“My goal is to serve the community. Wisetack helps me do just that by helping my customers get their cars fixed — and it helps pay my bills.” — Ant, Ant’s Auto Care

In summary

Antonio, also known as Ant, runs a one-man auto shop in Houston, TX. Through stellar service and fair prices, he seeks to fulfill his key mission: to help his community. But in the past, many of his customers who came in for larger repairs — such as engine and transmission work — struggled to pay for them all at once.

This remained a problem until Ant discovered Wisetack financing through ARI, the auto repair software he uses and loves.

Thanks to Wisetack, he is now able to win those bigger jobs more easily, and most importantly, better serve his customers. Not only that, Ant has also had success using Wisetack as an upsell tool for customers who come in for smaller jobs — by finding additional repairs that may be needed and presenting financing as a way to pay for those.

3 key ways Wisetack is helping

• Increased ARO: Thanks to the flexibility Wisetack offers Ant’s customers, he is closing on more engine and transmission repairs, which he specializes in — meaning a higher average repair order for him.
• Upselling small jobs: Even when customers come in for a smaller repair, Ant lets them know they can finance any job over $500*. As a result, he says they often let him poke around to find other issues to fix.‍
• An effortless addition: Ant has described Wisetack as a “breeze,” both for him and his customers. The platform easily integrates within ARI, his auto repair software, loan applications take seconds, and he gets paid quickly.

Serving his community

For Ant, the sole owner and operator of Ant’s Auto Shop, his relationship with customers is everything. “My goal is to serve the community,” he added, emphasizing that this community is who supports him and stands behind him when he is in need — as a business owner and a person.

Ant prides himself on being willing to “tackle anything with an engine,” including lawn mowers(!). But although he works on jobs as small as oil changes, a large portion of his repairs involve engines and transmissions — which are naturally more costly.

Like most auto shops, Ant accepts traditional payment methods like cash, card, and check. But at his shop, “nothing is traditional,” Ant exclaimed, before pointing out he also accepts more modern payment types, like Cash App, Zelle, and Apple Pay. 

“At my shop, nothing is traditional.” — Ant

However, before Wisetack, Ant only offered one financing option, which was more specifically geared toward people with bad or no credit: it had a lower borrowing limit and higher rates.

Without a more customer-friendly financing option on hand, Ant was losing out on jobs — especially bigger ones. But more importantly, some of his customers were jeopardizing their safety on the road by delaying much-needed repairs.

Choosing Wisetack

When Ant first considered offering Wisetack financing to his customers, two things stood out to him. The first one was the platform’s direct integration with his auto repair software of choice — ARI. For Ant, any new payment option needed to smoothly work within his existing workflow as he is a huge fan of ARI.

“With ARI, everything is easy. And they’ve constantly got new things. Every month, I look and there’s something new — and I don’t pay more for any of it!” he raved.

Ant also knew that few other auto shops in his area offered financing, and that adding Wisetack to his arsenal would only help him stand out more. And his customers have reinforced that notion: “Once they realize I offer financing, they always tell me, ‘No other auto shop offers this!,’” Ant adds.

“Once (customers) realize I offer financing, they always tell me, ‘No other auto shop offers this!'” — Ant

Ant notes that he was raised “old school”: he reads everything. So after the initial intrigue with Wisetack, he decided to learn everything he could about the product by simply reading from our various merchant resources (including our FAQs).

The customer-friendliness of the platform immediately stood to him — specifically the high approval rate, credit score approval as low as 540, and borrowing limits up to $15,000*.

All these factors helped him make the decision of offering Wisetack to his customers. And after just one transaction, he was hooked by how fast and easy the process was. “With my first customer, I told them: “We’re both gonna have to check because it’s my first time doing it. But it was a breeze!,” Ant said.

Ant — and his customers — also appreciate the measures Wisetack takes to maintain borrowers’ privacy: “My customers like it when I tell them I can’t see their personal information, " he added.

Doing the right thing

Ant’s goal is to gain the trust of the community that’s done so much for him — and build relationships with this community. As evidenced by his stellar online reviews, he has been successful so far. Offering Wisetack has helped him further achieve these goals by providing a flexible and fair payment option for his customers. 

“Honestly, Wisetack has helped me in so many ways by not just helping me — but my customers as well,” he reflected. 

“Wisetack has helped me in so many ways by not just helping me — but my customers as well.” — Ant

Integrity plays a key role in the success of Ant’s Auto Care, and Ant was delighted he could offer a financing platform that matched his values: “Nobody leaves my shop without knowing exactly what I did and what their money paid for,” he proudly added. And thanks to Wisetack’s transparent process and rates, Ant is now able to offer his customers a payment solution that contributes to the amazing service they have come to expect from him.

A success story Ant likes to tell is about a customer who applied for Wisetack financing without high expectations and qualified for the full $15,000* — in seconds.

For Ant, doing the right thing for his customers has led to closing more bigger jobs, which has been a huge boost to his business given that a lot of his work consists of more costly engine and transmission repairs. “Wisetack helps my customers get their cars fixed, and helps to pay my bills,’ he adds.

Getting the most out of Wisetack

At Wisetack, we are constantly trying to make our product as good as possible for both merchants and customers. But ultimately, financing works most effectively if businesses proactively offer it to their customers.

To do this, Ant has a tried-and-true opener that he uses with every customer that walks through the door. He tells them, “Now I’m not saying you can’t afford the job, but if you’re like me, and want to save your money, and pay things over time, this is the way to go.”

This approach works so well for him because he clearly shows the benefits of financing while remaining as judgment-free as possible. (We’ve also got more tips on how to talk about financing to customers here.)

“Now I’m not saying you can’t afford the job, but if you’re like me, and want to save your money, and pay things over time, this is the way to go.” — How Ant pitches financing to customers

For customers with a lower credit score, Ant suggests that they apply anyway — it won’t hurt their credit score. He lets them know that they will most likely qualify with a score of 540*, and that even if they don’t get the full amount, partially financing their repair will still help cushion their costs.

Ant also uses Wisetack as an upsell tool. Even when customers come in for a smaller job, he informs them (in a non-pushy way, of course) that they can get financing if the repairs cost more than $500*. 

This leads to customers being open to additional work that may be needed, and they’ll often tell him something like, “I came in for a brake job, but see what else you find. If we can get it over $500*, I’ll be happy to apply for it and let you do the work.” By bringing up financing early on in every customer conversation, Ant has seen Wisetack work for him at its full potential. 

Finally, we asked him for any closing thoughts on his experience with Wisetack so far. His response? One word, which his customers also often use about him: “Phenomenal.”

*All financing is subject to credit approval. Your terms may vary. Payment options through Wisetack are provided by our lending partners. For example, a $1,200 purchase could cost $104.89 a month for 12 months, based on an 8.9% APR, or $400 a month for 3 months, based on a 0% APR. Offers range from 0-35.9% APR based on creditworthiness. No other financing charges or participation fees. See additional terms at http://wisetack.com/faqs.