F&I and Showroom, June 2019

www fi magazine com 32 F I and Showroom June 2019 W Weve all noticed how a duck looks serene as it glides across water What we dont see is that under the water its paddling like crazy Shouldnt F I be the same We have to appear calm and collected but we need to have a sense of urgency at all times Most of us are hair on fire when we have someone sitting across from us We need that same sense of urgency even when were not directly interacting with a customer So how do we do it 1 BE PREPARED The Boy Scouts motto is Be prepared The best way to appear as serene as a duck is to be prepared Show up ready to work Dont mosey in at the last second and then shuffle off to get your coffee and donuts Dont check your social media accounts or hang out at the sales desk shooting the breeze waiting for something to happen Instead arrive at work with a good attitude and ready to go Log into all of your systems so that youre ready Stock up on all your forms paper and toner the day before your day off and before the weekend so you dont have to worry about it when you return Find the process that works for you and do it every day 2 GET CUSTOMERS INTO YOUR OFFICE Most of us know that the faster a customer comes into our office the more money we can make So why dont we have the sense of urgency to get them sitting in front of us within 15 minutes Well hear a salesman say the guy is a jerk so well torture him by making him wait Whom do we hurt with that thinking Were on our fourth cash deal in a row we just know the next guy isnt going to buy anything and were whining to anyone who will listen Having another smoke out back wont hurt anything right Watching some highlights on ESPN wont change anything will it Yes it will Not only does it hurt our chances to make money it harms the CSI for the store and it hurts our reputations as professionals Whether we think were going to make a 10 pounder or a goose egg we need to have the same sense of urgency getting the customer into our offices 3 RETURN CALLS AND EMAILS Take a second to look at your desk See that big thing with numbers on it Thats a telephone Back in the day before mobile devices thats how we all communicated Strangely enough some people still expect us to use that So if it rings answer it If the light is on or blinking there are messages waiting Return the calls Dont pretend you dont see them or just delete the messages The same holds true for emails Ignoring voicemails or emails doesnt make them go away Make it a habit to return all calls within 24 hours preferably before you leave for the day 4 KEEP A HEAT SHEET You may be the greatest salesman the store has ever known but no one makes anything until the deal is funded The same tenacity we use to sell products is the same thing we need to track the deal all the way through funding Contracts in transit cant be allowed to stack up Dont assume someone else will chase the stip or address the funding delay Deals are not cheese or wine they dont get better with age Theyre more like fish or bad in laws coming to visit They stink after three days Be prepared appear calm and work hard Be a duck ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lori Church is director of F I and compliance for Holman Automotive Group a graduate of the University of Denvers Sturm College of Law and an experienced F I manager and trainer Email her at lori church@ bobit com F I director offers four tips you can use to start your day with a bang and maintain a level of urgency that will fuel your presentations and make your time between customers more productive Make Every Minute Count in F I BY LORI CHURCH F I MATTERS PHOTO GETT YIMAGES COM DRPAS