Get Out Your Checkbook

The only drawback is the work that must be done up front by the printer. "It's time consuming and it's complex in terms of what they want," says Dugan. "For privately owned small businesses, personal guarantees are required, and personal financial information is required."

Think Boy Scout

According to Roper, customers have been much better prepared of late. "They're much more prepared than they were in the late 1990s or early 2000s," he says. "Credit was so easy, they didn't expect anybody to ask any tough questions. Now, when they come, they're a lot more prepared and a lot more willing to give the information that you need to make a good credit decision."