“The benefits of flexible financing really do add up and we’ve noticed a shift in strategy in the market,” says Nimans’ Head of Dealer Sales Tim Freeth. “For example Avaya’s 0% finance through Avaya Financial Services has been proving increasingly popular since its launch last year, with the offer recently extended until September 2009. The manufacturer has also launched an innovative Advanced Funding Programme which is designed to take the financial pressure off a reseller.”
Tim points out that finance and leasing is available for deals large and small - playing a key role in helping a dealer maintain sales, especially as economic conditions show little sign of improving. “I think the smaller deals are slowing down but at the bigger end of the scale there is still plenty of activity. Finance and leasing offers an attractive proposition and removes one of the biggest hurdles dealers face when trying to clinch a sale, and that is cash flow.
“These types of arrangements are becoming more prevalent and as times get tougher, there’s a logical reason for doing it. Finance and leasing offers a great advantage in terms of cash flow for the customer as it spreads the cost of the investment over the useful life of the equipment. Different finance options also build in a degree of flexibility, so agreements can be amended and adjusted for any new products or services. Equally if a company grows, equipment can be changed or up-graded as they go along.”
Tim also highlighted that it’s not just the end users who need support during challenging economic times. “Avaya has just launched an Advanced Funding Programme so that business partners can sign a deal where the distribution element of a purchase will be paid directly to the supplier by Avaya Financial Services and then 50% of the reseller’s element will be paid upfront to them to alleviate cash flow and pay for installation costs. Once the install is complete then Avaya Financial Services will pay the remaining 50% to the business partner.”