When Brian Juliano, owner of Juliano’s Pools in Vernon, Connecticut, first started his company in 2002, he says that offering financing was what helped his business take off.
“I was financing certain people who said, if I had another $10 grand, I would do the job,” he recalls. With the financing in place, “immediately, boom, they put the pool in. It really made a difference.”
Offering financing made the difference
Juliano had worked for a previous builder who offered financing, and he was familiar with its process. As he managed his own business through the years, he saw the differences in customers. Those who came in with cash-only tended to be a little more conservative in their selections, “more bare-bones,” he says. But those who optioned for the financing built it the way the family really wanted – all at once. And for those who came in cash-only but switched to financing, the rewards were immense for everyone.
More recently, a customer wanted to build a pool by the house, but it would require a retaining wall that would cost $15,000. Reluctantly, the customer was prepared to settle on a flat area in the yard, farther from the house, but would take away the kids’ soccer playing space. When Juliano presented the option of financing and had the financing company walk the client through the process, the client realized they could afford to build the retaining wall, build the pool by the house as they wanted, and keep the kids’ soccer space as well. In addition, Juliano’s own masons would get to build the wall. The customer was set up with financing within two weeks.
The benefits of financing
Juliano says there are many bonuses to partnering with a solid financial company. “They fight for us,” he says about Lyon Financial, the company he’s been using for years. Through Lyon’s financial process, customers need to approve photos of the project throughout the entire build in order for funds to be released to the builder. He says Lyon has been very good about following up with customers on signatures and approvals every step of the way, which makes the project move along in a timely fashion.
Not only that, he’s been able to build what customers really want, which translates into happy customers. “Bigger patios, heaters, salt systems, pergolas,” he says, ticking off a few items. He’s also noted that more and more customers request pool houses attached to the pools. Once viewed as a storage shed, those pool houses now have bathrooms, air conditioning, gaming, and even double as a guest house. It not only keeps pool water out of the main house, but sets up the pool area as its own separate entertainment center.
Happy customers also turn into referrals – and many of these can be right around the builder’s own neighborhood. For builders who hesitate to offer financing, Juliano says they are missing out on job opportunities and new clients. “It will increase the amount of opportunities and the pool – pun intended – of potential pools and work near home.”
To learn how offering finance can make the difference for you and your customers, visit lyonfinancial.net.
