Many business owners find out they have a business credit file when they apply for a loan or are bidding on a contract and are told their D&B scores and ratings aren’t where they need to be to qualify. In some cases, they are just turned down for the loan or passed over for the contract and they never learn why.

So what is business credit and how can it affect your business?

When a representative from another company pulls your business credit report they are usually trying to answer the following questions:

• Is this business credible?
• How quickly does this company pay its bills?
• How likely is it that this business might default on a loan?
• How large of a project can this business handle?

Funding or Loans – Many traditional lenders will use your Dun & Bradstreet scores and ratings to help make decisions about whether or not to grant your loan and at what terms. Learn more >

Contracts – Whether you’re a supplier, manufacturer, or own a construction firm, a company you’ve wanted to work with has probably pulled your business credit report to help determine whether or not your business will be a reliable partner. Learn more >

Risk – If you’re on the other side of the fence and looking for vendors, you might want to consider pulling a company’s business credit report. The D&B scores and ratings on the report will help you ascertain, if you want to work with that particular company or not.  Learn more >

Most federal, state, and local government contracting opportunities require your business to have a D&B D-U-N-S® Number, which can be found in your D&B business credit file.

What’s in a business credit report?

A Dun & Bradstreet business credit report may show the following scores and ratings:

• D&B PAYDEX^®
• D&B^® Delinquency Predictor Score
• D&B^® Financial Stress Score
• D&B^® Supplier Evaluation Risk Rating
• D&B^® Credit Limit Recommendation
• D&B^® Rating
• D&B^® Viability Rating™

The linked videos have a short explanation of each of these scores.

What can a strong business credit profile help you do? 

	Win sales & loans opportunities
	Negotiate for more favorable lines of credit
	Improve finance rates & terms
	Increase cash flow
	Demonstrate greater credibility to help increase deals & sales

 

If you’d like to learn more right away, check out How Does Business Credit (Yours and Others) Affect Your Business? or call 1-800-210-5567.

*The information and advice provided by Dun & Bradstreet and its Credit Advisors during business credit counseling sessions are provided “as-is.” Dun & Bradstreet makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, with respect to such information and the results of the use of such information, including but not limited to implied warranty of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Neither Dun & Bradstreet nor any of its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates or their respective partners, officers, directors, employees or agents shall be held liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential, including but not limited to lost revenues or lost profits, arising from or in connection with a business’s use of or reliance on the information or advice given during any counseling session.