I have always said that F&I is the most prestigious job in the dealership. It is important that we never lose sight of the fact that it is a sales position, not just a clerical necessity. We are neither clerks nor the sales manager’s secretaries.
That’s why I despise when F&I professionals refer to themselves as “business managers.” It’s such a wimpy-ass title. Business managers are the grumpy heads of dealership accounting offices. F&I managers and directors demand a little more respect and prestige. And right now, they are being asked to adapt to cataclysmic paradigm shifts driven by new technology and regulatory pressure.
There are two forces driving these shifts, and neither is going away. First, even though we are kicking and screaming all the way to the slaughterhouse, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will prevail in the end. Yes, finance sources will eventually have to standardize interest rates offered to consumers at every credit tier, probably without dealer markup or rate profit participation.
Yup, I’m talking about flat rate. Hey, we can stand in front of the freight train, but we’re not going to stop it.
Read the whole article here on F&I and Showroom.