Scottsdale, AZ – January 26, 2009: In response to financial difficulties facing the automotive industry, the Automotive Dealership Institute and Chernek Consulting, Inc. announced a new cost-effective, fully interactive training service for dealerships. Utilizing an innovative audio-visual online program, dealership personnel will be able to train one-on-one with renowned dealership consultant Becky Chernek. The sessions are presented in a one-hour format, and are tailored according to the needs of the individual dealership.

“These sessions are as close as you can get to in person, private tutoring,” says ADI Executive Director Alan Algan, “Participants can see and hear the instructor, and vice-versa.” According to Mr. Algan, this allows employees to rehearse presentations and ask questions for immediate feedback. “This takes the idea of a virtual classroom to a whole new level,” adds Algan, “The quality and depth of training is just as thorough as it ever was, you just don’t have to waste money on travel expenses.”

The need to balance savings with quality was of the utmost importance, according to Algan. “Dealerships are facing challenging market conditions, so the need for effective employees is increasing at the same time that dealers are trying to cut costs.”

Becky Chernek, President of Chernek Consulting, Inc. concurs. “In recessionary times, we need to make better use of all the tools available to us,” Ms. Chernek reports. “We can’t stick our heads in the sand and wait for a miracle to happen.”

“It has been proven that actively engaged personnel learn faster and retain at a higher degree,” Ms. Chernek continues. “[These] sessions are designed to save the dealers considerable travel expenses to regional workshops and still provide them with the individual attention they need and want.”

For more information, call 404-276-4026 or email chernekconsulting@earthlink.net.

About Automotive Dealership Institute
ADI is a Scottsdale, AZ-based automotive management training facility that specializes in educating the next generation of Finance and Insurance managers and service advisors. ADI is approved by the State of Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education. For more information, call (877) 998-7200 or visit www.autodealerinstitute.com.

About Chernek Consulting, Inc.
As a nationally renowned consultant and trainer, Becky Chernek has assisted hundreds of car, RV, and marine dealerships throughout the United States and Canada in streamlining their processes and closing techniques that significantly raise their bottom profit line. For more information, visit www.chernekconsulting.com or contact Becky at 404-276-4026 or chernekconsulting@earthlink.net.

In recognizing Mancuso, CIRAS President and CEO Dr. Robert W. Serum, noted that “Rob epitomizes the highest standards of this industry.”  Serum noted that Mancuso was a third generation dealer following his grandfather’s launch of Mancuso Motors in upstate New York in 1918 and his father, Jim Mancuso’s, launch of Mancuso Chevrolet in Chicago in 1953.

Mancuso started work in his father’s dealership as a teenager, working in every department.  After high school, he left for Princeton University, where he earned a baccalaureate degree in Psychology, returning after graduation to assume a management role in the dealership.  Later, with family support, he opened Mancuso Cadillac in 1974, becoming the nation’s youngest Cadillac dealer.  He grew that successful organization to include franchises for Maserati, Peugeot, Saab, Cadillac, Honda, and Chevrolet.

Mancuso also founded Consumer Concepts, a CSI improvement organization, working with individual dealers and manufacturers, including Ford, GM, and Mazda.  He introduced “System 1-2-3” for customers in 1984, enabling them to configure and price new cars and appraise their trades on Apple computers.  He also published the book, Assuming the Position as a family business survival guide, tutorial, and autobiography of his experiences from teenager, to family business manager, to owner/dealer.  The book has been cited by many as “frank and inspiring.”

After selling his dealership organization, Rob joined what is now The Warranty Group in 1997, serving as Vice-President, Special Projects for Resource Automotive. He has held several positions and now serves now as a corporate officer with responsibilities for global corporate communications and investor relations.

Serum noted that his family continues to be important in Rob’s life, particularly his wife Gail and his son, Robby.  He added that Rob  is a veteran marathon runner.      

Center for International Retail Automotive Standards (CIRAS) is dedicated to the notion that the Retail Automotive Trade, worldwide, must duplicate the standards of product improvement exemplified by the automotive production.  It is CIRAS’ corporate mission to encourage quality standards for the worldwide automotive retail professionals through a complex of web-based reviews and certifications. CIRAS believes that both retail organizations and their individual employees can advance the Trade through pursuit of its certifications which are based on proposition of continuous improvement of the selling process, of sales integrity and of legal compliance. For more information about CIRAS membership please visit www.ciras.org

The Warranty Group, Inc. is the world’s premier provider of extended service plans and related benefits. With underwriting, claims administration, compliance and marketing expertise, The Warranty Group is a global single-source solution for manufacturers, distributors and retailers of consumer goods including autos, homes, consumer electronics, furniture and appliances as well as financial institutions and the travel and leisure industry. Assets are in excess of $5 billion (2007).

The Warranty Group has headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, with operations in 33 countries worldwide and 2300 employees. www.thewarrantygroup.com

The first of these workshops, the F&I and CSI certifications, will premiere during the 5th annual F&I Management and Technology Conference on Tuesday, September 16th, at the Paris Hotel.  Conference attendees will save $275, and both workshops are expected to sell out quickly.  

As with all CIRAS certifications, these workshops are tailored to address the most important issues facing professionals in the automotive industry.  The F&I certification will discuss successful objection handling, and a special emphasis will be placed on the new Red Flag Rule.  A section of the certification will be lead by reputed compliance experts Tom Hudson and Emily Beck of Hudson, Cook, LLP.  The CSI certification workshop will address methods for increasing product and service acceptance rates through proper use of CSI surveys, using CSI metrics as predictor models, and ways to increase product and dealer loyalty through good CSI practices.

The workshop developers and presenters include iconic leaders of the automotive industry, such as Dr. Robert Serum – President/CEO of CIRAS and retired VP of Education and International Programs at Northwood University, Tom Hudson – partner at Hudson, Cook, LLP and author of CarLaw and the F&I Deskbook,Dr. David Fry – President/CEO Emeritus of Northwood University, and Marguerite Watanabe – Principal of Connections Insights and former VP of Equifax and Nissan Motor Finance USA. 

Successful completion of a certification earns participants a professional designation – Certified Finance Professional (CFP) or Customer Service Professional (CSP) – for display on a business card.  In addition, the workshop gives participants four free months of unrestricted access to the CIRAS certification training site, a beautiful certificate, a complimentary copy of Tom Hudson’s industry-acclaimed CarLaw, and the participant’s name will appear on CIRAS’s roster of international industry professionals.

The official CIRAS website will launch on September 18, 2008, at www.ciras.org.  For registration and CIRAS workshop details, please visit http://www.fi-conference.com/Program/Certifications-Workshops/. 

• Finance and Insurance – Prime and Nonprime
• F&I Menu Presentation Process
• Creation and Management of the Dealership Internet Department
• Retail Installment Sales Contracts
• Consumer Leasing, Lease Agreements
• Collecting, Analyzing and Evaluating Credit Information
• Legal Compliance – Privacy Rule, Safeguards Rule, Cash Purchases, etc.
• Credit Insurance and Related Products
• Ethics for Automotive Financial Professionals

Among the contributors was Dr. Robert W. Serum, CEO of the Center for International Retail Automotive Standards (CIRAS) and former Vice President of Academics and International Programs at Northwood University, Thomas Hudson, senior partner at Hudson Cook, LLC and author of CARLAW, and ADI’s Alan Algan and Arzu Algan. 

The e-book edition of the Encyclopedia offers several user-friendly features, including an electronic table of contents and electronic bookmarks for easy navigation. “We wanted to make it accessible to all F&I professionals, not just upper management,” reports Alan Algan, CEO and Executive Director of the Automotive Dealership Institute, “We’ve always believed in the importance of ongoing education – it’s the only way to raise the standards for our industry.” 

The e-book will be available August 5, 2008.  For details, call (877) 998-7200 or visit http://www.autodealerinstitute.com/finance-insurance/encyclopedia.php

The Automotive Dealership Institute is a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based automotive management school that specializes in educating the next generation of Finance and Insurance managers and service advisors.  ADI is licensed by the State of Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education and approved by the Arizona Department of Education.  For information, visit www.autodealerinstitute.com, or call (877)998-7200. 

Under the direction of Northwood University’s retired Vice President of Academics and International Programs, Prof. Robert W. Serum, PhD., CIRAS has assembled a team of respected automotive specialists from around the world.  “CIRAS is not the usual training or teaching facility,” stresses Dr. Serum, “We fully recognize the contributions made by the many excellent educational institutions now serving the automotive industry.” 

Instead, CIRAS’s multi-media, web-based “content reviews” and certifications are designed to complement a candidate’s existing work experience or education, according to CEO Dr. Serum.  Candidates who pass the exam will receive a certification from CIRAS, as well as a two-year professional membership in this prestigious organization.  This certification comes with professional designation, which can be noted on the member’s business card next to their name.  For example, candidates who successfully pass the F&I certification exam would earn the designation C.F.P. – Certified Finance Professional.

At the end of the two-year membership term, candidates will be able to re-certify at a special discount, provided the re-certification occurs within 60 days of membership expiration.  Candidates have the option to skip the certification reviews and go directly to the exam, if they feel their experience or training has sufficiently prepared them to do so.

It was the underlying philosophy of CIRAS that prompted the need for re-certification.  “This is a dynamic industry,” says Dr. Serum, “So it is important for professionals to re-establish their expertise periodically.” 

The ability to remain at the vanguard of industry standards often determines the success or failure of a venture.  “Dealers do their finance and insurance business in a hostile legal and regulatory environment,” says Thomas B. Hudson of Hudson Cook, LLP, content provider for the legal compliance portion of CIRAS’s F&I certification and CIRAS Advisory Board Member.  “Training dealer personnel to understand that environment can mean the difference between good business and class action lawsuits,” he reports.

The content of each certification area was designed by a team of experts in each respective area.  For example, the certification for F&I Managers includes content from Arzu Algan of the Automotive Dealership Institute, and Tom Hudson and Emily Marlow Beck of Hudson Cook, LLP.  Other key members include Joseph Lescota, Chair of Automotive Marketing at Northwood University, who prepared and presented the Sales Associate and Used Car Management certifications, and Jim Schalberg, head of the Auto Rental Board of Standards, who prepared and presented the Rental Car Risk Assessment certification. 

The certification exams cover a wide variety of key positions, including Sales Associate, F&I Manager, Service Writer, Used Car Manager, Rental Car Manager, and a CSI  review designed for personnel at all levels of the dealership. CIRAS will offer two of its certifications – the F&I certification and the CSI certification – at the 2008 F&I Conference.  These workshops will be facilitated by Dr. Robert Serum, CEO and President of CIRAS.  Certification presenters will include Dr. David E. Fry (President & CEO emeritus, Northwood University), Thomas B. Hudson (Managing Partner, Hudson Cook, LLP, and Principal of CounselorLibrary.com),  Emily Marlow Beck (Partner, Hudson Cook, LLP), Arzu Algan (CFO and Dean of Education, Automotive Dealership Institute), and Marguerite Watanabe (Director of International Programs, Automotive Dealership Institute and Principal of Connections Insight). 

Registered attendees will be able to take advantage of a special, deeply discounted price.  Participants will receive four full months of free access to CIRAS’s online certification review, allowing them to train and retrain at their convenience; the certification comes with a two-year membership in CIRAS.  F&I certification participants will also receive a complimentary copy of CarLaw: F&I Legal Desk Book from CounselorLibrary.com, and a free 6-month subscription to Spot Delivery, a monthly legal newsletter for motor vehicle dealers.  Upon successful completion of the certification review, participants will be awarded a C.F.P. or C.S.P. designation, which can be displayed on their business card.

CIRAS will be available on the web starting September 18, 2008, at www.ciras.org. However, many of the certification areas will be showcased at various industry forums prior to the official launch at the 2008 F&I Management & Technology Conference in Las Vegas.  For more information, please visit www.fi-conference.com. 

The Automotive Dealership Institute’s recent Automotive Lending Workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, drew high-ranking financial executives from 11 banks throughout Southeast Asia and the Middle East.  Entitled Creating a Competitive Advantage in the Auto Financing Market for Tomorrow, was ADI’s fourth international automotive finance workshop for The Banking Academy, a subsidiary of The Asian Banker.  Participants hailed from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Philippines, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.  A diploma was awarded to every participant upon successful completion of the three-day intensive program. 

The workshop was led by ADI’s Director of International Programs, Professor Marguerite Watanabe.  Drawing on her extensive experience in automotive finance, Prof. Watanabe identified the trends, challenges and opportunities in today’s automotive finance arena.  Participants were given a comprehensive understanding of best practices in sales, marketing and operations, as well as a thorough overview of risk management and other key success factors.

With such a diverse audience, the focus on international best practices and strategies was of the utmost importance.  Attendees also participated in numerous interactive roundtable sessions, during which bank and country-specific business were explored.  For many participants, this spirit of international cooperation was one of the most rewarding aspects of the workshop.  “While we discovered many differences among our countries, we also found that there are just as many similarities,” recalls Yasser Kashkash, head of the Automotive Finance Leasing Division at National Commerce Bank of UAE, “The discovery process was incredibly worthwhile for me personally and professionally.”

In light of the overwhelming response, the Banking Academy has already requested additional workshops from ADI, the first of which will take place in Dubai this November.  This is thanks to the large number of Middle Eastern countries represented at this latest program.  A second workshop, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, is slated for early next Spring.  However, several of the participants in this latest ADI-Banking Academy workshop, anxious to hone their competitive edge in the international marketplace, have requested private in-house consultations at their banks with Professor Watanabe and ADI’s Dean of Education, Arzu Algan. Preliminary agreements are already in place for consultations in Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Bodrum (Turkey). 

“This was the first Asian Banker workshop to have such a diverse Middle Eastern presence,” reports Prof. Watanabe, “It made the participants’ exchange of ideas especially fascinating.”     

“I truly believe it is always important to get this outside view in order to grow and prosper as a business,” says Bindu Nair, Chief Credit Policy Officer at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, “This session was very valuable in allowing me to study the trends of the industry and lean new ways of improving my business.” 

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Automotive Dealership Institute is renowned for its innovative automotive management training programs.  Offering both in-class and web-based distance learning courses, ADI is dedicated to educating the next generation of Finance and Insurance Managers and Service Advisors.  ADI is licensed by the State of Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education and is approved by the Arizona Department of education.  For more information, call (877) 998-7200. 

The Banking Academy educates financial service professionals from around the world.  Boasting an international teaching staff, The Banking Academy enjoys a vibrant professional alliance with The Asian Banker’s research branch.  Course descriptions and other information are available at www.thebankingacademy.com.   

“We work with hundreds of dealerships around the country, and we considered many of them when it came time to choose our nominee,” reports Alan Algan, Executive Director and CEO of the Automotive Dealership Institute, “but Michael Crawford has transformed Peoria Kia into a textbook example of a perfect dealership: ethical, respectful of every customer, and incredibly successful.”

Much of Crawford’s success stems from his core values. “I think a lot of GMs and dealer principals lose sight of the human element in the equation – and I’m talking about customers and staff,” he says, “My heartfelt desire is to see people treated the way they deserve to be treated.”

Crawford helps bring his heart’s desire to fruition by personally interacting with every single customer who visits the lot. On the rare occasion when Crawford isn’t on-site, he calls every customer from his cell phone, not to close a sale, but to ensure that every customer leaves the dealership with no less than 100% satisfaction in the way they were treated.

However, Mr. Crawford is the first to admit that the ethical practices he advocates must be embraced by every member of his team. “I’m very hands-on,” he admits, “but I’m a firm believer in support people. You can’t get to the next level without the right team.” Crawford believes his ability to consistently “get to the next level” is thanks, in large part, to the specialized education available to professionals in the automotive industry. “The right training can make an F&I superstar,” he says. He points to two of his employees, ADI graduates Buddy Bishop and Jimmy Valentine, as proof of this theory.

“I’m very grateful for my success,” he says, “and ADI has been instrumental in helping me achieve it.”

Mr. Crawford remains active in numerous charitable organizations throughout the community, often organizing events at great personal expense and effort. Crawford’s passionate advocacy stems from his own first-hand knowledge of overcoming economic hardship. “I’m a street kid from North Kansas City, Missouri,” he says, “I’m one of those statistics that wasn’t supposed to succeed.”

GMAC Insurance has selected the Automotive Dealership Institute’s Dean of Education Arzu Algan to contribute to it’s Front-End Operation Supplement. In this Supplement GMAC features it’s plans for the upcoming year as well as addresses tips on how to improve Front-End operations.

Dean Algan’s article focuses primarily on helping eliminate the disconnect between the Sales team and the F&I department. She includes specific tips on how to transition the customers as well as methods to optimize the work flow between the two departments.

These articles were first featured on ADI’s F&I Tips blog in a three part series:

• F&I Desk Integration Part 1: Working with the Sales Department
• F&I Desk Integration Part 2: Transition Approaches
• F&I Desk Integration Part 3: Cooperation

You can also download this article specifically from the GMAC Front-End Operation Supplement Here

Ms. Chernek’s clients, who include some of the country’s most successful automotive agents and dealers, will enjoy the added benefit of four months of access to ADI’s online program. This will allow employees to create independent “refresher” courses for themselves, focusing on specific topics. This open accessibility is a unique feature of CCI’s already extensive services, and isn’t offered through any other consultant in the country.

The decision to integrate ADI’s online program into CCI’s training appears to have been an easy one. “CCI has been trying to secure the exclusive rights to ADI’s online program for over a year now,” says Ms. Chernek, “We’ve been tremendously impressed with ADI’s track record, and their online program definitely meets the standard of excellence the automotive industry has come to expect from ADI. It’s highly interactive, and really makes great use of a wide variety of media. CCI’s workshops are high-energy, so it’s a good match.”

Furthermore, Ms. Chernek will act as sole agent to ADI, promoting the schools products and services. Never before has the Automotive Dealership Institute appointed someone to this position. “We’re very discriminative when it comes to choosing partners,” admits Alan Algan, ADI’s Executive Director and CEO, “We get approached by other training companies on a regular basis, and, up until now, we have always declined such deals. We spent years looking at all the different consulting agencies before endorsing CCI.”

As part of this agreement, Ms. Chernek will conduct all of ADI’s dealership-exclusive workshops. “I’m very proud to have been named a professor at ADI,” says Ms. Chernek, “I know that very few people earn ADI’s endorsement.”

The next of Ms. Chernek’s dealership-exclusive workshops, entitled Closing Tools and Increasing F&I Revenue, will be held May 20-22 at ADI’s Scottsdale, Arizona, campus. Seating will be limited, so early registration is recommended. Details are available at http://www.autodealerinstitute.com/training-workshops/.

Rebecca D. Chernek is the president of Chernek Consulting, Inc., a nationally acclaimed dealership consulting firm. Ms. Chernek has an extensive automotive background that spans over twenty years. Since 1997, she has helped hundreds of dealerships and franchises increase profitability with her in-store consultations and specialized workshops. For more information, call 1-877-730-3663 or visit www.chernekconsulting.com.

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Automotive Dealership Institute is a global leader in automotive management education. Offering both in-class and web-based distance learning courses, ADI is dedicated to educating the next generation of Finance and Insurance Managers and Service Advisors. For more information, call (877) 998-7200 or visit www.autodealerinstitute.com.

“Initially, we chose the Automotive Dealership Institute because we felt that their exceptional programs would be an asset to any bank in Asia”.  Said Emmanuel Daniel, The Asian Banker’s President and CEO.  “In the three years since we started, ADI has exceeded our expectations.  We’re particularly thrilled that Professor Watanabe will be leading the workshop this year.  She’s second to none when it comes to understanding the automotive finance sector and the impact it has had on automotive retailing marketing.  We look forward to her sharing her insights on growth opportunities and best practices in auto financing.”

The workshop, entitled Creating a Competitive Advantage in the Auto Financing Market for Tomorrow, is designed for financial services executives throughout Asia who are currently in or looking to enter the automotive financing industry. During the workshop, Prof. Watanabe will outline key factors for successful operations and management and how an organization can be positioned for tomorrow’s challenges.  Using her famous interactive teaching style, she will facilitate working group discussions on the opportunities to build and grow a highly successful automotive lending portfolio in the emerging markets of Asia.  The discussions will include the analysis actual case studies to examine best practices for the Asian market.   

“We’ve had wonderful feedback on our automotive financing workshop every year,” reports Arzu Algan, Dean of Education at ADI.  “Our attendees come from all across Asia:  China, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.  I think that the interaction between people from so many different countries is almost as valuable as the workshop itself.  It really puts the training in a global perspective.” 

As a leading expert in automotive finance Professor Watanabe has worked and consulted with many of the biggest companies and trade associations in the industry.  Two years ago, she founded Connections Insights, LLC, a consulting practice where she assists automotive captives, banks and independent auto financing companies in establishing strategic partnerships with innovative and forward-thinking service providers.  Before starting her own company, Watanabe spent more than ten years in management at Nissan with Nissan Motor Company, Ltd, Japan, Nissan North America and Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation.  She has also held other industry roles making her view of the industry quite unique:  Senior Vice President of Equifax, a top credit reporting agency, where she was responsible for their auto financing clients; Business Development Executive for BarNone –a non-prime auto financing and dealer marketing company– and Practice Manager for the Auto Finance Practice of BenchMark Consulting International. 

She is currently a board of director of the American Financial Services Association and the National Auto Finance Association, two leading industry trade associations in the U.S.   Prof. Watanabe earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Economics from University of California at Berkeley, and her MBA from Pepperdine University.  She also lived in Japan for several years where she worked with major Japanese organizations and educational institutions.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to lead this workshop,” says Watanabe, “It is very rewarding to provide Pacific Asia’s top-level industry leaders with the knowledge and tools that will help them successfully compete in the automotive financing arena.  And, with the diverse group of attendees expected, the learning will only be enhanced by the interaction of the participants.  

Since 1996, The Asian Banker has provided up-to-date information about and insightful analysis of the ever-changing global financial services industry.  The company’s flagship publication, The Asian Banker Journal, is regarded as the leading resource of information a research regarding financial service developments throughout the Asia-Pacific region.  For more information, visit www.theasianbanker.com.

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Automotive Dealership Institute is renowned for its innovative automotive management training programs.  Offering both in-class and web-based distance learning courses, ADI is dedicated to educating the next generation of Finance and Insurance Managers and Service Advisors. ADI is licensed by the State of Arizona Board for Private Postsecondary Education and is approved by the Arizona Department of education.  For more information, call (877) 998-7200 or visit www.autodealerinstitute.com. 

A PDF outlining the workshop is available on the Automotive Dealership Institute’s website. Click here.