liens, bankruptcies, and judgments.
It’s important for you to get your company listed because it can make the process of establishing business credit and financing much easier but keep in mind that there is over 25 other business credit bureaus not listed here and some are even industry specific such as trucking or construction. You may want to look into some of these particular bureaus to get listed with in addition to the top 10 depending on the type of industry your business is in.
Here are my Top 10 Business Credit Bureaus you should know.
1. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B)
D&B is the primary business credit reporting agency with over 70 million businesses registered in their database. A business credit file with D&B contains information provided by the business owner and vendors of the business. D&B issues a paydex score based on payment experiences and a DUNS rating based on financials. Its business credit builder program is a great way for business owners to add trade references to their file in a short period of time.
2. Equifax Small Business Enterprise
Small Business Equifax, one of the three primary consumer credit reporting agencies, also provides business credit evaluations for over 22,000,000 small businesses and corporations.
3. Experian SmartBusinessReportsTM
Experian business is another one of the three primary consumer credit reporting agencies who provides business credit evaluations as well. SmartBusinessReports assigns a business credit score called the Intelliscore.
4. FDInsight™
This is a company that is relatively new to the business credit market. It was originally the second largest credit reporting company in the mortgage broker field. The information on their business files is provided by the business owner or a third party and then every piece of information is verified by the staff of FDInsight™. They are known to provide the most accurate business credit report in the industry.
5. Credit.net
Credit.net is a division of InfoUSA® that generates credit reports on approximately 15,000,000 businesses. The credit analysis provided by Credit.net relies on four criteria: years in business, number of employees, public records, and stability within the industry. Its business credit score is a grading system from A through C (70-100) and is awarded as an evaluation of the company’s credit history.
6. AccurintTMBusiness
This is a new business that is a combination of forces between The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and LexisNexis. Accurint Business is like Business Experian in that they provide public and business profile information, including credit history based on payment patterns of small, medium, and large companies.
7. ClientChecker
This is a business credit bureau that started in 2003 and specifically targets small businesses, freelance professionals, and contractors searching for information to help them determine which other businesses they should do business with. Rather than providing a fixed business credit score, ClientChecker compiles information based on feedback from its members.
8. Paynet
Paynet collects real-time loan information from more than 200 leading U.S. lenders. The company’s database has a collection of commercial loans and leases. It’s the largest proprietary database of long-term debt over a period of ten years.
9. Cortera
Cortera provides credit information on businesses large and small but then combines it with ratings from a community of small business owners, who provide feedback both good and bad on these businesses.
10. ChexSystems
The tenth reporting agency is extremely important as it has to do with your ability to open up a business checking account with a financial institution. Banks use a reporting agency known as ChexSystems which is a network comprised of member Financial Institutions that regularly contribute information on mishandled checking and savings accounts to a central location.
These business credit bureaus allow your business to establish its own credit profile, scores, and payment history. As a business owner you should know who the major business credit reporting agencies are and what type of data they collect on your business. Knowing this will give you greater insight into getting listed and established in the business credit industry.
Ready to get your business listed with the business credit bureaus? Become a member of my Business Credit Insiders Circle and gain access to a proven business credit building system. A system that provides you access to vendor lines of credit, fleet cards, business credit cards with and without a PG, funding sources and lenders that report to all the major business credit bureaus. Submit your name and email below for details and receive a free business credit building audio seminar ($597 value) =>
To Your Success In Business and in Life!
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About the author
Marco Carbajo is a business credit expert, author, speaker, and founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle. He is a business credit blogger for Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp, the SBA.gov Community, About.com and All Business.com. His articles and blog; Business Credit Blogger.com, have been featured in ‘Fox Small Business’,’American Express Small Business’, ‘Business Week’, ‘The Washington Post’, ‘The New York Times’, ‘The San Francisco Tribune’,‘Alltop’, and ‘Entrepreneur Connect’.