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Automotive industry insights, tips, and guides

Car Buying Tips

Why F&I Manager Compensation Plans That Scale Is Quietly Costing You Deals

In 1985, the average F&I manager at a typical franchised dealership made about $35,000 a year. By 1995, that number had more than doubled. Today, a top F&I perf...

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Car Buying Tips

Why Your E-Contracting Rollout Is Quietly Killing F&I Attachment Rates

Sixty-three percent of franchise dealers report that their e-contracting rollout actually reduced F&I attachment rates in the first six months. Not by a little....

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Car Buying Tips

Why Chargeback Tracking and Trend Analysis Is Quietly Costing You Deals

How much money walked out your door last month because a customer got cold feet during the finance office visit? Most dealers can't answer that question with a...

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Car Buying Tips

Why the Deal Jacket Audit Checklist Is Quietly Costing You Deals

The assembly line at Ford's River Rouge plant in 1913 could produce a Model T every 93 seconds. That obsession with speed and efficiency shaped American manufac...

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Car Buying Tips

Why Protection Product Objection Handling Is Quietly Costing You Deals

In 1981, when the Honda Civic first showed up on California highways, cars came with a handshake warranty and luck. If your transmission went, you fixed it or y...

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Car Buying Tips

The Hidden Math Behind Menu Selling Gaps

Imagine it's 3 p.m. on a Friday. A customer is sitting in your F&I office ready to sign paperwork on a $28,000 used truck. Your new finance manager, hired six w...

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Car Buying Tips

Why Warranty Versus Service Contract Mix Is Quietly Costing You Deals

Before the internet made car shopping transparent, dealerships sold warranties like they were handing out lottery tickets. It was 1995, the consumer didn't know...

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Car Buying Tips

Why Back-End Gross Targets by Store Is Quietly Costing You Deals

What if the pressure you're putting on your finance team to hit a specific back-end gross number per store is actually costing you more deals than it's generati...

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Car Buying Tips

The Hidden Cost of Moving Too Fast

Roughly 8% of dealership deals fall apart after the customer drives off the lot. Most managers blame financing or credit issues. But the real culprit is somethi...

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Car Buying Tips

How Compliance Disclosures in Your Finance Office Are Quietly Killing Back-End Gross

In 1968, the Federal Trade Commission introduced what became known as the Holder Rule, requiring dealers to post a specific notice about consumer rights in fina...

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Car Buying Tips

Why Your Best Lender Relationships Are Quietly Costing You Deals

The Silent Deal-Killer: Why Your Best Lender Relationships Are Actually Costing You Money In 1985, most car dealers had exactly three options when it came to f...

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Car Buying Tips

Why Finance Income Per Retail Unit Is Quietly Costing You Deals

Roughly 23% of dealers say their finance income per retail unit is flat or declining year over year, even as their transaction prices climb. That's not a market...

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