March 2012 - Cover Story
By Gregory Arroyo
Connecting F&I to the digital world was the talk at the annual dealer and lender conventions last month, and opinions varied on what the F&I office of the future will look like.
Tags: BANK OF AMERICA, chase, DEALERTRACK, Generation Y, Group 1 Automotive, iPad, iPad Business Applications, J.D. Power and Associates, mobile applications, Mobile Website, NADA, NADA Convention and Expo, Reynolds & Reynolds, Social Media, SOCIALDEALER, Wells Fargo
February 2012 - Feature
By Ronald J. Reahard
Don’t let so-called ‘best practices’ get in the way of your performance or your customers’ needs. The magazine’s resident F&I expert lists the 10 ‘next practices’ that are driving processes at top dealerships.
Tags: aftermarket products, F&I products, training
February 2012 - Cover Story
By Jennifer Washington
Since buckling down and hitting the books in 2011, the finance team at Hoy Fox Toyota has been enjoying bigger numbers and stronger confidence in their store’s processes.
Tags: F&I department, F&I manager, F&I menus, F&I presentation, F&I process, F&I products, F&I sales, finance, GSFSGroup, Gulf States Toyota
The industry shifts its gaze to leasing as the segment realizes gains and prompts dealers to update their processes.
Tags: Ally Financial, Ford, Honda, leasing, new-vehicle leasing, Toyota, vehicle leasing
By Tony Dupaquier
Get a complete breakdown of a GAP objection-handling technique insurance companies don’t want you to know about.
Tags: F&I presentation, GAP, objection handling, word tracks
By David Linton
Fixed-ops expert opens his four-part series on establishing a sales process for parts and service with a primer on what considerations need to be made.
Tags: parts and service
January 2012 - Cover Story
By Tariq Kamal
Greg Brown has orchestrated a 12-month turnaround at three dealerships in the past 15 years. Now, the owner of two of California’s top-volume Nissan stores is ready for his next challenge.
Tags: Customer Service, dealer, Nissan
January 2012 - Feature
Gen Y might be a mystery to some, but Kelly Wadlinger says she has cracked the code for recruiting, hiring and retaining a generation that’s 75 million members strong and coming of age.
Tags: Generation Y, Hiring, recruiting
December 2011 - Feature
By Gerry Gould
The call for transparency is giving rise to one type of F&I manager and forcing two others into extinction. The magazine’s resident F&I trainer explains.
Tags: F&I manager, tips for success, training, UDS
By Don Geroni
Being able to handle an objection isn’t rocket science, but it does require you to adhere to a strict process. The magazine’s newest F&I expert lays out a five-step plan of attack.
Tags: objection handling, tips for success, training
November 2011 - Feature
The magazine’s annual conference brought together six of the industry’s top trainers to talk shop, but the age-old battle between sales and F&I dominated the conversation.
Tags: American Finance & Automotive Services, desk managers, F&I department, F&I manager, GSFSGroup, Hiring, JM&A Group, Reahard & Associates, Resource Automotive, Safe-Guard, sales department, sales manager, training
The magazine has just posted the uncut version of the ‘Mad’ Marv-led F&I directors’ panel at the magazine’s September conference. Click below to check it out.
Tags: charge-backs, customer interview, F&I products, Hiring, Mad Marv, special finance
The winner of the inaugural F&Idol contest is a man of many stories. In fact, that’s what endeared him to our judges and the more than 3,000 readers who voted for him.
Tags: FandIdol, GAP, IAS, Industry Summit, Industry Summit 2011, Innovative Aftermarket Systems
November 2011 - Cover Story
By Justina Ly
Lithia Motors helps finance managers succeed by providing them with round-the-clock support from a dedicated sales and finance operations team.
Tags: dealer, F&I Dealer of the Year, F&I Pacesetters, Industry Summit, Industry Summit 2011
October 2011 - Feature
The pace of mobile technology adoption is quickening, and companies are lining up to help dealers transition to a mobile marketplace. Here’s a breakdown of seven solutions that are available now or will be in the near future.
Tags: ADP Dealer Services, BMW, BMW Financial Services, DEALERTRACK, Innovative Aftermarket Systems, iPad, iPad Business Applications, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, mobile applications, mobile solution, Mobile Website, Reynolds & Reynolds, Warrantech Automotive
The desk can be critical to a dealership’s success, but overstepping its boundaries can leave a store vulnerable. The magazine’s F&I pro draws a line in the sand.
Tags: desk managers, F&I department, F&I manager, F&I office
October 2011 - Cover Story
Meet the seven finalists for F&I Dealer of the Year, the winner of which will be profiled in the magazine’s November issue.
Tags: F&I Dealer of the Year, F&I Pacesetters, Industry Summit 2011
September 2011 - Feature
A five-minute interview can go a long way toward putting customers at ease, and it may even lead to a nice boost in F&I profit per vehicle retailed. F&I trainer breaks down the process.
Tags: customer interview, Customer Service, F&I department, F&I process, training
August 2011 - Cover Story
It’s been a year since Meade Lexus earned AskPatty.com’s “Seal of Approval,” and the dealer group’s CSI is now approaching 100 percent.
Tags: AskPatty.com, dealer, marketing, training, Web Marketing
April 2011 - Feature
F&I trainer runs through six objection-handling techniques for selling service contracts and GAP, and offers advice for closing the customers who listen.
Tags: Customer Service, GAP, objection handling, service contracts
March 2011 - Feature
The right prop can be the perfect objection killer, but choose your tools wisely.
Tags: F&I menus, F&I presentation, F&I products, sales tactics
February 2011 - Feature
By Rick McCormick
Starting out in F&I is never easy, but the magazine’s resident expert lays out a game plan to get F&I ‘newbies’ off on the right foot.
Tags: Customer Service, F&I products, objection handling, sales tactics, tips for success
October 2010 - Feature
F&I expert breaks down the keys to mastering four classic objection-handling techniques, and offers advice on when and how they should be employed.
Tags: payment plan, word tracks
Meeting customers in the showroom might not be for everyone, but the benefits often outweigh the negatives. Training expert provides his take.
Tags: CSI
July 2010 - Feature
The editor wonders if the days of the traditional salesperson are numbered and offers a couple of reasons to attend this year’s F&I Conference.
Tags: F&I conference, Mad Marv, Maxim Automotive, Ristken, Team One Group, VisionMenu Inc.
June 2010 - Feature
F&I managers have always been considered the dealership’s best closers, but could that characterization be hindering them in today’s economic environment?
Tags: Customer Service, F&I manager
May 2010 - Feature
The editor is looking for reader feedback, and has a special reward for those who participate. Read on to find out what it is.
Tags: Editorial Page, F&I Conference & Expo, training
December 2009 - Feature
By Denny Long
Marketing expert discusses the four keys to realizing a banner year.
Tags: Internet leads, marketing, special finance
November 2009 - Cover Story
With some signs that the worse may be over, talk of a recovery and the possible roadblocks ahead took center stage at the 2009 F&I Conference and Expo.
Tags: F&I Conference & Expo
November 2009 - Feature
By Ron Martin
It's definitely easy to get wrapped up in all of the negatives these days. F&I trainer provides a head-clearing lesson and reveals the five factors every F&I manager should be focused on.
Tags: CSI, F&I income, F&I sales
Trigger leads can be an effective and relatively inexpensive way to bring in new customers. But like any other marketing tool, there are rules to follow and pros and cons to consider.
Tags: Fair Credit Reporting Act, Federal Trade Commission, trigger leads
Did you know that having a follow-up plan that stretches out 18 months can help you double your leads conversions? Marketing expert puts you on the path to doing just that.
Tags: BHPH, buy-here, pay-here , lead management
August 2009 - Feature
By Nate Hall
Have we forgotten our purpose? A Kentucky dealer provides a reminder of why F&I exists, and why the people fielding the position are so important.
Tags: F&I products, objection handling
July 2009 - Feature
The current market environment will definitely separate the survivors from the victims. F&I expert provides a road map for doing more than just weathering today’s economic storm.
Tags: credit, credit bureaus, F&I process, F&I profit, FICO
By George Angus
When it comes to F&I, science matters more than opinion. F&I veteran climbs into the minds of consumers and reveals five ways you might be sabotaging your success.
Tags: business management, F&I menus, F&I products, training
June 2009 - Feature
The market dynamics might be in constant flux, but the goals of an F&I manager aren’t. F&I trainer reveals his secrets to becoming brilliant at the basics.
Tags: customer retention, F&I products, lender strategies
By David Robertson
In today’s market, priming the vehicle selection process with an accurate assessment of the customer’s credit standing doubles the odds of a sale.
Tags: Deal Structuring, F&I manager
May 2009 - Feature
By Randy Hoffman
F&I veterans speak of a day when reading a credit report, not a credit score, was the key to getting a customer financed. F&I vet makes his case for why F&I’s long-lost skills need to be revisited.
Tags: credit bureaus, Credit Scores, FICO, hanging paper
By Tim Zierden
Tim Zierden, general manager of inventory management solutions at DealerTrack, shares how a dealership can improve its inventory management.
Tags: DEALERTRACK, inventory
By Jorge Moas
Creating a process for the service department to sell service contracts isn’t a new concept, but it’s gained a lot of interest lately. F&I expert provides a road map for instituting such a process, and says a successful program needs to start with the dealer.
Tags: economic downturn, fixed operations, JM&A Group, parts and service, service contracts
April 2009 - Feature
By John Sauers
F&I expert provides four ways to keep lenders from steering away profits.
Tags: F&I products, lender strategies
December 2008 - Feature
By Matt Hash
Building customer rapport, tailoring a menu to the customer’s needs, and not using hard-sell tactics are definitely three keys to successful F&I product sales. But in today’s dismal setting, the sales department really needs to be part of the equation.
Tags: APR, Auto Loans, credit applications, Customer Service, GMAC INSURANCE, sales department
April 2008 - Feature
Opinions vary on when and how rate and payment should be quoted to customers. Dealership consultant reveals which practices work best and which don’t.
Is your current F&I sales process adding value or alienating customers? In today’s world of Google, Myspace and YouTube, word-tracks are like 8-tracks: obsolete. Expert explains how to give today’s Generation X and Y customers what they want: a fast-paced, non-confrontational buying experience.
Tags: F&I products, Generation X, Generation Y, payment plan, sales pitches
March 2008 - Feature
With dealers facing changing customer expectations, increasing demands from the factories and customer resistance to the sales process, eliminating the F&I department might seem like a good idea. Dealership consultant breaks down what life would be like without the F&I department, and the results aren’t pretty.
Tags: acceptance rate, Customer Service, F&I department, F&I process, F&I products, sales department, training
February 2008 - Feature
By Bob Harkins
More than 90 percent of F&I lawsuits were caused by the same problems, which are repeated again and again in dealerships around the country. Let’s review the seven deadly sins of F&I, as identified by AFIP’s David Robertson.
By Ron Reahard
To be an F&I professional, there are six things you need to stop (or start) doing, because whether you like it or not, you’re a role model.
Tags: AFIP, ECOA, F&I manager, F&I products, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, used vehicles
September 2007 - Feature
The customer’s first impression of you is a tone setter for the entire transaction. So what warning signs are you putting up? This month we explore four ways to put your customer at ease.
Tags: F&I department, F&I office, F&I products
July 2007 - Feature
By Becky Chernek
Ancillary products can generate as much as 60 percent of gross profit. Does your pay plan reflect that? Pay plans should reward for superior and compliant performance, but are you factoring in today’s market trends?
Tags: Compliance, GAP, payment plan, service contracts
January 2007 - Feature
By Joe Jacobson
Finding a winning F&I manager takes more than a gut feeling. It takes a good selection process, ongoing training and a pay plan that reinforces goals and objectives.
Tags: F&I department, F&I professional, finance, Hiring, sales department, training
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