--- begin forwarded text Date: Sat, 05 Jul 1997 09:00:32 -0400 From: Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com> Reply-To: rah@shipwright.com Organization: The Shipwright Development Corporation MIME-Version: 1.0 To: rah@shipwright.com Subject: InfoWorld discovers reputation capital http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?97073.eabi.htm Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; name="displayStory.pl" Content-Disposition: inline; filename="displayStory.pl" X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by lbo.leftbank.com id IAA11662 [Image] [Click here to download free Microsoft Visual FoxPro tools!] [| Navigational map -- for text only please go to the bottom of the page |] [|Top News Stories|] ABI offers instant company background check on the Web By Lisa Moskowitz PC World Online Posted at 9:03 AM PT, Jul 3, 1997 If you run a company, large or small, it's good practice to know exactly who you're doing business with before you sign any contracts. Now you can get the lowdown on potential partners online at a low price. American Business Credit, a division of American Business Information (ABI), sells reports on the credit of the more than 10 million businesses in the United States for $3 a pop. Reports include company name, address, phone number, fax number, number of employees, type of business, Standard Industrial Classification codes, estimated sales volume, names of competitors, branch and headquarter locations, Internet address, and credit rating. The rating is based on in-house research of public information conducted by ABI. "A lot of small businesses looking for initial credit screening up front come to our Web site," said Rich Chrostek, ABI general manager. "The Web service is good for small orders, between 20 and 50 a year, and there's no long-term contract involved." Customers can order one of ABI's Business Profiles by typing in the name of the business they wish to check on, registering as a user, and entering a credit card number. Within minutes they can view the profile online, then download and print it. The same information at the same price can be ordered by calling (888) 274-5325. Dun & Bradstreet, ABI's chief competitor, also offers credit reports via the Web, but only contract subscribers have access to the most comprehensive of its documents, Business Information Reports. Subscription fees vary according to customer needs. Dun & Bradstreet offers two types of credit profile on the Internet: the Business Background report for $20, and the Supplier Evaluation for $85. Although these reports are more expensive than ABI's Business Profiles, they contain different -- and sometimes more extensive -- information. According to ABI's Chrostek, the company's Business Profile is the cheapest business credit report available on the Web. "We're giving a cost-effective snapshot of a business," he said. "We're a tool, not an end-all solution." ABI also sells a CD-ROM of Business Profiles, which is recommended for customers who need several hundred credit reports. The CD-ROM is updated quarterly and costs $595 for an annual license and 1,000 profiles. American Business Information Inc. can be reached at http://www.lookupusa.com//. PC World Online, an InfoWorld Electric sister publication, can be reached at http://www.pcworld.com/. Go to the Week's Top News Stories Please direct your comments to InfoWorld Electric News Editor Dana Gardner. Copyright © 1997 InfoWorld Publishing Company | SiteMap | Search | PageOne | Conferences | Reader/Ad Services | | Enterprise Careers | Opinions | Test Center | Features | | Forums | Interviews | InfoWorld Print | InfoQuote | --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert Hettinga (rah@shipwright.com), Philodox e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' The e$ Home Page: http://www.shipwright.com/