astro posted on July 14, 2010 17:04
Micosoft is making noise again about its available partner financing solutions.
At WPC, the company just reaffimed its relationships with multiple financing providers and shardesigned to facilitate IT purchases: hardware, software and/or services. Microsoft resees itps say they see this program, started in 2003 and expanded globally in recent years, as a way to help end users to obtain the products they need in a timely manner while helpping VARs and MSPs grow their business, free of their customers’ own financial issues.
In the US, financing partners are well-known and include Banc of America Leasing & Capital, LLC (B of A), General Electric Capital Corporation, De Lage Landen Financial Services (DLL), General Electric Capital Corporation and PNC Equipment Finance. PNC financing is focused on small and mid-sized customers in the US. In other areas of the world, varied finance providers serve Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, Italy, and Japan.
Microsoft has found through its partners that when flexible, affordable financing options are available, IT implementations are faster and larger in scope. Also, top-line revenues and bottom-line profits can increase, because with the financing provided to their customers, partners can minimize discounting.
It’s a win-win-win situation. Partners can engage more deeply with their customers and facilitate the acquisition of a total technology solution while strengthening their business and customer relationships. Partner cash-flow improves as they are typically tpaid in full within days (sometimes hours) of approving the contract.
Streamlined contracts mean customers also benefit .... They can manage their IT costs as one investment with enhanced self-serve capabilities.
Partners have expressed that they like to bring customers a “how to pay” solution, especially if sales are facilitated!
Partner James Crowter, managing director, of Technology Management, says “Having access to specialist funding facilities via Microsoft Financing provides us with a distinct competitive advantage.”
Partner Steve Hall, CEO of District Computers said: “We had one customer who was deliberating for six months on a project. We introduced Microsoft Financing into the conversation and they signed the deal two weeks later.” Read the case study.
Concluded Neil Langridge, marketing manager at Windowmaker “The flexibility of Microsoft Financing enables us to increase the order value, with options that the customer can benefit from today, but effectively pay for by spreading the financial load over several years.”
Learn more about the flexible payment options offered and the SmartPay self-service portal has been developed to make the financing process simple for partners to offer customers payment estimates and tools to price a proposed deal. Read more here.