The Value of Time in F&I...and How to Get More of It.

Time. We either never have enough of it or we have too much on our hands. But when it comes to business, a dealership specifically, we think of the age-old expression “Time is money”. Dealers measure the value of time in terms of how long it takes a salesperson to approach an ‘up’ out on the lot. In service, it’s measured by how long it takes to repair a vehicle, get it off the lift, and close out the RO so you can get the next car in the bay. It’s all about time.

For F&I, time is a tricky thing. Too long and your buyer gets restless and they may not buy anything. Rushing through the deal means mistakes are made and chargebacks increase.What is the value of time in F&I and what can be done to give them more time to sell the products that matter most? The answer is easy...preloading appearance bundles.

Dealers that preload their ancillary products like appearance protection (arguably the easiest to include) as a Line 1 add find that it actually frees up more time for F&I managers to focus on higher margin product presentations for VSC and GAP. A more in-depth interview is often needed to help the F&I managers overcome objections and highlight the benefits specific to the buyers driving habits.

F&I managers have a smaller window than ever to get to the heart of their presentations and if they don’t have to be burdened with a giant menu of products to review with buyers, the value of that time saved is enormous. Their presentations are more focused and buyers will appreciate not having to wade through 6-10 products all at once. Preloading ancillaries gives that time back while helping to add critical profit to the bottom line. Buyers will see it already disclosed upfront under the window sticker at a very reasonable price. It’s protection that, when branded to the dealership, can be a powerful “Why buy here?” value proposition.

F&I benefits from being able to quickly use that preloaded bundle to upsell to longer protection. Again, it’s all about greater efficiency and helping make the buying experience smoother for the customer. Click here to see how easy it is to set up your store with a cost-effective appearance bundle and help give F&I the extra time they need to sell more.