Zurich North America encourages dealerships to have sales staff consistently use a short, templated speech when they hand a customer over to the finance department. A trainer at a June finance and insurance seminar offered examples of behavior to avoid.
Time expectations: Customers normally spend a half-hour or more in a finance office, said Tony DiGregory, Zurich North America regional finance executive. So when a salesperson declares the business manager will “ ’get you in and out’ … it’s unrealistic expectations,” he said.
Jargon: A customer may not know what terms such as F&I or “the box” mean, said DiGregory. “They don’t live it,” he said. For this reason, Zurich recommends calling the finance manager a “business manager.”
Joking: DiGregory recalled a salesperson who used to describe him to customers as “the one that’s going to offer you all the stuff you don’t need.” The joke wasn’t mean-spirited, but “that doesn’t help anything, right?” DiGregory said.
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