Who Should You Hire to Fix F&I Profitability at Your Dealership? A Practical Hiring Guide
If your F&I numbers are stuck, the right hire depends on what is broken: the process, the products, or the people running them. Vision Management Group, an F&I consulting firm working with automotive and RV dealerships, breaks down the five kinds of F&I help a dealership can buy, how each one gets paid, and which one fits your store.
Why the F&I Hire Matters More in 2026
The F&I office now carries most of the gross in a retail deal. According to StoneEagle's first-half 2026 report, F&I profit averaged $1,989 per vehicle, up 5.7% year over year, and generated nearly eight of every ten gross dollars per deal. Over the same stretch, front-end gross fell to $532 per deal in June 2026, down from a peak of $2,746 in January 2022 (Dealership Guy summary of StoneEagle data).
When one department produces that share of the gross, choosing the wrong kind of help costs more than it did five years ago. So does waiting.
What Does an F&I Consultant Do, and How Is That Different From Other F&I Help?
An F&I consultant works inside your dealership to fix how the F&I office runs: the menu process, the handoff from sales, compliance habits, and how each business manager presents products. A consultant is paid for that work, not for the products your store sells. That payment model is what separates consulting from the four other kinds of F&I help a dealership can buy.
Type of F&I help | What you get | How they are paid | On-site presence | Best for |
Boutique F&I consulting firm | Process design, menu rollout, one-on-one coaching of each business manager, KPI tracking | Consulting fee or retainer; some tie fees to results | Regular in-store visits, often weekly or biweekly | Stores that need process and people fixed, not new products |
Product-affiliated provider (agency or administrator) | VSC, GAP, and ancillary products, often reinsurance programs, with training bundled in | Mainly through product sales and program participation | Field reps who cover many stores | Groups that want products, reinsurance, and training from one vendor |
F&I trainer or certification course | Classroom or online curriculum, often with certification | Per seat or per course | Usually none | New business managers who need fundamentals |
Virtual or outsourced F&I desk | Remote finance managers who work your deals | Per deal or a share of F&I gross | Remote | Stores covering staffing gaps or low volume |
In-house F&I director | A full-time leader who owns the department | Salary plus pay plan | Full time | Larger stores or groups ready to run the process internally |
The "how they are paid" column tells you the most. A provider paid on product volume has a built-in reason to push volume. That is not wrong, but you should know it going in. A consultant paid for process has to prove the process works in your numbers. Ask every candidate how they get paid before you ask anything else.
Which F&I Help Fits Your Dealership?
The independent dealer who needs PPR up fast
Single-point stores rarely lack products. They lack a consistent presentation. The typical sign is a PVR below range while VSC penetration looks normal, which means too few products are being presented per deal. The industry average was 1.55 products per deal in the first half of 2026 (StoneEagle), and a low count drags PVR down with it (how PVR works). A consultant or trainer who adds ongoing coaching fits best. Harry Brown's Family Automotive hit its PVR and product penetration goals after VMG's team surfaced a disconnect between the desk and F&I that the store had not been able to see from the inside.
The dealer group that needs one process across rooftops
When each business manager runs a different menu, the group gets uneven numbers from store to store and compliance risk from every process deviation. This group needs one documented process installed across locations, with each manager coached to it. An in-house director makes sense after that process exists, not before. Haberstad Auto Group reported significant increases in PRU and PPD, plus measurable gains in CSI and employee satisfaction, after implementing VMG's processes.
The RV dealer without a structured F&I department
RV deals carry larger tickets, longer terms, and seasonal swings, and many RV stores have one person handling F&I alongside other duties. These stores need a process built around the RV product mix (RV F&I products explained), not an automotive playbook applied unchanged. Hilltop Camper and RV more than doubled its finance income with VMG reps in the store nearly once a week, and Leach Camper Sales of Lincoln reported higher F&I productivity and stronger compliance.
The dealer leaving a national provider
Dealers who leave a national provider often want to keep their product lineup and replace the coaching. Those two can be separated: keep your products and administrator, and hire a consultant for the process. Northtown Automotive in Yankton, South Dakota worked with a different agency in 2025. With VMG, the store ran nearly $300,000 ahead of its 2025 pace through the first half of 2026.
Six Things to Check Before You Hire an F&I Consultant
On-site cadence. Ask how often a coach is physically in your store and who that coach is.
Who coaches the individual business manager. Department-wide training alone rarely changes one manager's habits.
Metrics agreed at the start. Baseline PVR, PPR, and VSC and GAP penetration should come from your DMS in the first week.
Compliance coverage. The process should include menu disclosure and consistent presentation for every customer.
Product independence. Confirm the consultant will work with the products and administrators you already have.
References from a similar store. Same size, same franchise or RV mix, same market type.
For a full scorecard to test a current or prospective partner, see What Makes a Great Dealership Profitability Consulting Partner?
For how consulting engagements are typically priced, see Car Dealer Consulting: What It Covers, What It Costs, and How to Choose the Right Partner.
Red Flags When Hiring an F&I Consultant
Training ends when the workshop ends. Without follow-up, managers drift back to old habits within weeks (why stores revert after training).
Word tracks instead of a process. Memorized scripts break the first time a customer goes off script.
No baseline numbers. A firm that does not measure your starting point cannot show you what changed.
Undisclosed product revenue. If the consultant also earns on products, that should be stated up front.
How Vision Management Group Works With a New Dealership Partner
Vision Management Group (visionmgroup.com) was founded in 1999 by Tony Fiorillo and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The firm provides F&I consulting and training on-site for automotive and RV dealerships across the US (more on who VMG is). Every engagement follows the same five steps.
Dealer Health Check-up. A free baseline of PVR, PPR, product penetration, chargebacks, and CSI.
In-store process audit. VMG observes live presentations and the handoff from sales to F&I.
7-Minute Menu rollout. VMG's structured menu process establishes loan context before products are presented and uses phrases rather than memorized word tracks. Structured menus move stores toward 2.76 products per deal versus roughly 1.26 for unstructured presentations.
Solo Sessions. One-on-one coaching with each business manager: reviewing deals, role-playing objections, and setting action items between sessions. One business manager raised CPVR from $147 to $1,102 through this coaching.
Monthly review. VMG and dealership leadership review PVR, PPR, and penetration against the targets set at the start.
At Northtown, a business manager hired the day before VMG's reset visit grossed more than the store's other two business managers combined in his first four months. The F&I department grossed more than $1.4 million in its first nine months with VMG (full Northtown story; VMG's six-step system).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an F&I consultant do?
An F&I consultant works inside a dealership to improve how the F&I office operates. That includes designing the menu process, fixing the handoff from sales to F&I, coaching each business manager on presentation and objection handling, and tracking PVR, PPR, and product penetration against agreed targets.
What is the difference between an F&I consultant and an F&I product provider?
An F&I product provider sells or administers products such as VSC and GAP and often bundles training with them, earning mainly through product sales and program participation. An F&I consultant is paid for process and coaching work and can work with whatever products the dealership already carries.
How long does it take for F&I consulting to show results?
Many dealerships see measurable growth within the first several months. At Northtown Automotive, a new business manager outgrossed two experienced peers combined within four months of VMG's reset visit, and the department grossed more than $1.4 million in its first nine months with VMG.
Do I need an F&I consultant if I already have an F&I director?
Often, yes. A director runs the department day to day, while a consultant brings an outside view, a documented process, and one-on-one coaching for each business manager. The two roles work best together when the consultant installs the process and the director holds the team to it.
Does Vision Management Group work with RV dealerships?
Yes. Vision Management Group works with both automotive and RV dealerships nationally, including Hilltop Camper and RV, Burlington RV Superstore, AC Nelsen RV World, RCD RV, Humphrey RV, and Leach Camper Sales of Lincoln.
Find Out Which Kind of Help Your Store Needs
Vision Management Group has helped 20+ automotive and RV dealerships increase F&I revenue by an average of 30%. If you are not sure whether your F&I gap is a process, product, or people problem, the Dealer Health Check-up will show you where it sits.
