Customer Testimonial:
We sat down with Mike Webster, Vice President of Braymiller Builders of Buffalo, New York, to find out how his business has grown since they first partnered with the Wells Fargo Home Projects® credit card program in 2008 — and how Wells Fargo’s powerful online tools make life easier for his customers and his team.
Why did Braymiller Builders choose the Wells Fargo Home Projects® credit card program?
Before joining the Wells Fargo Home Projects program, Braymiller Builders had worked with several other financing companies — but their paper-based application processes were too manual and time-consuming. “We had to take paper applications in the customer’s home, bring them back to the office, and then have someone process them manually,” said Mike. “It was much more cumbersome and difficult to do paper-based applications.”
Being able to complete an easy online application with the customer and get a quick credit decision with Wells Fargo Credit Connect has been a game-changer for the Braymiller Builders team. “Moving to an app-driven, online platform like Credit Connect,” Mike continued, “lets us take the credit application in the home and figure out where we’re going with the customer from that point. Previously, we wouldn’t know about the customer’s available financing until after we’d already left the home, so it’s really opened up a lot of doors for us.”
How have in-home applications and approvals impacted your sales?
Knowing that the customer has been approved for financing gives the Braymiller Builders team the information they need to close more sales in the home. “Without a doubt, having the ability to give the customer a monthly payment that they consider affordable has helped our closing percentage,” Mike said.
Plus, in-home approvals and Wells Fargo’s strong credit limits can give customers more purchasing power, helping move them from good to better to best. It’s a difference that has definitely boosted Braymiller Builders’ bottom line, according to Mike. “If the customer gets approved for more than the original amount, we can show them how they can upgrade and enjoy the benefits of a better product for just a slightly larger monthly payment,” Mike said. “Or if they originally planned to spend a certain amount in cash, being able to finance monthly on top of that might allow them to do more.”
“Without a doubt,” Mike continued, “it’s increased our average sale.”
How does your team use the various Wells Fargo Home Projects program financing options?
Mike indicated that special financing is an important part of Braymiller Builders’ marketing approach and competitive edge, especially when so many of the big-box home improvement stores in his area are offering financing as well. “We plaster our special financing offer all over our website, on our print materials — it really gets our customers’ attention,” he said.
Wells Fargo’s easy-to-use mobile tools let your team focus on the job, not on paperwork.
And for customers who might still be hesitant, the Wells Fargo Home Projects program gives Mike’s team the flexibility to offer other options that are a better fit with the customer’s budget. “If we find through negotiation that the customer needs a lower monthly payment, we can just move to an offer that gives them a longer term,” Mike said. The customer gets what they want, and Mike’s team closes the sale — it’s a win-win.
How does the support you get from Wells Fargo stack up?
When you’re working with a customer in their home, you need a financing provider that’s as committed to your business as you are to your customers. That’s why Braymiller Builders partners with Wells Fargo and their team of dedicated representatives. “Any time I give our sales representative a call, I can get ahold of him,” Mike said. “That ability to get answers when we need them has been very beneficial, especially in the ever-fluid home improvement industry where we might have people in the customer’s home at all hours of the day.”
Interested in working with the Wells Fargo Home Projects program to bring financing options into your customers’ homes?
Contact us:
Wells Fargo Retail Services
1-800-577-5313
wellsfargo.com/homeprojects
