Become a Referral Partner: How Brokers and Advisors Can Add Equipment Finance to Their Offering

If you have a client base of small business owners, there is a high probability that some of those clients buy equipment — and a high probability that some of them struggle to finance it efficiently. Connecting those clients to a reliable equipment finance source is a straightforward way to add value to your existing relationships while generating referral revenue.

Who Makes a Good Referral Partner?

The best referral partners are professionals who already have trusted relationships with business owners and encounter equipment purchases as part of their normal practice. This includes:

• Accountants and CPAs who see their clients' financial situations and often know before the client calls a lender that they need equipment financing
• Insurance brokers who write commercial property, general liability, and fleet policies and hear about equipment additions as part of those conversations
• Commercial real estate brokers who work with operators acquiring space — car wash sites, medical facilities, food production space — and know that major equipment purchases follow real estate transactions
• Business coaches and consultants who advise on growth and hear about capital needs regularly
• Equipment manufacturers and distributors who sell the equipment but do not have a financing program of their own
• SBA lenders and commercial bankers who encounter equipment deals that fall outside their own program parameters

What the Referral Process Looks Like

The process is designed to require minimal time and effort from the referral partner. You do not need to underwrite deals, know lender guidelines, or manage the financing process. Your role is the introduction — we handle everything else.

1. You identify a client or contact who needs equipment financing
2. You introduce them to us — by phone, email, or by sending them to apply on our website
3. We handle the application, underwriting, and funding
4. If the deal closes, you receive a referral fee

There is no licensing requirement for referring equipment finance deals (unlike insurance or securities). You are introducing a party who needs a service to a company that provides it — a straightforward business introduction.

What Referral Partners Earn

Referral fees in equipment finance are typically calculated as a percentage of the financed amount, paid at closing. The exact amount depends on the transaction structure and lender, but as a general guide, referral fees in the range of 0.5% to 2.0% of the financed amount are common on standard transactions.

On a $150,000 transaction, that is $750 to $3,000 for an introduction that required nothing more than a phone call or email. On a portfolio of referrals — even five to ten per year — referral income from equipment finance adds up meaningfully.

Why Work with a Broker Rather Than a Direct Lender?

Referring business to a single direct lender means your clients get approved if they fit that lender's box and declined if they do not. Referring to a broker means your clients have access to the full market — multiple lenders, multiple credit appetite levels, multiple asset class specialties. Fewer of your referrals come back declined, which means your value to the client is higher and your referral income is more consistent.

For advisors who value their client relationships, sending a client to a broker who finds a solution even on a complicated deal is a better outcome than sending them to a single lender who may decline them on a technicality.

Getting Started

Setting up a referral relationship with LAT Capital Group requires a brief conversation and a simple referral agreement. There is no cost, no quota, and no obligation to refer any minimum number of deals. You refer when you encounter the need; we handle the rest.

Reach out directly to discuss your client base and how we can best serve those relationships.