Throw Away Everything You Think You Know About Interest Rates

As a sales professional, the topic of rate is brought up pretty frequently when discussing payment options like leases and loans. Customers often have the preconception that all interest rates are the same. They seem to get sticker shock when they see the "higher" rates when trying to make a decision to pay for technology equipment like security, surveillance, AV, video conferencing, etc. It has become quite an issue, especially since some rates have been at an all-time low. So, how do we get our customers to look beyond the rate when buying technology equipment? 

It's simple. Recommend a payment option that doesn't have an interest rate.

Contrary to what you may believe, not every financing option has an associated interest rate. With an equipment as a service offering that works like a termed rental, like TAMCO Shield, interest rate is nonexistent. This is a fee for use acquisition method (or, a rental), it offers the customer more value and flexibility when compared to other procurement methods.

Think about it - how often has anyone considered interest rate when looking to rent an apartment? Probably never, as ownership is not the end goal. This is how it should be explained to your customers.

In today's environment where ownership is becoming less important and X as a Service payment options like Shield are more in demand, it is particularly important to decide if interest rate is even applicable to the sale. When comparing a rental to ownership or other procurement methods, it's like comparing apples to oranges.

Let's break down the facts:

- Termed rentals or X-as-a-Service like Shield is not designed for ownership (no ownership = irrelevant interest rate)

- Shield adds value with benefits such as the Solution Replacement Guarantee (SRG), Act of God coverage, and flexible end of term options 

- Any other financing option typically results in ownership, making the interest rate a bigger factor in the transaction (ownership = interest rate)

To put it simply, interest rate and Shield shouldn't even be in the same sentence.