The financial difficulties caused by COVID-19 have been a catalyst for suppliers working across both the public and private sectors. As more end-users struggle to find the capital for large scale purchases, suppliers are turning to alternative funding options to help close a higher proportion of sales.
Working with a range of suppliers across different industries, including healthcare, research, and green technologies, we understand that many of our partners have seen a decline in capital purchases over the past 18 months.
Offering flexible finance options can help combat the complexities around funding allocation within these sectors, ultimately providing end-users with flexible alternatives to a straightforward purchase agreement.
Here are some of the primary reasons for considering flexible finance, particularly in a post-COVID landscape…
1. Show your support to customers
Offering flexible finance solutions to your customer base not only shows that you understand the financial challenges that they are facing but also that you have a solution to help them.
This understanding helps ensure your finance options are bespoke and tailored to respond to contemporary challenges, to both build trust with your customer base and encourage repeat custom.
2. Stand out from competitors
During periods where budgets are strained, end users will look favourably at suppliers that offer finance options as opposed to only a capital purchase. This is particularly true for end users that have an urgent need for equipment.
3. Increase your revenue
One of the pitfalls of a capital purchase is that if costs need to be reduced, compromises are usually made on higher cost items.
The benefit of a flexible finance option is that it amalgamates the cost of the product, equipment or service into a manageable fee which is spread across a structured repayment plan.
We have seen how a flexible finance option can be particularly effective with modular healthcare providers, who can offer bespoke finance solutions to NHS Trusts (who often face budget challenges) to fund much-needed healthcare facilities.
4. Increased resilience for the end user
Having worked with suppliers in the research and innovation sector, we understand that the specialist equipment that they provide to research institutes and groups is often expensive, and project funding can be difficult to obtain.
Through flexible financing, researchers can benefit from the equipment for a set period (usually in line with the project delivery timeline). This means they are only paying for the time required to complete a project, allowing them to move on to new projects, which use new equipment, relatively easily.
This allows for increased resilience, with the option of taking on new research projects without worrying about yet another costly capital purchase.
5. Close the capital gap
The COVID-19 pandemic has made many businesses more cautious around parting with capital to ensure they have access to a healthy cash reserve should they need it.
Flexible finance options remove the need for companies to spend their capital in a one-off upfront purchase, instead, allowing them to spread the cost. The financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic has resulted in end users looking more favourably at flexible finance options.
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The important thing to remember when it comes to implementing an effective funding solution is that every situation is unique and requires a bespoke solution.
You must work in close partnership with end usersto understand their specific challenges and work together to solve these with an effective solution.
At Solutions Asset Finance, our team is experienced across a range of industries and quickly become an extension of your existing sales team, sharing this expertise and helping them successfully close sales.
Find out more about how we’ve worked with suppliers from a range of industries via our blog and get in touch with a member of our team to find out how we can work together via info@solutionsassetfinance.com