Why Pay for Business Background Checks?

You should do a business background check for any of the following reasons:

* Investigating potential partners.
* Investigating potential suppliers.
* Investigating potential customers who will be requesting credit.
* ID potential sales leads and obtain up-to-date contact information.
* Investigate any contractor you plan to hire, epsecially if they request payment in advance.

With millions of company profiles online, Manta.com makes it easy to find information on just about any business -- public or private, US-based or international.

Millions and Millions of Company Profiles

Many of the leading publishers of business information compete with their promises of the most company profiles. But since Manta.com subscribes to four different leading business information publishers, you can be assured of access to one of the largest available selections of company profiles. Manta.com uses Dun & Bradstreet, Icon, Datamonitor and SnapData, which gives any Manta.com user access to millions of company profiles from high-profile business information publishers. And with Manta's innovative pay-by-the-download service, there's no need to pay for anything you don't plan to use.

Instant Information at Your Fingertips

Hire someone to do a business background check and it can take weeks. Conducting business background checks with Manta.com is instant. Manta.com does not require any membrship fees. All you do is find the information you want on the Manta.com site and then download the reports to your computer, paying for them by the download with a credit card. You can obtain as many company profiles and industry reports as you wish and then have them immediately available to you in PDF format, where they can be stored or printed.

Millions and Millions of Profiles

Company profiles are the backbone of business research. A solid company profile obtained from a leading publisher of business information should tell you about the company's finances, where it stands in its industry segment, any outstanding court cases or recent judgements -- even the names and contact information for current company officers. If you're looking for business profiles, they're easy to find online. You can even get some for free at sites like Yahoo Business. If you're looking to purchase company profiles from a commercial publisher, make sure you choose one that has a good company profile database -- in the millions -- and offers a free trial, or at least examples of what you'll find when you actually purchase a profile.

Business Bloggers Interesting, But Not Reliable

Business bloggers make fabulous supplementary business and information sources, and often cover stories and break news you won't find in the mainstream media. And they're free. But don't ever confuse the quality of business information available from a business blogger with that available from Manta.com, and the leading business information publishers who provide Manta's information. Companies like Dun & Bradstreet and Icon have become industry leaders by obtaining and presenting quality business information that is run through a professional editorial process before being published. So if you're doing business background checks, pay attention to the bloggers, but remember that solid information comes from professional business information specialists like Manta.com.

Inside a Company Profile

Company profiles from commercial business information providers hold a wealth of business information. When you access a company profile from Manta.com, you can expect to see any of the following, depending on which tiered option you purchase:

* A description of the business.
* HQ address and phone.
* Company offices.
* Annual sales
* Number of employees
* Year founded
* Web addresses
* Stock exchange and ticker symbol
* Year founded
* Credit report and score
* Pending litigation against the company
* Reports from suppliers
* Predictive analysis

Millions and Millions of Profiles

Company profiles are the backbone of business research. A solid company profile obtained from a leading publisher of business information should tell you about the company's finances, where it stands in its industry segment, any outstanding court cases or recent judgements -- even the names and contact information for current company officers. If you're looking for business profiles, they're easy to find online. You can even get some for free at sites like Yahoo Business. If you're looking to purchase company profiles from a commercial publisher, make sure you choose one that has a good company profile database -- in the millions -- and offers a free trial, or at least examples of what you'll find when you actually purchase a profile.

Investigating a Private Company? You Need Help

In the US, public companies -- companies that have issued common stock -- are required to release detailed business information, which is available publicly. Private companies are not under the same requirements to release information, which can make it much harder to do a successful business background check on a private company. This is when you can turn to a service like Manta.com, with access to millions of private company profiles online. Manta.com uses four different leading publishers of business information, making the chances really strong that if you're looking for a specific comapny profile, Manta.com will have it available online.

Sample Before Buying

The quality of business information can vary greatly from provider to provider, and most providers will not let you see any information until you pay something up front. So if you're looking to access a company profile as part of a business background check, find an information provider that will at least let you see a sample report first. At Manta.com, you are always able to see a sample PDF from any of the business information publishers Manta.com uses. These are complete reports, too. Often, you can also see a summary on the specific business or industry. Both of these give Manta.com customers a good chance to evaluate content before purchasing.

Get All the Info With Company Profiles

Whether you're trying to generate sales leads or perform competitive analysis, you need to have access to serious business information to perform a serious business background check. The easiest way to do this at the lowest cost is by accessing a company profile from a leading publisher of business information. These company profiles contain everything from credit reports to contact information. Manta.com has access to millions of company profiles from leading publishers of business information, like Dun & Bradstreet and Icon. You can download entire profiles, or portions of them, from Manta.com for as low as $9.95 per download.

Confidentiality is Required

It's critical when performing business background checks that your information needs and investigations remain secret. Hire someone to do your research and your secrets are subject to being released whenever that person speaks. But if you work with an online specialist like Manta.com, you can access information on millions of companies and hundreds of industries alone at your computer, with no other outside sources. Manta.com pledges to keep your information secret as well, using encrypted servers and secure databases to store your transactions and personal information.

Consumer Grade Informations vs. Professional Grade Information

Some Internet sites offer more than 9,000 company profiles available for free. So why should you pay Manta.com for access to its company profiles? Easy. You wouldn't try to ride across the USA on a $100 bike. Manta has millions of companies on file, packed with quality company profile information. Most free sites only include public companies, but Manta has company profiles on public and private companies, in the US and internationally.