The survey is the most skipped step in F&I, and it's where your closes stop being guesswork.

Here's what most F&I managers get wrong about surveying a customer. On my 4th day on the job, I was put on an account with 29 finance managers at a 10-store auto group, and one of the managers named Ron was determined to get me fired. He poked holes in everything I gave him, so I took it all back and gave him simply one thing: survey the customer before they ever sit down in the F&I office. Out on the showroom floor, 5 minutes, one transparent sheet. Within one week, his numbers moved. Within 90 days, he broke every store record in production, total gross, and PBR average. A group ceiling of $2,100 a car in 2014, gone, as he hit over $2,900 a car on 67 car deals. Now, if I had to teach that survey from scratch today, here are the 3 things I'd lock in before any new manager touched the menu ever again. First, the survey happens on the showroom floor, not in the office. By the time they sit down, it's too late to learn anything. Second, ask about their commute, their family, their last vehicle. You're not selling, you're helping the customer become aware of their situation and their own unique problems. Third, write it down. Make eye contact. Transparency is key, which is why the sheet matters so you tell the customer you're not doing this for the first time and you're not making stuff up out of thin air. Save this if your closes feel like guesswork.