When it comes to closing the sale, the success rate depends heavily on a customer's ability to pay for the equipment or the service. A perfect sales presentation can be harpooned by a customer's poor credit rating or lack of financing choices. And many contractors and their salespeople lose the time and expense it takes to complete a deal.
When statistics are added up, a lot of potential deals involving lots of dollars can slip away from contractors. According to Mark Berch of Service Financial Co. LLC, Boca Raton, Fla., of the $18 billion per year in replacement systems, 60 percent of them are financed.