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Urge Your Vendors to Report Part II

October 8th, 2008

A few months ago, I reported on Experian’s effort to get companies to report business credit accounts to Experian. Now D&B is trying to make it easier for companies to report as well. They have launched a free service companies can use to report their accounts receivables to D&B from Quickbooks.

I can say from experience that in the past, reporting to D&B has been difficult and expensive. While I haven’t given this service a try, it sounds like it could be a very useful tool for business owners who want to report. Business owners who are trying to build business credit may want to urge their lenders and vendors to check it out.

The downside, of course, is the possibility that mistakes and false information may be reported. Without a law that gives business owners the right to view and dispute their credit information for free, it’s possible that one of your vendors or clients is reporting wrong payment info — and you don’t know it.

If you try out this service, I’d love to hear how it works for you!

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Improve Your Cash Flow: Collect Debts You Are Owed

September 15th, 2008

Recently a friend called me about a debt she is owed. She operates a small business consulting firm and another small business owner stiffed her for about a grand. It’s not a huge amount of money, but collecting it would make a difference to her. (And since she provided the service, she should be able to collect.)

She was asking for my advice in collecting.  An attorney was out of the question (too expensive - and the client is in a different state) and the collection agency she had contacted wasn’t interested in one small debt.

Here’s another option she might consider:

Dun & Bradstreet’s Debt Collection Services
Affordable Debt Collection Services

Their offerings include:

• DunsDemand Letter - send a “wake up call” to slow payers

• DunsDemand Letter Series - convey the seriousness of the delinquency and escalate the collection process by sending three letters

• Contingent Collection - an effective combination of DunsDemand Letters and telephone calls made by a professional collections agent

How it works:

DunsDemand Letters are sent within a 30 day period by Receivable Management Services, a D&B partner, on your behalf. These letters will be sent on RMS letterhead and will have a tear-off remittance included for your customers to mail their payments directly to you

Starting at just $25, these services aren’t expensive and might just do the trick. If your business is owed money, it might be worth a try.

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In Credit Crunch, Business Comes First

September 8th, 2008

Business owners are electing to pay business debts at the expense of personal debts, reports Experian(tm). In a comprehensive study covering 2.7 million business owners over the course of a year, the global information services company found that found that business owners with a severe mortgage delinquency were more likely to pay their business obligations instead of their mortgage.

Experian’s research showed that because of deteriorating equity, high mortgage payments and limited refinancing options, business owners chose to ensure the business’ survival, preserving their source of income at the risk of losing their home. That’s the bad news.

Here’s the good news:

Business owners were less likely to experience a 90+ day delinquency on their mortgage than other consumers. In fact, by April 2008, the average home owner was 1.5 times more likely to experience severe mortgage delinquency than the average business owner

Additionally, Experian’s study found that small-business owners are relying on commercial lending options more often than personal financing options, to support their businesses. We think that’s smart business and it may very well allow the business owner to keep their business even if they have to start over personally.

But of course, the downside is that business owners’ personal credit can impact their business financing. Experian, which sells a credit score that blends the business owner’s credit with the credit of the business, points out that consumer scores work great for assessing consumer risk, but their blended score performs nearly twice as well as a consumer score for assessing business risk.

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Problems Building Business Credit Part Two

September 2nd, 2008

In a previous post, I replied to a reader who is skeptical about building business credit. Here is some more correspondence on this topic:

I appreciate your response to my question. My business is two years old and I have perfect business credit with DNB and an intermediate score with Experian. Additionally, far as personal credit, I did all I could to increase the score.

I have a student loan that will not be paid off any time soon. In the beginning I believed that building perfect business credit would be the perfect solution to my problem. Of course, after I followed the steps I realize ultimately personal credit still plays a factor. I have several trade accounts with small credit lines nothing serious.

But I am looking to obtain a line of credit from $100-$200,000.00 dollars. That is the reason I formed (my corporation) to acquire an existing company. Technically my company is a start up, but through building credit I established creditability of paying on time and my company has matured to the time banks require businesses.

Ms. Detweiler, I’ve been at this for six years with no results. I hired every consultant I can think of. Should I give up? What would you do in this case?

This is a great conversation, because it illustrates some of the myths floating around about business credit. Read the rest of this entry »

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Building Business Credit webcast available now

July 28th, 2008

The Wells Fargo Small Business Webcast Sound Credit Practices for Your Business is now available. I was honored to be chosen to participate in this panel discussion with leading financial industry insiders and business owners as we talked about how to build business credit, and effectively manage business credit and cash flow. The program focuses on financial management principles that support long-term stability and growth.

Sound Credit Practices for Your Business offers tips and strategies to small business owners looking for ways to safeguard and strengthen their businesses. This webcast will provide informative, relevant and timely advice on how to implement and manage sound credit practices.

If you haven’t viewed a webcast before, it is like attending a seminar…from the comfort of your home or office. You simply watch online with both audio and video.

The webcast was moderated by Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation.com. I’ve seen and admired Rich’s work for years, but was even more impressed when I met him in person. He’s both very smart and very funny. And I learned a lot working with the other panelists:

• Michael Billeci, Regional President, Greater Bay Area Region, Wells Fargo
• Scott Anderson, Ph.D. Senior Economist, Wells Fargo
• Jerry L. Mills, CPA, Founder and CEO, B2B CFO
• Sharon Evans, President and CEO, The Business Resource Group

Free registration for this webcast is now available at www.wellsfargo.com/biz/webcast.

About the Wells Fargo Small Business Webcast Series

Wells Fargo’s Small Business Webcast Series of interactive, online sessions is designed to help small business owners meet their business growth and management goals. The series, which launched in 2007, is one of Wells Fargo’s many resources to help small business owners succeed financially.

The latest addition to the library of small business resources in the webcast series is Sound Credit Practices for Your Business. The webcast series library also includes: Financing Strategies for Your Business, Protecting Your Business, Technology and Your Business, and Health Care Options for Your Business.

For more information on the series or to view one of these programs, visit www.wellsfargo.com/biz/webcast.

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