The Art of F&I: Conversations from the box

There are many books on how to succeed in F&I. Experts are everywhere trying to give you advice on how to be successful. You see magazines, blogs, podcasts, and even TV shows, telling you how to "maximize your profits" and "overcome any objection". Yet, something is still missing. Customer satisfaction is incredibly low. People dislike the buying process. Nearly 6 out of every 10 customers skip buying a vehicle service contract from their selling dealer, while third party competition is thriving on selling to those same customers. With the advent of DealerTrack and RouteOne, coupled with the evolution of the desk submitting deals before F&I involvement even begins, people should be delighted with the overall transaction times, but they're not. Another problem we face is that most F&I training offered today follows an old model of trying to simply overcome objections. The focus on objections made F&I development companies a solution for dealers wanting to create their own F&I departments in the 1970's. And it worked. They created an industry. But the world keeps moving. Today endlessly debating with customers by overcoming every objection is a problem. We must be as Bruce Lee said, "Like water", and adapt to each customer individually. For instance, today a menu presentation with every product bundled into the "Complete" or "Platinum" column may be the best way to present your payments... or it may not be. Do you know what sales process is most effective in YOUR store? Or...are you just doing what the trainer tells you works best? More importantly, can they bring data? Can they demonstrate effective results in YOUR store? If not, why are they giving you advice?Praise for The Art of F&I: "THE ART OF F&I - is a great read. It was quick & entertaining with stories told by an F&I guy. His no-nonsense approach to connecting with others is highlighted in this must read. Highlight, underline, and take notes in it. It will be a great addition to your F&I library of knowledge." - Justin Gasman - McCaddon Cadillac Buick GMC, Boulder, CO"Your book is AWESOME. Hits the nail right on the head with The Art of F&I... [B]est is not about lowest payment but about how you handled the customer and gave them YOUR BEST! Will become a part of my training with F&I Managers." - Dina Gilbert Wilson - Timbrook Kia, Cumberland, MD"It truly was a great read. So many people can benefit from the wisdom shared. It's put together in an easy to relate to format. Definitely not like many of the other books out there. Simple suggestions to becoming the best F&I Manager FOR YOUR CUSTOMER!! You hit it out if the park, Lloyd!!" - Joe Opolski - Roy O'Brien Ford, St Clair Shores, MI"Just finished reading The Art of F&I, what a great read. I loved that it confirmed to me that I'm doing the right things in the box and having story time with customers to earn their trust and presenting protections in a way the helps them. I'm glad I picked this book up." - Alex Clark - Garber Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Saginaw, MI"Thank you for writing this book. Your book spoke to my heart. Your explanation about how our brains work explained a lot about me, to me! - Renee Schmidt Birman - Cloquet Ford Chrysler, Cloquet, MN"Great book! Easy read. Everyone in the dealership should read it."- Michele Ryan - Royal Subaru, Cortland, NY