The number one mistake new F&I managers make
In this concise coaching monologue, Adrian Anania identifies the primary error new finance and insurance (F&I) managers make: they focus on memorizing the contract rather than mastering the customer conversation. He argues that the real value of a deal lies in the 30‑minute interaction with the buyer, not the paperwork. Drawing on experience coaching over 200 stores, Anania notes that managers who stall tend to learn the product cold and never review their own delivery. He proposes a concrete self‑coaching loop: after each deal, spend five minutes noting what worked and what didn’t; after every ten deals, reassess patterns; and then adjust one word or phrase at a time. This incremental, reflective practice replaces contract memorization with active skill development.
Chapters
More from Adrian
"What's it gonna take. When can we get you in this?" That's not closing, that's begging.
A high payment customer walks in with a pre-approval from their credit union. Most managers panic
You are the author of your own story. Every deal, every choice in the box is a page you're writing,
Every new manager walks toward the same hole. No real training. No loop. No one watching the deal
You bought the best training program in the country. Six months from now, it won't matter.
Someone drew a fancy graph on a whiteboard, capped the marker, and called that my F&I training.
Most of your PVR is won or lost in the first six minutes, before the customer ever sees the menu.
