Selling is all about the art of attraction. An effective seller goes beyond knowing what a customer needs – that doesn’t take much analysis, after all – and examines what they want. Now, as a retail business owner, you surely know that, and you have probably devoted a lot of time to researching what your customers want and how you can deliver for them.
But have you considered the possibility that you may have a blind spot? What if there is one area where you haven’t put enough time and effort into optimizing what you’re offering to be what your customers really want? As you may have guessed, we’re talking about your consumer finance program.
A robust consumer finance program is one of the best ways to make more sales, distinguish yourself from the competition, and build strong, lasting relationships with your customers – which in turn, of course, will help you net more revenue. But how do you get customers more interested in your financing options? How do you work the art of attraction to take your consumer finance program from an afterthought to a heavy hitter for your business? Here are a few easy tips to get you started.
Tip #1 – Integrate Consumer Financing Into Your Sales Pitch
Financing should not be a targeted pitch, or the last thing your sales associates bring up at the end of an interaction. It should be foregrounded in the conversation, centralized, and made a key part of your sales messaging.
Think about it: if a business is selling you a product or service and they seem hesitant to pitch it to you, or you only find out about it from some short description at the bottom of a brochure, or a poster on a wall behind a counter, would you really be super interested in that offering? Of course not. By the same token, customers aren’t going to get out bed for a consumer finance offering that is meekly or weakly presented as just ‘kind of an option.’
Enforce and reinforce to your sales team the importance of your consumer finance program. The equation is simple and easy to remember: more applications equals more revenue over time. Make sure your team is bringing the energy and centering financing options right smack in the middle of the pitch.
Tip #2 – Relationships, Relationships, Relationships
Three times isn’t enough, so we’ll say it again: relationships. If you’re not building strong relationships with your customers, you’re letting revenue walk out the door. Financing options help establish trust, and you can get your customer more interested in financing by simply showing that you care about them. You want them to make a purchase.
Show your customers how important they are to you by devoting your time, and that of your team, to establishing strong customer relationships, using consumer financing as a key building block. Just demonstrating that you really care about them, and that you want them to be able to get what they want, in addition to what they need, will set you apart from much of your competition.
Tip #3 – Make the Finance Process As Pain-Free As Possible
Last, but certainly not least, you need to make sure that the consumer finance process you have in place is engaging and convenient, and not a turn-off. All the hard work setting up the financed sale won’t matter in the end if you have a slow, laborious application process that loses that day’s sale, or repeat business.
The best way to make sure your consumer finance program is up to snuff is with FormPiper, a complete consumer finance automation solution. Streamline your application process by allowing your customers to apply at their convenience from the device of their choice and reduce the wasted time and potential embarrassment of the old school multi-lender application process by using FormPiper to fill multiple application forms and transmit to multiple lenders with a single click.
Ultimately, if you want to get more customers interested in your financing options, FormPiper is your secret weapon and ace in the hole. Schedule a demo today or check out our case studies to see for yourself why so many retail business owners choose the FormPiper solution.
