

The internet isn’t always a reliable source for lenders and potential customers to learn about your business. The reviews and business ratings that appear might not be accurate and the information on your page could be outdated.
There’s also hesitancy to trust online listings. In 2017, Google said that only less than 1 percent of all listings were fake. However, some experts are wary of that claim considering that number was about 70 percent higher just two years prior.
What you need is a free D-U-N-S Number, issued from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B).
Dun & Bradstreet has been operating for 177 years, helping their customers and partners drive growth and improve business performance with data and analytics as the backbone of their business. With nearly 5,000 employees worldwide, they are an “established leader in commercial data and insight.”
As such, D&B is one of three credit report agencies that calculate business credit, alongside Experian and Equifax.
A D-U-N-S (data universal numbering system) number is a unique nine-digit value assigned to your business. It is generated by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) as a way to provide accurate and up-to-date information about the financial health and history of any company that has registered.
D&B claims that more than 330 million global businesses have signed up for a D-U-N-S number.
Think of your D-U-N-S number as a social security number for your business. If you personally apply for credit, banks or lenders can run your social security number to get accurate details about your finances and history.
A D-U-N-S number works the same way, although it’s not managed by the government. It provides lenders, customers, and potential business partners with a reliable score for your company that they can then use to determine financial stability and assess the risk involved with investing in or financing your business. In fact, the U.S. government requires that all businesses have a D-U-N-S Number if they want to apply for federal grants or cooperatives.
The process for establishing your D-U-N-S Number from D&B is simple:
After your D-U-N-S Number is set up and you start making business transactions, D&B will use that information to determine your business credit rating.
Just because you have a D-U-N-S number doesn’t mean your company is listed in good standing. Like a FICO credit rating for your personal finances, D&B created a PAYDEX Score that helps lenders determine the creditworthiness of a business with a D-U-N-S number.
PAYDEX uses the information collected by D&B to grade your business with a score from 1 to 100, which are broken into three categories:
In addition, D&B also generates a Delinquency Predictor Score (DPS) which forecasts the likelihood that your business will be late or default on payments. This score is on a scale from 1 to 5.
If you have a less favorable PAYDEX Score, you may be offered less money or a higher interest rate by lenders. The good news is that you can take steps to raise your PAYDEX Score using tactics to those for improving your personal credit, including:
You should also monitor your PAYDEX Score so you can tell if there is something in your D-U-N-S Number that is inaccurate. You can also monitor your score using a tool called Credit Signal that provides notifications and alerts.
If you’re serious about growing your business, it may be worth requesting a D-U-N-S Number. It only takes a few minutes and doesn’t cost you anything—unless you need the registration expedited. Having one will set you up with an opportunity to work with lenders and investors who can help you continue growing a thriving and successful business
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Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.