Time in business is the first cut
Most lenders want at least six months, and appetite improves sharply past twelve. Filtering on time in business before you send removes a large share of files that will never place, regardless of how interested the merchant sounds.
Monthly revenue floor drives everything else
A merchant under roughly $15,000 in monthly deposits will not place with most funders no matter how good the story is. Set your revenue floor to your actual lender box, not to your optimism.
Industry restrictions are lender-specific and non-negotiable
Every funder has a restricted list. Filter these out at the data level rather than discovering it after you have worked the file. Nothing wastes a rep hour faster than a great conversation with a merchant nobody will fund.
Position matters more than most shops account for
A merchant with three existing advances is a different conversation and a different lender set. Segment by estimated position before you write copy — the offer that works on first position insults someone in fourth.
Geography affects both appetite and disclosure obligations
Several states have enacted commercial financing disclosure requirements. This does not stop you working those states, but it changes what has to be presented and by whom. Know which states your lenders will actually fund.
Score the file before it reaches a rep
Combine time in business, revenue band, industry fit, and position into a simple score and route only the top tiers to live calling. Everything else stays in an automated sequence until it earns attention.
Published 2026-06-24 · MCA Email Leads
