F&I - KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AT ALL COSTS

Nothing will lower your PVR faster than a bad attitude.

by: Michael Finnan

Maybe the first deal you see is 15 minutes prior to closing and it is a cash deal. The check is completely filled in from the customer’s lender; a lender you know you are able to beat their rates, terms and carries. Now what???

There is nothing you can do at this point that is going to change the fact that this customer is your customer and this deal is your deal. The thing you can control is your attitude, your response and your actions.

Try these 4 steps to a positive attitude:

1. Smile!

2. Deep Breath.

3. Every time a deal, a customer, Sales Manager or Salesperson cross the threshold into your office everything must be positive. You still have to do the deal so why not do it with a positive attitude? Do you think that a positive or negative attitude will produce a higher PVR?

4. Always thank a customer for their business, no exceptions! Smile!

Have you noticed that these 4 steps begin and end with a smile? That is not by accident, a smile indicates you are a friendly person and people will trust and like you more if you smile. Smiling is free and what if it could boost your PVR?

Today’s F&I Manager must be a closer, a banker, an attorney and your paperwork must be 100% correct or it is wrong. Typically the F&I Manger is the most professional sales person in the dealership and makes the dealership the most amount of profit in the shortest amount of time. Most dealerships could not continue to run with out the income their F&I offices produce. Your role in the dealership is crucial.

Here are some final thoughts:

Never let the things that other people do wrong upset you or cause you to be unprofessional. They have not earned that right; do not give it to them

Keep in mind that although cash deals can be more challenging they are still an opportunity. A good menu presentation will sell products to a cash customer.

Keep your head and attitude up - good selling!

Fantastic article.

AFI

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Turn Off the Damn TV in the Waiting Room!

We are being bombarded with analysis - much of it trying to predict when we will bounce off of the bottom of this painful recession.

Earlier in December Dealers Edge hosted a Web Conference that featured seven of the brightest minds in dealership fixed operations. These seven experts spent 30 minutes each offering their best advice for how to cope with the recession as a service manager. Over 700 locations registered for this event and their post-Webinar comments were almost universally enthusiastic - (I actually missed this webinar).

In his presentation, one of Ed Kovalchick's recommendations was for you to "Turn off the damn TV in the waiting room."

Ed went on to explain that most often the TV is tuned to a cable news channel and that could only depress your customers even more as they waited for their vehicle to be serviced. Great advice! (He further suggested that you play DVDs of classic movies instead.)

For most news outlets, it's not news, unless it's bad news. I am a "glass half-full" guy and while I like to be well-informed, I am also very skeptical when listening to pundits and other so-called experts as they attempt to predict what the most savvy economist will tell you cannot be predicted.

So it is with that caveat that I offer to you some economic analysis from one of my favorite economists -Brian Westbury is the Chief Economist with First Trust and is often seen on business news shows and quoted in newspapers and magazines.

I like him because he is not always so negative and within my limited ability to understand what economists are saying, he makes sense to me.

But that is only my opinion - you make up your own mind. Westbury recently wrote and article entitled, "We Are the Catalyst," exploring the concept of an event or happening that will signal the reversal of the downward spiral the economy appears to be in.

It's an interesting take on the current state of affairs and I invite you to read it for yourself. Westbury's- "We Are the Catalyst" While you are on the First Trust Website, you might want to look at a couple of videos at "Westbury's 101." The first is dated from December 3rd and is entitled "Perspective on Recession."

Both short video clips offer some insight into our present down-turn that you are unlikely to here while watching the mainstream news shows. To view "Retail Sales Show Bounce in Velocity"

I know there are plenty of economists that will take the same data and project an opinion 180 degrees from Westbury's. But it is good to know that someone has a bright outlook.

And please take Ed Kovalchick's advice - "Turn off the damn TV" - at least until next Monday.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

AFI

Good Stuff by: Dealers Edge


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The Right Attitude in Sales

By Dean Arzu Algan

Your attitude toward yourself and your customers is critical to your success. Attitude influences our behavior and our actions, and ultimately defines what we can or cannot do. Once a negative attitude takes hold, success becomes an uphill battle. Much like a disease, a negative attitude can become a chronic problem, constantly eating away at your success. You become programmed to accept losing. Unless you break free of that cycle of negativity, you simply cannot succeed. Toward that end, it is essential that you leave personal and other problems at home. Customers don’t want to know about them – they want to interact with someone who is knowledgeable, and who exudes professionalism.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

The power of a positive attitude must be realized. There is no other way to become a success, whether in sales or in any other endeavor. Think successful, become successful.

The individual who feels like a failure will find a way to fail. There is a definite relationship between positive attitude and accomplishments. Professional people cannot afford to give out negative energy. The more positive your attitude, the greater your prospects for achieving success. A positive attitude helps generate the energy to get things done. Attitude, like health and diet, can be changed. It can be improved.

Seek opportunities at every turn. If things do go wrong – and they sometimes will, it is the human condition – view them as a learning experience. In other words, strive to find a positive angle on what otherwise might be a negative (and destructive) incident. Keep striving for success, and realize that if you take two steps forward for every step backward, you are still making progress. Take pride in ethics and legal compliance. Exercise self-control. Your customers will appreciate it, your company will generate more business, and you’ll feel better about yourself.

AVOIDING A RUT

Human beings, by their very nature, are creatures of habit. Some habits, as we all know, are better than others. Often, the difference between success and failure are the quality of their habits. Think about it, and the kind of habits that will generate success.

Those who continually fail generally often find it difficult, if not downright impossible, to abandon the immediate pleasure bad habits may offer. Consequently, they have low expectations which they may or may not realize. Successful people have learned that they are responsible for their own success. They are willing to put their long-term goals ahead of short-term pleasures by cultivating proper habits. They strive to make each day – and each deal – count, even if the odds appear against them.

LISTENING WITHIN

Developing a good understanding of ourselves is an important phase of human growth and development. Self-awareness, a thorough understanding of our own identity, sets the stage for improved relationships. To become meaningfully involved with others and to make a positive impression we must have an awareness of self. Without first understanding the persona you current project, how can you change the way others perceive that persona?

Few people are aware of how they feel about themselves, of what is important to them, and thus are relatively unaware of the feelings of others. Individuals who are not aware of self tend to lack superior judgment and wisdom. When we discover that something we do bothers someone else, we have the option of altering our behavior. Greater self-awareness also improves our communication skills.

When faced with a toxic, unproductive outlook or negative habits, many people refuse to examine the source of their problems: themselves. Rather than undergo the sometimes painful process of introspection, they continue in their destructive practices. If you hope to succeed, you must avoid this trap. If you want to be successful, you must be willing to face the unpleasant possibility that you are the cause of most of your failures. Your courage will be rewarded with a greater insight into yourself, and, subsequently, a more successful career.

Excellent article.

AFI

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