The Power of Financing: A Growth Tool for Auto Repair Shops [RR 1108]

What happens when a customer needs a $2,000 repair but doesn’t have the cash available today?

That moment can determine whether the vehicle gets repaired, the customer delays a critical service, or they take their business somewhere else. For automotive shops, offering flexible payment options can be more than a convenience. It can be a powerful tool for helping customers say yes to the work their vehicles need.

Kwane Stokes, Assistant Vice President and Relationship Manager in the automotive division at Synchrony, explains how the program can help shops remove financial barriers, increase repair opportunities, and create another reason for customers to return. Kwane also addresses why many shops still aren’t offering financing and how the biggest obstacle may simply be the assumptions advisors make about a customer’s ability or willingness to pay.

What You’ll Learn

• Why financing should be presented as a payment option, not something an advisor decides a customer needs.
• How the program’s average first and repeat purchase amounts demonstrate the potential impact on average repair order (ARO).
• Why assuming a customer can’t qualify for credit can cause shops to lose needed repair work.
• How monthly promotional offers can give shops another reason to communicate with their customers.
• How advisor incentives and simple training can encourage more consistent presentation of financing.
• What the upcoming “waterfall” financing model could mean for customers who aren’t approved through the primary credit program.

The biggest opportunity may not be finding more customers. It may be giving the customers already sitting at your counter more ways to say yes.

The key is removing the assumption that you know what a customer can or cannot afford. Present the options, explain them clearly, and let the customer decide what works for their financial situation.

For a shop, financing isn’t simply about collecting payment. It’s another tool for helping customers get the repairs they need while protecting the relationship and keeping the work in your shop.

Kwane Stokes, AVP, Relationship Manager, Auto Network, Synchrony