Quotes with Financing and Payment Plans Built Into the Quoting Tool
By Facundo Campo, 3D quoting tool developer
In short: A quoting tool with payment plans calculates, alongside the total, the down payment and installments based on the plans the manufacturer sets, and puts them on the same quote, so reps don't do the math separately and buyers see what they'll pay each month.
A quote with financing shows, next to the total, how much the buyer puts down and how much each installment is, based on the plans the manufacturer offers. When those plans live inside the quoting tool, your rep doesn't do the math on the side with a phone calculator: they pick the plan, the system runs the numbers, and they land on the same quote, with a render of what was quoted. For a metal building, a home or a horse barn, where the total is big, seeing the monthly number often changes the conversation.
Why financing matters in made-to-order sales
Someone buying a 50 × 100 ft building or a two-bedroom home almost never pays it all at once. They ask about a down payment, installments, paying part on delivery. And a lot of the time, the question that decides the sale isn't "how much is it?" but "how do I pay for it?"
At many manufacturers, that part goes like this:
- The quote goes out with the cash price.
- The buyer asks about installments.
- The rep asks the owner what plans are running this month.
- The owner does the math and sends it by text or WhatsApp, separate from the quote.
- Two weeks later nobody remembers which plan was offered to whom.
Meanwhile, the buyer compared you with another company that gave them a monthly number in the first message.
What a quoting tool with payment plans does
When payment plans are in the system, the path gets shorter:
- The buyer, or the rep sitting with them, designs the product in 3D.
- The system prices it with the manufacturer's price table.
- The rep picks one or more plans: cash, down payment plus installments, the company's in-house plan, whatever's currently offered.
- The quote shows the total, the down payment and each installment, and can go out as a PDF or a message.
I built it along those lines in the EQUIBOX system, for a horse barn manufacturer in Berazategui, Buenos Aires. The sales panel has payment plans, installments and discount coupons, and all of it only shows up when a rep is logged in. The rep designs the barn and, in that same panel, has the per-kilometer shipping calculation, the payment plans and the coupons. More on that in the EQUIBOX case study.
The manufacturer sets the plans
Every company finances differently, and the quoting tool has to adapt to that, not the other way around. In a custom build, you define things like:
- Which plans exist: cash, down payment and balance on delivery, down payment plus installments, installments with nothing down.
- How much down each plan requires and how many installments the rest is split into.
- Whether installments carry a surcharge or get adjusted, and on what basis.
- Which products or amounts qualify for each plan.
- How long each plan is valid, so nobody offers one that expired.
- Who can offer it: every rep, only some, or with approval.
You change those values from your own dashboard, without calling anyone, the same way you'd change the price of steel. If your prices move often, it's worth reading updating prices with inflation too. The financial and tax side of each plan, on the other hand, is something to work out with your accountant: the tool applies whatever you decide.
Should installments show on the website?
That's a business decision. There are two ways to go:
- Reps only. The buyer designs on the website, requests a quote, and the rep sends the number with the payment plan. That's how EQUIBOX works. More in keeping prices private in a configurator.
- A reference payment on the website. The buyer sees something like "down payment and installments under the current plan," calculated on their configuration. It draws in people who think in monthly payments, but it means keeping those values current at all times.
The public Estructuras 3D configurators don't show prices or payments; both options are part of the build for each manufacturer.
What changes in the sale
"It's too expensive" gets a different answer. When the total scares the buyer, your rep can show right then how it breaks down into installments, or try a smaller version of the product with them and put both monthly numbers side by side. On why buyers go quiet after seeing the number, I wrote why customers ghost your quote.
Fewer mistakes. The system does the math with current values. No miscalculated installments and no plans that don't exist anymore.
Reps don't depend on the owner. They offer the plans they're allowed to, without checking in. See sales team autonomy.
Follow-up and collections stay together. If the quote turns into a sale, the chosen plan is on record and each payment can be tracked from the same system, like in the EQUIBOX CRM. See CRM for manufacturers.
Coupons and promotions
On top of the plans, the EQUIBOX system has discount coupons. They're useful for one-off promotions —a farm show, a slow production month, a deal with a breeders' association— without every rep inventing their own discount. In a custom build, each coupon can carry its own rule and expiration date and stay on record on the quote where it was used. There's more on setting limits without tying reps' hands in controlling sales rep discounts.
Getting started
I'm Facundo Campo, a software developer based in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I build 3D quoting tools and sales systems for manufacturers that sell made-to-order products. If you offer financing and calculate it separately today, what I need to get started is the plans you use, how you decide them and a couple of sample quotes. From that, I put together a first version you can try from a link.
To see how a product comes together before you get to the price, try the prefab homes configurator. And if you want to talk about your case, message me on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 6193-3176 or email facundocampo100@gmail.com, in English or Spanish, or see how custom 3D quoting software development works.
Frequently asked questions
Can the quoting tool calculate installments with a surcharge?
Yes, if you set it up that way. Each plan can have its own down payment, number of installments and surcharge or adjustment, and the system applies whatever you configure. The financial side is best worked out with an accountant.
Can I change payment plans without calling a programmer?
Yes. Plans, their values and how long they're valid are managed from your dashboard, just like the price table.
Do installments show up on the PDF quote?
That can be built in: the quote shows the total, the down payment and each installment for the chosen plan, along with a render of what was quoted.
Can the buyer pick a plan on the website?
It can be built that way, showing a reference payment on their configuration. Other manufacturers prefer to have the rep offer the plan, as EQUIBOX does.
