Want Credit? First You Must Be Listed in D&B!
Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) traces its roots back to 1841, when the company was founded to provide reliable, objective credit information to subscribers. Today, D&B maintains a database of over 240 million companies in more than 200 countries worldwide. Is your company one of them?
The process starts by requesting a D&B D-U-N-S Number, a unique 9-digit identifier that is used to establish a credit file for your company. This credit file is accessed, or “pulled,” by lenders and potential business partners to assess the stability, credit history and credit worthiness of your company. If your company is looking to borrow money or take out an insurance policy, D&B is the first place your lender or broker will go. Having a D-U-N-S Number is a requirement for doing business with the federal government, and many private companies as well.
Getting a D-U-N-S number is fast, easy and, as reported on the D&B website, free. Here are some things you’ll need:
- Legal name
- Headquarters name and address for your business
- Doing Business As (DBA) or other name by which your business is commonly recognized
- Physical address, city, state and ZIP Code
- Mailing address (if separate from headquarters and/or physical address)
- Telephone number
- Contact name and title
- Number of employees at your physical location
- Whether you are a Home-Based Business
Exporters will be asked additional questions about the company’s ownership.
Be ready for the day when you will want a Working Capital Loan or to apply for Export Credit Insurance – go to the D&B website and register today. (Please be aware that D&B also offers an annual monitoring service. You are under no obligation to purchase this product.)
Once you have your D-U-N-S Number, it is important your company’s information be accurate and up-to-date. But that’s another blog for another day.
Register for Your D-U-N-S Number
