Dealers, groups, and enterprise-sized organizations are all searching high and low for pre-owned inventory. Instead of paying through the nose at auction, dealers are taking a new look at their service lane and maximizing engagements in-person.

But what about using AutoFi to propel profits? Our platform drives controlled and profitable deals while streamlining real approvals from lenders, and these service-to-sales deals have the same convenience for your business. Let’s lean in with 5 steps to use AutoFi for an accurate payment-centric service-to-sales approach.

Start a Deal With a Vehicle of Interest and the Customer’s Address
Equity-mining and traditional service-to-sales approaches start off with messaging about how much your current car is worth. We’re in the sales business: start off with the new vehicle to get the customer excited and envision ownership of a new-to-them vehicle.

Add the Current Vehicle as a Trade, Including Payoff
Since the current vehicle is with you, in service, it’s easy to get an accurate appraisal. AutoFi takes it a step further with payoffs from 100+ lenders, in seconds. You can even custom configure your payoff days to ensure no pesky interest charges delay receipt of title.

Present Accurate Taxes and Fees
AutoFi delivers taxes so accurately that we power major online sellers. Additionally, your fees (from tag, tire, to adjustment) can be incorporated into your digital buying experience. Your fees can even be configured to be year, make, and model specific.

Share Deals With the Customer for Them To Edit Their Term and Amount Down
Online shoppers explore “shopping cart” experiences each day. Sharing a link with your customer in service gives them the ability to explore their payments and get a real picture of what the car will cost each month including your markups, fees, and more.

Moreover, the customer is penciling their payment on your terms:

• • No discount = more money down.
  • No low gross = longer term.

See Customer Actions in the Dealer Portal, Including Lender Decisions and Stips
Controlling the deal matters. While your shopper is getting closer to yes on their own device, you can watch their actions and changes in the AutoFi Dealer Portal. If they get stuck, you can conveniently walk back to the lounge. When they click “I’ll take it” and are working on the credit app, you can let F&I know that a real deal is going to appear in the Deals tab of RouteOne or Dealertrack (not the Leads Tab).

In this example, a service customer has received a modern, transparent, and simple online buying experience—whether they are in your lounge or back at work. You and your settings have been in control behind the scenes, even monitoring progress ready to get involved when needed.

More importantly, you’ve pulled a trade from your own brand which is going to look sharp on the front line.

—
Patrick Wyld is Director of Training at AutoFi