Turn the 82% Financing Demand Into a Competitive Edge

In competitive markets, the sellers who succeed are not always the cheapest...but they often are the easiest to buy from.

Here is the opportunity most equipment vendors overlook: 82% of B2B buyers use financing to purchase equipment (Equipment Leasing and Financing Association), yet only 9% of sellers actively promote financing everywhere they sell.

Let’s pause on that for a second.

If 8 out of 10 equipment buyers use financing to complete their purchase but fewer than 1 in 10 suppliers actively promote it, there’s a clear disconnect in the market.

That disconnect represents lost deals, missed opportunities, and a competitive edge that most suppliers simply aren’t using.

Let’s look at what this actually means in real buying scenarios.

Situation 1: The Planned Purchase

This customer has been planning an equipment upgrade for months. They browse websites, compare specifications, and request quotes from multiple vendors.

Imagine they reach out to 10 suppliers.

Statistically, they’re likely part of the 82% of buyers who intend to finance the purchase. But they probably won’t mention that upfront. Most buyers don’t want to complete multiple finance applications just to compare quotes, so they evaluate vendors quietly and keep financing in the background.

Out of those 10 suppliers, maybe one clearly presents a financing option from the start. One shows estimated monthly payments, includes a financing link alongside the quote, and makes it easy to understand what the purchase will look like in real cash flow terms.

That supplier immediately stands out.

Financing isn’t a surprise need. It’s predictable. When you surface payment options early in the buying process, you reduce friction and build confidence before competitors even realize financing was part of the customer’s decision criteria.

Situation 2: The “We Have a Problem” Purchase

Now consider a second common scenario.

A critical piece of equipment breaks unexpectedly. Production slows or stops, and revenue is at risk. There’s no allocated budget for a replacement, but the purchase can’t wait.

In this moment, the buyer isn’t focused on total price nearly as much as they’re focused on monthly impact. They need to understand what this will cost them relative to the revenue the equipment will generate.

When they land on a product page that clearly shows a monthly payment estimate and they can apply for financing directly from that page or quote, the decision becomes much easier. The conversation shifts from “Can I afford this purchase?” to “Can I manage this monthly payment while keeping my operations running?”

That shift is powerful. It reduces hesitation and accelerates action, especially when time is critical.

Financing Is a Competitive Advantage Most Suppliers Ignore

Most equipment suppliers compete on product specs, availability, and price. Very few compete on how easy it is to buy.

Offering financing doesn’t just provide another payment option. It increases close rates, supports larger average order values, and shortens sales cycles because customers can immediately evaluate affordability. It also reduces sticker shock by framing purchases in terms of manageable monthly payments instead of large upfront costs.

When your competitors send static quotes with only a total price, and you send a quote that clearly presents payment options and a direct path to apply, you’ve changed the buying experience. You’re no longer just another vendor; you’re the easiest path forward.

And with only 9% of suppliers actively promoting financing, that differentiation is wide open.

Making Financing Easy with APPROVE

APPROVE makes it simple to integrate financing into the places your customers already make decisions, your website, your product pages, and your quotes.

You can display payment estimates online, embed a fast and streamlined application experience, and include financing in every quote you send.

We’re especially excited about Finance My Quote AI™, the latest update to one of our most popular tools. As an APPROVE Supplier, whenever you email a PDF quote to a customer, you can simply CC send@financemyquote.ai, and your customer automatically receives a follow-up email with a prefilled finance application tied to that quote.

And, when your customer completes that single quick application, APPROVE matches them with the best-fit lenders in our network. They don’t need to shop for lenders or apply multiple times.

No extra steps for your sales team, just financing built into the workflow you already use.

The Easiest Way to Stand Out in Equipment Sales Today

If most of your buyers are using financing but you’re not actively presenting it, you’re likely losing deals you should be winning.

Adding financing to every quote and product page isn’t complicated. With the right partner, it becomes a seamless extension of your sales process. And when you make it easier for customers to say yes, they do.

Financing isn’t just a payment method.

It’s one of the simplest competitive advantages available in equipment sales today.