IAS News and Press
A Perfect Pitch Every Time
Oct 1, 2001
Some days you are just on fire. A salesperson could turn an Eskimo to the F&I Department and you'd sell him ice cubes. Other times, you couldn't sell life jackets on a sinking ship. And sometimes you just don't have time to make a proper presentation. Also, in today's litigious environment, there is always a question about what exactly was said by the F&I practitioner that induced the customer to buy.
The SmartTrac presentation system, developed and marketed by Innovative Aftermarket Systems L.P. (IAS), addresses all of the aforementioned situations. It ensures a complete, accurate and convincing product presentation 100% of the time. The computer-based program can be tailored to the specific needs of the dealer and F&I operation and offers effective presentations for vehicle service contracts, GAP, credit insurance, anti-theft products, tire and wheel road hazard protection, lease excessive wear and mileage protection contracts and appearance protection products.
What better use of your customers' time than to watch a professionally prepared product presentation on a CRT while you are reviewing the particulars of a deal? A professional narrator covers the key aspects of the product in a four-color, consumer-friendly display.
With SmartTrac, the customer needn't fear taking the word of the F&I practitioner about a product's benefits. Also, every claim about the product is part of a public record available for everyoneconsumers, dealer principals, regulators, and lawyersto see. The 5_-minute presentations create instant credibility and lay the groundwork for a follow-up discussion about how the product can meet the customer's needs.
Always a skeptic, I met with Bob Corbin, executive vice president of Innovative Aftermarket Systems L.P., at a Saturn dealership located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for a live demonstration. I watched Diane Lynne, one of Saturn of Hurst's financial services managers, put the program through its paces. It appeared to bridge the gap between a live presentation and an infomercial. It was good, but not too slick to be believable. It was obvious that the people who developed the product had spent time behind an F&I desk.
The acid test for any program is in the actual results it produces. According to Ron Carlson of Cleo Bay Honda in Killeen, Texas, grosses are up approximately $150. Andrea Pickens, Tri-County Ford dealer principal, said, "Consistency is sometimes hard to maintain. SmartTrac allows our dealership to make the same presentation to each customer. It has also allowed Tri-Country Ford to introduce two new F&I products that increased F&I income over $9,000 on 43 customers our first full month using the system."
Since Innovative Aftermarket Systems is a full-service aftermarket supplier, the cost of the SmartTrac software and hardware can be reduced if other products and services offered by the company are marketed by the dealer using the system.
At present, SmartTrac is available in all states. Innovative Aftermarket Systems, an AFIP industry-level member, has been active in the aftermarket field for many years. E.V.P. Bob Corbin is an AFIP Certified F&I Professional and a seasoned F&I practitioner.
If you have an interest in the SmartTrac system, contact Bob Corbin at IAS, or visit www.iasdirect.com online or via the hotlink on AFIP's website for an online demonstration.
About SmartDealerProducts from IAS
SmartDealerProducts from IAS is the leading provider of revolutionary F&I software solutions for the automotive industry since 1984. SmartDealerProducts three step process is uniquely designed to maximize profit potential and increase customer satisfaction index (CSI) scores for automotive dealerships. SmartTrac, is an innovative presentation tool provides important F&I product information to retail consumers. SmartMenu allows dealerships to sell more products by providing professional, customized F&I menus for each and every customer, in seconds. The last step in the process, SmartEye, digitally records the transaction to monitor the process for training, legality and quality assurance. For more information, please visit www.smartdealerproducts.com.