Leverage dealership service department for F&I sales

Finance managers can sell more finance-and-insurance products by working with their dealership's service department, Zurich North America trainers said.

"Go spend time with your [service] advisers," Matt Dinsmore, regional income development executive at Zurich, told an F&I training session in June. "It'll better you for what you're selling. You'll learn technical terms. You'll learn problems that are reoccurring and current."

Train service personnel to refer customers no longer covered by a manufacturer's warranty to the finance department for a vehicle service contract, said Phil Parlovecchio Jr., regional finance executive at Zurich.

"It is an untapped source, and it will yield you results and profitability," Parlovecchio told the audience.

Finance managers also should help the service department, Dinsmore said. He suggested teaching service personnel how to look up a customer's Zurich coverage, file claims online and determine which items on a vehicle were protected by coverage.

Have a good F&I tip to share? Email John Huetter at [email protected] and Paige Hodder at [email protected].