Five-day course aims to prepare future generations for a career in the Financial Services Office
Students of the Automotive Business School of Canada (ABSC) at Georgian College in Barrie, ON, now have the opportunity to enroll in a week-long course to learn about the functions of a dealership’s Financial Services Office, as well as best practices for Financial Services Managers (FSMs).
The Financial Services Manager Certificate Program will be offered on-site at the college in the Winter and Summer semesters, for a total of two course offerings every year. The inaugural class ran from February 27 to March 3, 2017.
The course will be taught by LGM trainers and will introduce Financial Services Office processes, including an FSM’s role in the vehicle purchase process, the steps completed in the Financial Services Office, and the features and benefits of F&I products.
“It is an amazing opportunity for the students of the ABSC to be offered this certification course from such a renowned F&I company as LGM,” says Jim Smith, professor at ABSC. “LGM’s course is in high demand and students compete through an application process to be chosen for it. This course is another example of how the automotive industry partners with the ABSC to enhance the excellence of its graduates.”
Students who took part in the inaugural class from February 27 to March 3, 2017.
The course will also focus on practicing a consultative sales approach, with students being educated on effective interactions with the customer: How to ask questions to uncover areas of concern, how to make customers aware of vehicle ownership risks, and how to position F&I products as a viable solution.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with ABSC on this course offering,” says Nathalie Abdallah, manager of retail training at LGM. “As a pre-eminent automotive learning institution, the students at Georgian are the future of dealership talent and we want to emphasize how many career opportunities are available in the Financial Services Office.”
A portion of the curriculum will borrow from LGM Training’s hallmark Elite Performance course, a popular class among current FSMs across Canada, which aims to innovate the sales approach for F&I products in a way that increases dealership productivity and profitability, while at the same time improving customer satisfaction.
LGM trainer Suzanne Dique leads the first class.
“The first week of classes was a huge success,” says Suzanne Dique, the LGM trainer who led the first course. “I was inspired by the enthusiasm of the students and the way they challenged themselves to really learn the material and support each other in role playing exercises and peer evaluation.”
The next course is scheduled to run this summer, June 26 to June 30.
