Cheaper by the Download

Small businesses often don't have a lot of money for anything extra -- and business research is often considered an extra cost. But you can't ignore business research -- for competitive intelligence, building a business plan, or even finding sales contacts. If you're a small business owner without a lot of money, you can try your own Internet research. But using a business information publisher who charges by the download can be less expensive in the long run. Many leading business information publishers offer reports for small businesses. Pay for what you use when you need it and avoid monthly or annual fees.

Tiered Pricing Plan for Small Businesses

Even small businesses need to do business research and develop business intelligence. But with most small businesses, extra cash isn't easy to come by and must be spent carefully when available. That's why small businesses looking for a complete and reasonably priced business resource turn to Manta.com. Manta.com does not charge monthly or annual fees. Instead, Manta.com customers pay only for what they choose to download, with per-download prices starting at $9.95.

Can't Rely on Business Blogs as Single Information Sources

Whether you write a business blog or use business blogs as information sources while collecting business intelligence, you need to remember one thing: Business blogs can be great information sources, but they aren't always reliable or accurate. Business blogs are not held up to the same burden of proof as information published by established commercial providers like D&B, Icon and Datamonitor. So make sure to pay attention to some good business blogs in your field. But when it comes to solid business research, you still need to pay attention to commercial providers like Manta.com, which presents reliable and professionally reported and edited information.

Cheaper by the Download

Small businesses often don't have a lot of money for anything extra -- and business research is often considered an extra cost. But you can't ignore business research -- for competitive intelligence, building a business plan, or even finding sales contacts. If you're a small business owner without a lot of money, you can try your own Internet research. But using a business information publisher who charges by the download can be less expensive in the long run. Many leading business information publishers offer reports for small businesses. Pay for what you use when you need it and avoid monthly or annual fees.

Writing a Marketing Plan? Turn to an Industry Resource

Trying to develop a marketing plan for your small business? You're going to need to understand your industry, as well as your own business. Turning to a business resource like Manta.com for help is going to make a lot of sense. Manta.com has hundreds of industry profiles online from industry leader Datamonitor. Manta.com users can easily search the Manta.com site, drill down to the specific industry they are looking for, and download analyses. It makes business research easy, and writing a solid small business marketing plan a little easier.

How to Get Your Business Listed

Just as you might turn to Manta.com to get new prospect lists, you want to make sure your own company listing is there, too. Small businesses need all the publicity they can get, especially free or low-cost publicity. Manta.com uses four leading business resouces -- D&B, Icon, Datamonitor and Snapdata. Each of these business research databases have their own rules for applying to get in. If you want to make sure your business is listed on Manta.com, contact each of the above business resources by going to their web sites.

Millions of Small Businesses Online

Which business information provider has the most small businesses? There's no clear answer. But this much is clear: With subscriptions to four leading business information publishers, Manta.com is a solid business resource for small business information. Manta.com has millions of small businesses in its online databases. You'd be surprised how many small businesses are in the Manta.com database. Check it out for yourself.

Check on Your Suppliers

Suppliers can be the lifeline of a small business. You can't run a restaurant without food or a publishing company without paper and ink. With Manta.com's tiered pricing plan, it's easy to do business research on any current or potential suppliers. As a business resource, Manta.com can help you get an early warning any of your suppliers is having financial trouble. Since Manta.com only charges by the download, you can use this business resource as you need it, with no extra or hidden fees.

Fill Your Business Blog With Solid Information

One great way to promote your small business is with a business blog. You can use a blog to build a virtual community around your site. Do it right and your blog will become an ongoing information resource, with a regular audience. Of course, you need to be able to fill your blog with solid information about your industry. Consider Manta.com as a business resource for your small business blog. With no annual or monthly fees and prices as low as $9.95 per download, it's a solid and reasonably priced information source.

Check Them Out Before You Sign Them On

Thinking of extending credit to a new customer, bringing in a partner, or hiring a contractor who wants to be paid partly in advance? Check Manta.com's giant database of business research. Look for your customer's credit score, a potential partner's bill paying record, or the contractor's legal record. With Manta.com's pay-by-the download plan, you don't need to invest a lot of money, either. Go online to the Manta.com site, search by company name or industry, and see what's available. If you think it might be useful, pay by credit card for an instant download.

Free Business Information Can Cost You

There are plenty of free business information resources out there, from government filings to publicly accessible databases on the Internet. So why should you, a small business owner, pay Manta.com for business intelligence? Here are three good reasons:

* Free information isn't always easy to find. Manta.com makes all its information easily available in a searchable online database, giving you more time to run your business.

* Free business information resources are not always the most complete or accurate sources. With providers like D&B and Icon, Manta.com has information from some of the most trusted names in the business.

* Free business information resources most often do not cover the spectrum of businesses that Manta has in its online database of private companies and public companies.

Build Sales Contacts with Easy Downloads

To keep your small business growing successfully, you need a constant supply of qualified sales contacts -- without breaking the bank to find them. This is where Manta.com can help. Manta.com's online business resource database has millions of company profiles, with up-to-date contact information. For $9.95 per download, you can get instant contact names and numbers for specific companies you are interested in. Or you can troll through industry and geographical listings trying to find new customers. Either way, Manta.com is a reasably priced businss resource for developing new sales contact information.