ACTIVE PARTICIPANT

 

You should know... The bulk of the data appearing in your business credit profile is acquired by sources outside of D&B, whether from banks, credit card underwriters, state and federal agencies, vendors and suppliers, or third party providers.  Very few people actually take into account that they, as an active participant in their own company, are oftentimes D&B's most valuable source for business data.  There is no one who knows more about your business than you, and nothing can compare to this inside information.

 

Are you actively participating in your progress?

 

I compare building your own business credit to building your own pizza -- which may be easy enough if you are in the pizza business.  If you already have the flour, salt, and yeast for the dough, the tomatoes, peppers, onions and seasonings for the sauce, the pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese for the toppings, and (most of all) the time, energy, and recipe to put it all together, you can whip it up in no time.  But for most of us, getting a hot and tasty pizza requires you to pick up the phone and order from your favorite pizzeria.

 

If you're like me, the last thing you want to do is put in a lot of time and energy to be able to satisfy your immediate hunger.  But even if you choose to take the easy way out, you still have to be an active participant.  You have to actually pick up a phone, place an order, and take out your charge card.  You still have to wait for delivery and, eventually, you will have to "open the door" to get to your goal of eating the pizza.

 

A solid D&B report is crucial to being able to fund your day-to-day operations and plan for growth, expansion, or investment.  But it also requires you to be an "active participant" in order to move forward at a steady pace.   Even if you hire a company such as Starpoint Credit Solutions to do the bulk of the legwork, you will still need to provide the required information, answer the necessary questions, follow the directions you are given, and take on some of the tasks that only you can accomplish.

 

Only you can actually "open the door" to get to your goal of a complete, creditworthy business profile.  The difference between succeeding quickly, taking longer to get to your goal, or failing altogether can oftentimes be attributed solely on a client's willingness to participate.

 

To think that you can hire someone to do the work and then not participate in the process is foolish and unrealistic.  We work very hard to set the appropriate expectations so you can get an approximate idea of what the services will cost, how long it can take to get to completion, and what additional steps you will have to participate in to reach your ultimate goal.

 

Our client contract is absolutely transparent, outlining what additional fees you may be responsible for paying to outside organizations for things like phone services or personal credit reports.  In this example, if you already have existing phone service in your company name or already have a personal credit monitoring service, you know in advance that you will not be required to purchase these outside services.  Your active participation is required so that we know where you are starting from, but it is also required as we move forward.

 

We are aware you have a business to run.  We know you are busy and your time and energies are being expended elsewhere.  We understand that special arrangements sometimes need to be made to be able to match your schedule with ours.  One way or another, though, we need to find a common balance so we can gather the required information, verify necessary documents and data, and move you forward to completion on a timeframe that benefits both of us.

 

While we are able to accomplish much of what we do without your constant attention, there are certain elements that cannot be completed without your participation.  If we need to schedule an appointment to meet on another day or time, we are accessible and willing to work within your needs.  We work to avoid delays that could push back your timeline and put us behind schedule.

 

Each client has an equal opportunity to obtain business credit.  Each are given all the tools they need to be able to establish strong business credit for their company, now and in the future.  Each will move at a different pace depending on their individual drive, determination and obstacles.  But only clients who are willing to become active participants in their own future will get to their goals.  Without the willingness to "open the door", your credit possibilities will be left standing outside on the steps, unrecognized and unfulfilled.

 

Whether you are an existing client or someone just thinking about signing up, understand that it's okay if an unexpected setback crosses your path, just don't unpack and move in there.   Let us better serve you to reach your highest potential.