“We would be out of
business without vendor financing” according to the president of a distributor
of commercial strength and cardio equipment.
Almost 65 percent of this company’s revenues are generated utilizing a
vendor financing program implemented over ten years ago.
Vendor financing
programs provide manufacturers, distributors and dealers from a wide variety of
industries the capability to offer customers a convenient way to acquire their
products at the point of sale. A few of
the key benefits vendor financing provides include:
- Improved vendor cash flow through pre-funding, or financing of the down payment, and reduced receivables through collection of the balance upon delivery of the product
- Improved margins and higher sales by focusing the customer on monthly payments instead of price reductions
- A faster selling cycle – fewer worries about whether your customer has the money in its capital budget or if they can (or will try to) find financing on their own
- Transfer of the financing risk to a third party through non-recourse programs
- The ability to open up new markets including selling your products
With programs that
can provide financing in amounts as little as $5 thousand, vendor financing can
be implemented to cover most asset types and a variety of customer credit
profiles including start-ups and early stage companies. For amounts up to $100 thousand (and higher),
many financings can be approved in as little as one hour after your customer
completes a one page application. For
larger transactions, approvals can be obtained as quickly as four hours
following the submission of financial statements and tax returns. Lease terms can extend from 12 to 60 months
for equipment with long useful lives sold to qualifying credits.
According to one manufacturer
of equipment, the flexibility, creativity and extraordinary support it enjoys
through its vendor financing program provides it with a competitive advantage. Its vice president of sales firmly believes
that choosing the right programs and leasing company can be the difference in
winning a sales competition. A few questions
to ask in selecting the best leasing company for your business include:
- Flexibility – Can the financier fund my A, B & C credits? Can soft costs be included in the financing amount? Will all credits be financed without recourse to the vendor?
- Minimums and maximums – How small and how large of a deal can the financier fund? Any limitations on how much credit it can extend to any given buyer? Any overall minimum or maximum volume requirements to create a program for your company?
- Creativity – How many different programs structures and end user offerings can the financier provide? Will the financier create unique programs to meet the special needs of certain customers?
- Risk Management – Will the financier help you evaluate the creditworthiness of prospective customers?
- Service – What levels of support do you require for sales, marketing, administration and deal structuring? Do your customers require a personal touch or will a highly automated system be a better fit with your sales methods?
If you can
visualize your company as a one-stop solution provider to your customer’s needs
through having the ability to offer fast and easy equipment financing, then
vendor financing may provide you with new and profitable opportunities.
Are you a small or medium sized manufacturer or distributor who needs assistance with a vendor financing program? Marshall Lebovits of Asset Based Funding Solutions has over 30 years of experience in the secured financing industry and creates vendor financing solutions with Baycap. He can be reached at (310) 344-2522 or via email at Marshall@Funding911.com.
