Preparing Your F&I Customers On Time Expectations

In F&I, time is never on your side. Deals are rushed, you are stressed, and the customers are frustrated…so much so that they take little if anything presented to them off the menu.

Is there a better way to manage the time expectation of the customers BEFORE they even come into the F&I office? Yep…let’s take a closer look at some small but powerful strategies to help make sure the customers come in receptive and a little less stressed…

‍Let Sales Help:

Work with the salespeople and have them understand the danger in promising to their customers that F&I will only take ‘a few minutes’ or it’s only ’30 minutes or so until you get to drive home’. During weekly sales meetings, ask to speak on this. Tell them the talk tracks you would like them to use to get the customers ready for proper time expectations the minute they sign off on the buyer’s order.    

‍Start Online:

‍Digital retailing has been a growing channel within the dealership space since before COVID-19 but more so since. Consider a blog or article on the F&I page that walks the car shopper through the buying process from beginning to end with emphasis on how long parts of the process can take and why. ‍

Give Worst Case:

This may sound counter-intuitive but there is an argument to be made for telling the customer the worst-case scenario when quoting how low it will take to get through the F&I process with you. You’ve heard the expression “Under promise, over deliver” …that could work here, too.

If you know based on the number of deals pending that it will take at least 1 hour to get the Smiths through your office and in the car, don’t be afraid to tell them an hour or so. If you are able to get them in and out in 35-40 minutes, you go from ‘zero to hero’ in short order. They are happy to get out in less time and you made good on your promise. Win-win.