‘It's all about' safety and tech for F&I customers

Finance-and-insurance trainer and product provider iA American Warranty Group stresses selling F&I products by relating them to aspects of a new vehicle that most excite the individual customer.

It's part of a strategy that can knock the F&I sales turn down to 15 minutes, the company claims.

Executing this requires the F&I professional or other staffer — iA says the technique can be taught quickly to anyone — to remember the individual consumer's answers.

But this could be easier than it might sound. Tony Dupaquier, North American training director, said iA tests of the new 15-minute process revealed many customers give the same answers.

"Most customers today, it's all about the technology and about the safety," he said.

He predicted during an interview in March that fuel economy could arise as another constant. In dealerships that sell a lot of pickups, customers focus on towing capability, he said.

A "certain level of pattern" exists that "really makes our lives a lot easier," Dupaquier said.

An F&I manager will probably find 9 of their 10 customers say something similar and "really didn't venture" into other topics, he said.