As long as my customer pays for the IT solution, should I care whether they finance or pay cash?
Yes. Finance can help protect your customer base, retain customer loyalty and provide an opportunity to build long-term commercial relationships through incremental business.

There are also finance and administrative benefits for your organisation. Once your customer has executed the finance agreement we issue you with a purchase order ensuring immediate payment on satisfactory delivery of the system. This can accelerate your cash flow, reduce debtor days and remove payment uncertainty associated with aged debtor lists.

Would my customer be better off using their day to day banking lines for financing?
No. Your customers ability to utilise existing bank loan or overdraft facilities are not affected by choosing to finance their systems through GC. Existing credit lines are left free for working capital requirements and other business purposes. In addition, many banks and their finance house subsidiaries find it difficult to fund all aspects of a solution proposal. Certain component costs such as software licenses, services and support are often excluded. Banks normally look for greater levels of security via large deposits and/or charges on assets, property or debtor books.

If the customer requires a finance facility, will they not simply ask for it?
No. The majority of customers' will view you as an IT provider and may not realise that a finance option is available. However, customers' choice of systems take into consideration all aspects of any proposal to include value added services. Flexible financing should be part of each and every proposal you make.

What happens if my customer wishes to upgrade or replace their existing system on finance?
Our facilities enable organisations to take advantage of improved cost performance by upgrading or replacing old product and/or services for new. Most finance companies require the whole system to be replaced to effect this and normally include a penalty for early settlement of the original contract.

Why shouldn’t I leave my customer to source their financing?
Influence and awareness within each sale cycle you work on is of paramount importance. If your customer arranges their finance through an unknown third party then you may lose an element of control. GC’s approach is to work closely with you during the supply negotiations and respond faster than our competition. An additional point to note is that clients may not be offered innovative and cost effective facilities from a single, specialist and reputable source. Ultimately, this may result in the sales cycle grinding to a halt.