The Climb to Success Starts With One Step

Everyone who is going to grow forward needs to change in someway, shape or form. Hence, you need to take the first STEP, not much is accomplished while sitting still. Dans breaks down the four essential components to taking that first step: Sacrifice; Training; Effort; and Producing Profits.

Speaker:

• George Dans, World’s Greatest Closer

Customer Experience: Its Impact and Opportunity in Our F&I World 

It’s simply “crazy” that a growing percentage of customers tell us they prefer text messaging as a form of communication from dealership service drives, and yet we only text them 9% of the time we contact them! And that’s only one example of how simple it is to meet the servicing needs of our customers. Just like your own experience with retailers and service providers, both online and offline, it’s that customer experience that will most often determine if they ever return to our dealerships or buy our F&I products again. Don’t be “crazy”! Come explore how we can be getting ahead in the customer experience race!

Speaker

• Cindy Allen, StoneEagle F&I

Honoree:

• Dwayne Hawkins, Crown Automotive

Designed to get dealers and F&I professionals up to speed on the latest in digital sales and F&I technology, this session will feature 10-minute presentations from 10 of the leading technology providers. Attendees will then cast their vote on their favorite presentation and solution, with the winner announced at the Industry Summit Honors on Wednesday.

Consolidation Trends in the F&I Industry

In recent years, M&A activity for F&I administrators and agents has grown significantly. Certain trends are driving this activity, including new money investment from private equity, acquisitions to lock in distribution channels, and dealership consolidations. These deal trends present opportunities and challenges for owners, operators and investors. This session will review the trends fueling M&A activity, how deals are valued and structured, recent transactions, the transaction process, and factors that may cause deals to fail to close.

Speaker:

• Gina Cocking, Collonade Advisors

Tackle F&I’s most pressing issues head-on with four executives operating at the industry’s highest levels. This year’s Executive Panel will debate and discuss such topics the F&I Sentinel controversy, the state of GAP, new dealer protections (and data privacy rules) in California, the effect of the Trump administration’s economic policies and labor unrest on new-vehicle sales, and much more.

Moderator:

• Tariq Kamal, Bobit Business Media’s Dealer Group

Panelists:

• Dave Duncan, Safe-Guard Products International
• Arden Hetland, American Financial & Automotive Services
• Will Green, LADA
• Patrick Brown, IAS

Resilient Leadership: Prepare Today – Prevail Tomorrow

From global and domestic terrorist threats to natural disasters, we face new risks to our individual, community and economic security each day. And while no one can predict what’s around the corner, we can prepare. Lt. Gen. Honoré believes that strong leadership, guided by clarity of purpose and practical tactics, are the keys to overcoming adversities by being better prepared and more resilient.

In this presentation, Gen. Honoré connects his 37 years of decorated military leadership—including the crucial role in managing New Orleans’ relief efforts post Hurricane Katrina. He uses the natural disasters and man-made tragedies dominating global headlines to reveal critical strategies. In the process, he transforms individuals and helps organizations prepare, react, and rebound effectively, so they can move forward with success.

Speaker

• Lt. General Russel L. Honoré (Ret.), Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, Leadership Expert, Safety & Global Preparedness Authority

Lender F&I Product Review and Approval – What You Need to Know

Since the enactment of Dodd-Frank, regulatory scrutiny of auto finance companies and their financing of F&I products is at an all time high and more and more finance companies are reviewing F&I products prior to agreeing to finance them. Hear what you need to know about the review process and what the future likely holds for the financing of these products.

Speaker:

• Stephen McDaniel, F&I Sentinel, PLLC

Shaping the F&I Landscape In the Digital Age

The Internet has completely changed the way customers look for and get what they want. It has also changed what they search for and where they buy. Consequently, dealerships that wish to keep their F&I departments relevant are updating their F&I marketing, presentations and procedures to respond to this transformation in their customer’s buying habits. The panel has been assembled with contributors up to speed on the current trends that have significantly impacted dealerships F&I training, presentation, and overall procedures.

Moderator:

• Gerry Gould, Gerry Gould & Associates

Panelists:

• Luis Garcia, AVID Insurance
• Jonathan Hutchins, Fabre Auto Group
• Rick McCormick, Reahard & Associates

F&I Product Selling In a Digital Marketplace

There are many perspectives about online shopping and buying. Not all agree about online buying, but everyone now agrees that consumers will most likely shop online for their next auto purchase. The panel will collectively tackle topics such as product placement, shopping vs buying online, hand-off to F&I and consumer self-paced shopping.

Moderator: 

• Daniel Lievrouw, American Guardian Warranty Services

Panelists:

• Carl Ciaramitaro, Provider Exchange Network
• Jonah Cole, Dealer Inspire
• Ken Murer, APC Integrated Services Group
• Joe St John, AutoFi
• Matt Weinberg, Drive Motors

Can You Sell More Aftermarket Products by Going Online?

Digital retailing has arrived and it’s growing. Consumers are accustomed to the speed, convenience and transparency of online shopping – and they expect a complete digital experience when purchasing a vehicle. More than half of consumers engage with digital retailing at some point in the vehicle purchase process, but aftermarket products are often left out of the early stages of the shopping experience. Customers are more likely to purchase aftermarket products if they learn about them earlier in the process, so holding back means missing out on profit opportunities. In this session, we’ll show you the power and profitability of presenting aftermarket products online to engaged consumers. Learn how providers and agents can provide top-notch customer satisfaction and follow compliance best practices for every state while maximizing value from aftermarket sales.

Speakers:

• Roger Hilterbrandt, F&I Express
• Rony Maalouf, F&I Express