Evaluating Customer Financing Options For Your Home Improvement Business

If your business already offers financing, the question isn’t whether financing belongs in your sales process. It’s whether your current program still fits the way your business sells today.
A financing provider that worked when your jobs were smaller, your team had fewer reps, or financing was offered only when a customer asked for it may not be the best fit as your business grows.

The signs aren’t always obvious. Your current program might appear to be doing its job while still creating friction for your sales team, customers, or larger projects.

Here are 5 things to look for that indicate your current program may not be the best fit:

Sign 1: Your reps only bring up financing after a customer objects to price

Think about when financing typically enters the conversation.

Is it presented alongside the estimate? Or does your team wait until a customer hesitates at the price?

If reps have to memorize rate sheets, explain financing programs, discuss credit scores, or navigate a separate process, it’s easy for financing to become a fallback instead of a standard payment option.

That matters because customers can’t consider an option they didn’t know existed.

Wisetack merchant Lone Star Pure Water experienced this with a previous provider. The process had become enough of a headache that the team largely stopped promoting financing. Owner Michael Cohen recalled, “If somebody wanted to finance, it was more like, ‘oh, yes, we kind of offer it’ — not wanting to have to deal with it, honestly.”

‍Ask yourself: If a customer never objects to the price, would my reps still tell them financing is available?

If the answer is no, the program may be getting in the way of adoption.‍

The Wisetack way: Reps don’t need to memorize rate sheets, discuss credit scores, or walk customers through a complicated financing process. They can introduce financing alongside the estimate, making it easier to present monthly payment options as a standard way to pay instead of a last-minute response to price.

Sign 2: Customers have to commit to a hard credit check before they know their options

Many store cards and some lenders start with a hard credit check. A soft credit check lets customers see what's available before they commit.

A hard credit check can affect a customer's credit score, so many people hesitate to apply before they know what they'll be offered. Some decide not to check at all, and the conversation stalls before it starts. Before switching to Wisetack, Langley Roofing's previous providers had long applications that often required a hard credit check just to prequalify.

With a soft credit check, customers can see their monthly payment options without affecting their credit score. That makes it easier to explore financing early, even for customers who planned to pay another way.

"Customers can prequalify right from their phones. It's fast, seamless, and just makes sense."
Mike Soper, Abbott Brothers Plumbing & Heating

‍Ask yourself: Can your customers explore their financing options without affecting their credit score?

If not, compare how other providers handle prequalification and when a hard credit check occurs. A hard credit check out of the gate is likely going to be a concern for your customers.

‍The Wisetack way: Customers can prequalify from their phones and see personalized monthly payment options with a soft credit check that doesn’t affect their credit score. They can explore up to eight custom options before deciding whether to move forward with an application.

Sign 3: Financing happens outside your sales process

Paper applications and callbacks slow down the moment a customer is ready to say yes.

When financing lives on paper, every application adds steps for your team and your customer. Momentum fades while someone fills out forms, waits on a callback, or looks for the right link.
David Burris of Burris Heat and Air described the difference this way: “Our first provider had bulky paperwork. It wasn’t a good experience. Wisetack changed that. Now it’s just a link.”‍

Ask yourself: How many additional steps does a rep have to take to offer financing?

A financing program shouldn’t become another sales system your team has to remember to use.

‍The Wisetack way: Wisetack integrates with 30+ field service management tools, putting financing directly into the workflows your team already uses to quote and invoice customers. If you don’t use an integrated tool, your reps can also easily loan or prequal application in seconds from the Wisetack mobile app or merchant portal—giving you a seamless digital process instead of relying on paperwork and callbacks.

Sign 4: Your jobs have outgrown your program

Some financing programs are built around specific products, project categories, participating locations, or approved uses. That can work well when your business sells a narrow set of services. But it can become more complicated as your project mix expands.

For example, a contractor may start with HVAC replacements and later add electrical work, indoor air quality upgrades, plumbing, generators, or other services. A remodeler may combine several types of work into one project. If your financing program only covers certain purchases or project types, your team may have to determine what qualifies before presenting financing.
That creates another question for your reps to answer during the sale: Can I finance this particular job with this particular program?

When you compare providers, look beyond the maximum financing amount. Ask what types of work can be financed, whether there are restrictions on how funds can be used, and what happens when a project includes multiple types of work.

‍Ask yourself: Can our team offer the same financing program across the projects we sell, or do they have to figure out which jobs qualify first?

If project eligibility is creating extra complexity for your sales team, it may be worth comparing programs with broader fit.

‍The Wisetack way: Wisetack supports financing for eligible home service projects without requiring your team to match each job to a specific product category. That gives growing businesses one financing process they can use across a broader mix of services and projects.

Sign 5: Getting help takes too long

When something comes up mid-job, you need training, answers, and support that understands the home improvement industry.

Support matters most when something is on the line: a customer ready to move forward, a new rep's first financed job, or a payout that hasn't arrived. Before switching to Wisetack, Langley Roofing once had an invoice sit in pending status for over a month while they waited on their financing company.

Look for a partner that trains your team during onboarding, provides customer-facing marketing materials, and responds quickly when questions come up.
Jeremy Langley, owner of Langley Roofing, said of his experience with Wisetack: “From the very beginning, there was heavy training [with Wisetack] and we’ve gotten really good support whenever we needed it.”

‍Ask yourself: When my team needs help with financing, does the process keep moving?

If support has become a recurring source of friction, include it in your evaluation alongside rates, terms, and fees.

‍The Wisetack way: Wisetack supports your team beyond setup with onboarding and training, customer-facing marketing materials, and ongoing support when questions come up. Your reps have resources to help them start offering financing and keep using it confidently as your team grows.

What to look for when you re-evaluate your financing provider

Don’t start with a rate sheet. Start with how financing actually works inside your business.

Use these questions to evaluate your current program and compare alternatives.

What to evaluate and what questions to ask:

• Team adoption: Do our reps consistently present financing, or only when a customer objects to price?
• Customer experience: Can customers explore their options with a soft credit check before deciding whether to apply?
• Job size: Can the program support the full range of projects we sell, including our largest jobs?
• Sales workflow: Can financing easily fit into our sales process without slowing the team down?
• Business costs: Are the fees and program requirements clear enough for us to understand the cost of a financed job?
• Payment: When and how does our business get paid after the work is complete?
• Support: What training, customer-facing materials, and ongoing help will our team receive?
• Growth: Will this program still fit if our average ticket, team, locations, or project mix changes?

There’s no single financing program that’s right for every business. The goal is to understand where your current program fits well, where it’s creating friction, and whether another provider could fill those gaps.

Find the right financing partner for your business

The best financing partner is the one your team actually uses and your customers feel good about. If you're weighing your options, start with the side-by-side.
Compare Wisetack to other providers or talk to our team about what switching would look like for you.