At A Glance:
- Most vendor programs fail in the first six months due to poor activation, not poor economics
- The signed dealer agreement is the beginning of work, not the end of sales effort
- Successful launches front-load training and integration before expecting volume
- According to Secured Research, vendor programs that fund their first deal within 45 days of signing show 3.2x higher 12-month volume than those taking longer
Why Most Vendor Programs Die Quietly
The celebration happens when the dealer signs. Handshakes, congratulations, maybe a press release. Then the relationship enters what one head of vendor finance at a regional equipment finance company calls “the valley of good intentions.”
The dealer goes back to selling equipment. Your team moves on to the next prospect. The portal login credentials sit in an inbox. The rate sheet gets filed somewhere. Sixty days pass. Ninety days. The phone doesn’t ring.
