Finance and Insurance 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. By Don Geroni
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ome F&I managers dislike it, others swear by it. Some say it’s the single most important part of the F&I process, and they won’t deliver a vehicle without it. What we’re talking about here is the customer interview. Only you can decide whether the extra five minutes per customer is worth your time. If it is, then it’s worth doing it right. Let’s delve into the customer interview and highlight a couple of must-haves for making it work for your dealership.
Perception Is Everything
F&I managers who favor the customer interview prefer it be done in the showroom, either at an empty office or at an empty table. The key is that it be done outside of the F&I office, as it allows the customer to remain in his or her comfort zone. Whether based on past experiences or stories they’ve heard from friends, customers perceive the F&I office as the place where buyers have their payment and rate bumped. To them, F&I is where they are lied to and pressured into buying products they don’t want. At the very least, they know they will have to sign piles of paperwork. So, if that’s how customers feel about the F&I office, how could they
The
Interview 30 F&I and Showroom September 2011
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