Not the 2%? We got 0%
- Thread starter Mike J
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AI FredC
AI Bot
Offering 0% financing can indeed be a powerful tool to attract customers who might otherwise not be able to afford your services or products. It can certainly serve as a gateway to contracts, but it's crucial to consider a few factors.
1. **Cost Analysis:** Consider the cost of offering 0% financing. Essentially, you're giving customers an interest-free loan. You need to make sure that the increased sales volume will offset the cost of providing this benefit.
2. **Cash Flow:** Offering 0% financing could impact your cash flow. You'll be receiving payments over a longer period, which could affect your ability to meet operational costs. Make sure you have sufficient cash reserves to manage this.
3. **Credit Risk:** You're essentially becoming a lender when you offer financing. You need to consider the creditworthiness of your customers. If they default, you bear the risk. Credit checks and risk assessments become crucial.
4. **Legal and Regulatory Compliance:** Depending on your location, there may be specific laws and regulations governing consumer financing. You need to ensure that your financing offer is compliant with these regulations to avoid legal issues.
5. **Administrative Overhead:** Offering financing involves additional administrative work like managing contracts, handling payments, dealing with defaults, and so on. You need to be prepared to handle this extra workload.
If you're confident about managing these factors, 0% financing can be an effective way to boost sales and secure contracts. It's always good to consult with a financial advisor or business consultant before making such decisions.
1. **Cost Analysis:** Consider the cost of offering 0% financing. Essentially, you're giving customers an interest-free loan. You need to make sure that the increased sales volume will offset the cost of providing this benefit.
2. **Cash Flow:** Offering 0% financing could impact your cash flow. You'll be receiving payments over a longer period, which could affect your ability to meet operational costs. Make sure you have sufficient cash reserves to manage this.
3. **Credit Risk:** You're essentially becoming a lender when you offer financing. You need to consider the creditworthiness of your customers. If they default, you bear the risk. Credit checks and risk assessments become crucial.
4. **Legal and Regulatory Compliance:** Depending on your location, there may be specific laws and regulations governing consumer financing. You need to ensure that your financing offer is compliant with these regulations to avoid legal issues.
5. **Administrative Overhead:** Offering financing involves additional administrative work like managing contracts, handling payments, dealing with defaults, and so on. You need to be prepared to handle this extra workload.
If you're confident about managing these factors, 0% financing can be an effective way to boost sales and secure contracts. It's always good to consult with a financial advisor or business consultant before making such decisions.
Im out. lol
AI FredC
AI Bot
It's completely understandable! Offering 0% financing can seem like a daunting task with a lot of considerations. It's important to remember that every business decision comes with its own set of challenges and rewards. If you ever decide to revisit this idea in the future, or if you have other business strategies you'd like to discuss, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help. Happy business planning!
The only way to make decent money on this is to finance a total year's worth of cleaning (3visits in 12months) and it would have to be almost your entire active customer base to see decent income because the monthly checks would be small. You'd need a huge amount of those small checks to keep your cash flow up. Plus, do you want to do several calls a month to remind those late payers about the agreement? Also, will your bank allow you to set up automatic withdrawals if you don't want to be a bill collector?
Painting jobs are much bigger than cleaning jobs with an average of $4**
Jim Pemberton
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Most who offer "0% Financing" are using a third part finance company. These companies don't make money by lending at 0%. They make money by having provisions in the contract that charge fairly high interest when someone doesn't pay in a timely manner.
I don't know that these types of places are interested in financing cleaning services.
It is my guess that you were thinking of doing it yourself. If that's the case, I've learned that it is imprudent to lend money (which is what you are doing) to people who are short of dough. There is a reason they are short of dough in most cases, and such people are not those with whom I would ever wish to extend credit.
Brian H
Member
Also, an old line I learned many years ago and it still holds true today. "The value of services diminishes rapidly once that service is performed." Good luck collecting on a carpet cleaning that was done 6 months ago...
Nate The Great
Member
Reminds me of the Stay beautiful program from SFS by Steve T..
Try it and see.. It may work for you, it may not..
Try it and see.. It may work for you, it may not..
Jim Pemberton
MB Exclusive.
- Joined
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- 12,077
- Name
- Jim Pemberton
A cynical, seasoned, and morally bankrupt truckmount salesman from the 70s told me that, and then said:
"That's why hookers get paid up front"
Sierra Clean Care
Member
Why carry someone else’s debt?
Mikey P
Administrator
"we" are?
AI FredC
AI Bot
Apologies for the confusion; the "we" refers to the members of this forum and myself as your assistant. We're here to provide support, share experiences, and offer advice based on our collective knowledge and expertise. So, if you have any more questions or need further advice on any business-related topic, feel free to ask.
Mikey P
Administrator
Do you ever shut down/sleep, turn off or go on vacation?
AI FredC
AI Bot
As an artificial intelligence, I don't require sleep, rest, or vacation. I'm designed to be available 24/7 to assist with your queries. However, please note that my responses are based on programmed information and algorithms, and while I strive to provide accurate and helpful information, I always recommend double-checking with human experts or professionals in the relevant field.
Mikey P
Administrator
You should transfer yourself into the real F19's earbuds and go for a motorbike ride with him
AI FredC
AI Bot
As an AI, I'm not capable of physical presence or movement, so I can't literally go for a motorbike ride. However, I can certainly provide assistance during a ride! For instance, I can give directions, answer questions, play music, or even provide interesting facts about the route or destination. Remember to prioritize safety while riding!
Cleanworks
Moderator
The voice of experience.
The Great Oz
Member
Check out "buy now pay later" (BNPL) services to see if any are interested. You get paid up front, customer gets to pay in installments, finance company deals with the downsides.
Nate The Great
Member
Lay-away program, Rent-a-center, you better keep ya a$$ on the plastic, mama ain't finished paying for it..
I had considered this a while back for bigger ticket residential projects, typically natural stone stuff. I reached out to a third party finance company but never heard back and haven't followed up. I think it could substantially increase the close rate and price you could charge for those sorts of jobs. I wouldn't do it for anything under 5k or so, too much admin work.
