In today’s episode of Training Camp, Adam Marburger delivers a masterclass in helping automotive professionals improve their F&I performance. By focusing on clarifying customer priorities and strategic questioning, he explains how to shift the conversation from selling to helping, ultimately driving higher service contract sales and customer satisfaction.
Marburger highlights a fundamental truth: retail customers want three key things when purchasing a vehicle: the greatest use and enjoyment of their vehicle, the lowest total cost, and the least amount of aggravation. Yet, when they enter the F&I office, many are quick to decline protection products, often based on prior bad experiences rather than an understanding of their true value.
Rather than relying on outdated word tracks or aggressive selling techniques, what Marburger calls the “spray and pray” method, he advises F&I managers to slow down and start with a single, impactful question: “You were quick to decline the coverage available to you today. Why is it that you prefer to be unprotected?”
This approach allows customers to voice their concerns, making it easier to have an authentic conversation and address their specific objections.
Marburger compares a vehicle service contract to homeowners insurance, pointing out that even though most people never experience a house fire, they still maintain coverage for peace of mind. He further ties in smartphone protection, noting that many customers willingly spend $14 a month on AppleCare for a phone and purchase phone cases and screen protectors to protect a $1,000 piece of merchandise.
It’s important to challenge customers to consider why they wouldn’t similarly protect their vehicles, which are vastly more valuable and expensive than their phones, for just $30 to $40 a month.
The strategy, Marburger emphasizes, is to create conversations that customers can easily relate to, using visual aids when possible and making protection products feel like natural, essential purchases rather than unnecessary add-ons. Customers don’t want to be sold. They want to buy products that make sense for their lives and budgets.
"Our retail customers truly want to purchase service contracts—they just don’t want to be sold service contracts." – Adam Marburger
