Articles for Special Finance Experts

Innovations Abound for Special Finance Departments

Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Special finance expert Greg Goebel discusses the three best things he came away with from the 2011 Special Finance Conference—Auto Auction Insider, Bidzpin and VegasFlyTrap.

Lessons Learned Long Ago in Special Finance

Monday, November 28, 2011
Special Finance Expert Greg Goebel explains how taking the wrong approach to special finance leads can mean lost sales opportunities for a dealership.

Make Sure Your SF Department Doesn’t Get Hosed

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Special Finance Expert Greg Goebel explains how the concept of water through a hose can be an apt metaphor for a dealership’s SF business. He also details one dealer’s dilemma and explains how to fix it.

Positive News and Energy Surround the SF Market

Monday, September 26, 2011
Special finance expert Greg Goebel discusses the good news and not-so-good news about the finance industry he learned at the NAF Associations 2011 conference.

Tracking Your SF Numbers

Friday, August 19, 2011
Special finance expert Greg Goebel explains why two dealers who contacted him were missing SF opportunities and how they can improve their SF operations. He also introduces the Special Finance Profit Analyzer, which dealers can use to see exactly how they stack up next to benchmark SF dealers.

Squeeze Out More Sales with a Squeeze Page

Friday, July 29, 2011
Special Finance Expert Greg Goebel details how and why he changed his opinion of how some dealers are using squeeze pages to generate more leads and sales.

The Five Most Common Mistakes Made by Dealers in Special Finance

Wednesday, June 29, 2011
As the special finance market continues its upswing, dealers are making many of the same mistakes over and over. Special Finance Expert Greg Goebel discusses the most commonly repeated mistakes in the most critical areas of special finance.

Spark Immediate Results in Special Finance

Monday, June 06, 2011
Special Finance Expert Greg Goebel chronicles how one dealer group increased its subprime business by focusing on the right inventory for special finance and proper deal structure.

Analyze Current Advertising Before Adding More

Thursday, May 05, 2011
Greg Goebel explores the age-old question "What should I spend my advertising dollars on??" His response might surprise some.

SWAG, SOP and MSU

Monday, March 28, 2011
For dealers wanting to increase special finance traffic, Greg Goebel, special finance expert, explains how dealers should assess their current special finance traffic to determine how to increase special finance (subprime) traffic and gross.

Fire! Ready! Aim!

Monday, February 21, 2011
As dealers notice the comeback special finance is making, interest in the topic grows, as evidenced by the increasing number of calls Author and Consultant Greg Goebel has been receiving of late. He outlines some of the important issues dealers should consider before jumping back into special finance.

2010 Auto Finance Survey – Special Finance Results

Friday, January 28, 2011
Industry Expert Greg Goebel provides an in-depth look at the Special Finance Segment of the Auto Dealer Monthly 2010 Auto Finance Survey.

Special Finance is Back

Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Annually, Greg Goebel (special finance expert and consultant) reviews hundreds of dealers’ data from the previous year to provide readers with an in-depth look at the latest special finance benchmarks.

Special Finance Companies Report Surprising Trends

Thursday, December 02, 2010
Greg Goebel - The landscape of the special finance market is changing, but this time it’s changing in a way that could benefit dealers. The near-prime customers of today aren’t the same as they used to be. Among near-prime buyers, average interest rates have dropped, the average loan term has grown and average monthly payments have increased. Read on to discover what’s behind these changes and how the rest of the subprime spectrum has changed in the past year.

Structuring SF Compensation Plans to Avoid Conflict

Friday, October 29, 2010
Greg Goebel - Throughout periods of restructuring when people are being shifted, promoted or hired, I get questions about compensation plans for the SF manager and/or SF department. Generally, what I hear is, “How are we supposed to pay them?” or “What is the benchmark for compensation for a SF manager?” Unfortunately, the question isn’t quite that simple.

Have You Lost Your Balloons?

Thursday, September 23, 2010
Greg Goebel - I have written for years about Green and Red Balloons, the metaphor for identifying the creditworthiness of dealership customers. Nothing has changed about the need to identify creditworthiness quickly and effectively when a customer first contacts your dealership, except for the fact that it has become more urgent to do so.

Special Finance Companies Making Great Strides in the Dealer’s Eyes

Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Greg Goebel - Twice each year, once in April and once in November, Auto Dealer Monthly reports the temperature of the retail finance climate. Having begun this process in 2005, this is the twelfth time we have asked dealers and their dealership personnel to offer their opinions of the retail finance companies they are doing business with.

Traditional Media Once Again Working Well in Special Finance

Monday, April 26, 2010
Greg Goebel - As the calendar turns to March, good news seems to be abounding in the special finance world. E-mails and phone conversations with dealers and their managers indicate that business is indeed returning to that of the old days (late ‘90s) when SF was solid and deals were reasonable.

Have You Searched Your Dealership Lately?

Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Greg Goebel - I have talked with probably more than 10,000 dealers about special finance over the past two decades. The range of their commitment to special finance has been from “off the charts” to a “you couldn’t get me to touch it with a 10-foot pole.”

Identify Your Existing Special Finance Opportunity

Thursday, March 11, 2010
Greg Goebel - It is a new year, and many dealers have finished their annual planning and are prepared for a continued upswing in business for the coming year. Based on the calls and e-mails I have received recently, that includes for some dealers (for very good reasons) a refocus on their special finance efforts.

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