If you’re spending money on leads, you should be squeezing every drop of ROI out of them. But here’s a stat that might sting a little: Nearly 80% of homeowners explore home improvement projects before knowing how they’ll pay for them (Houzz 2024).
That means even your best lead might ghost you—not because they didn’t like your pitch, but because they didn’t have a plan to pay for the project.
That’s where financing comes in. Not as an afterthought, not buried in a footnote on your estimate—right up front.
Let’s talk about how you can use financing to:
- Get more leads
- Convert more of them into jobs
- Make your customers happier (so they refer you to everyone they know!)
1) Stop Selling Projects—Start Selling Monthly Payments
Today’s homeowner is budget-aware. Most remodelers pitch a $20,000 project. The smart ones pitch:
“Most of our customers finance their (insert project name)—this would be around $250/month.”
Why it works:
- Monthly payments feel achievable.
- It removes sticker shock.
- It creates instant engagement: “Oh really? Tell me more.”
Pro tip: Add payment estimates next to your pricing in all marketing—web, social, ads, email.
2) Add Financing to Your Lead Capture Flow
Want better lead quality? Make financing part of the conversation early.
- Add a checkbox on your website’s lead form: “I’m interested in monthly financing options.”
- On social ads: “New windows starting at $99/month. Book your free estimate.”
- In your scripts:
“Before we dive into the scope, do you know how you’re planning to pay? We’ve got a few great financing options to help spread out the cost.”
Why it matters:
You’re pre-qualifying AND setting expectations—so when you walk into that sales call, you’re already aligned.
3) Use Financing to Convert the “I’ll Think About It” Crowd
Your warmest leads are often just stuck on cost. According to Synchrony’s 2023 Home Improvement Study:
65% of homeowners are more likely to move forward with a project if affordable financing is offered at the time of estimate.
That’s huge. So instead of “Let me know,” try:
“What if I could break this down into $200/month with no interest for 18 months? Would that help you move forward today?”
Boom. Objection handled.
4) Train Your Sales Team to Lead With It, Not End With It
Financing isn’t a “P.S.” It’s a feature.
Make it part of your team’s first five minutes:
- Mention it in your intro call.
- Include it on every estimate.
- Bring pre-qualification tools to the in-home visit.
Your competitors are still pitching price. You’re pitching access.
5) More Approvals = More Referrals
When you make it easy to say yes, customers love you for it.
They feel like you solved a problem they didn’t even know they had. And happy customers?
- Spend more
- Refer faster
- Leave better reviews
Want more of those five-star “they made it so easy” reviews?
Make the financing experience seamless. Leverage 1LOOK propreitary platform for:
- Multiple lenders with a single, soft pull application
- Super simple process and transparent terms for easy customer and rep. experience
- Approvals from 550 FICOs and competitive rates
- 11% HIGHER LOAN TAKE RATE = MORE PROJECTS ON YOUR BOOKS
Your Leads Deserve Better Than “Cash or Check”
If you're spending money on lead gen, make sure you’re not leaving conversions on the table. When you lead with financing, you attract more leads, convert faster, create raving fans
So go ahead—add that monthly payment to your ad, update your lead forms, and give your sales team the tools to talk about it with confidence.
Want help adding financing to your marketing strategy?
Let’s chat. Regardless of what lenders you are using today, we can help you put financing to work in your funnel.
Jul 14, 2025 12:07:04 PM
