SSI Quick Tips
March 12, 2020
SSI Quick Tip #4

TO:   Sales Consultants & Sales Managers
SUBJECT:  SSI Quick Tip #4 – Expediting F&I; Making the most of the Customer's Time
Date:  March 2020

Delivering a great customer experience in the F&I office starts before F&I begins. By understanding the customer’s needs and expectations and providing F&I eMenus you can help educate your customers, reduce F&I pressure, increase sales, and get customers into their new vehicles faster.

Here are some best practices to speed up and improve the sales experience while in F&I:

  1. Introduce the Finance Manager early in the sales process
  2. Explain the purpose of the F&I meeting
  3. Set expectations on the time it may take in F&I
  4. Use eMenus to present protection products that are most important to the customer

If there is a wait for F&I, use the time to go over the maintenance schedule and introduce the customer to the Service Manager. Also, with the complexity of today’s vehicles, this is a great time to walk the customer through the Difficult to Understand (DTU) and Hard to Operate (HTO) features on their new vehicle – especially those specific features that are most important to your customer.

As the wait time allows, give customers a hands-on experience in operating and using some of the following features to ensure understanding and retention:

  • USB/Device Ports
  • Support for Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™
  • Bluetooth® connectivity and phone pairing
  • Voice Recognition (VR)
  • Climate controls, including auto defog
  • Key fob
  • Available Smart Power Liftgate™/Smart Power Trunk™
  • Steering-wheel-mounted controls and personalizing cluster settings for Kia Drive Wise (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and other features
  • Wireless phone charger
  • Raising windshield wipers (wiper service mode)
  • Idle, Stop and Go (ISG) system
  • Drive Mode settings

By explaining the F&I process, setting customer expectations, and using any time the customer might be waiting for F&I to communicate valuable information, you leave the customer with a satisfying overall sales experience.

Sincerely,

Sales and Field Operations Team
Kia Motors America, Inc.