Conquering the Curveball, from F&I Showroom.
Practicing and studying the pitcher are the keys to hitting baseball’s most unhittable pitch. F&I trainer says the same applies in the F&I office, which has faced quite a few curveballs of late.
Growing up in the same town as Los Angeles Dodgers Pitching Coach Rick Honeycutt, whose assortment of breaking balls made him one of the best middle relief pitchers in Major League Baseball, I know hitting the curveball is one of the toughest things to do. About the only way you can develop any consistency hitting “old Uncle Charlie” is to practice your technique and study the pitcher’s habits.
Well, the F&I office has faced quite a few curveballs of late, starting with today’s consumer. Not only are they more educated, they wield mobile devices that allow them to check and challenge our facts in real time. Then there are the multiple layers of compliance requirements, which are eating into our F&I delivery process and forcing us to sell more in less time. The aggressive efforts by insurance companies, local credit unions, banks and other retail players to sell traditional F&I products represent yet another challenge F&I professionals face.
But like the top hitters in baseball, top F&I performers adjust to the changing metrics of their craft, prepare for every eventuality and are ready to help every customer regardless of the challenges they might pose. So let’s review some of the skills that drive consistent success in the F&I office.
