DALLAS — The shifting strategies of auto finance sources will be the focus of F&I Think Tank’s opening session on Thursday, Sept. 14, when F&I trainers Tony Dupaquier and Shaka Dyson take to the stage for “Relationships Matter Again.” F&I Think Tank will be held as part of Industry Summit 2017 (Sept. 11–14) at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas.

In 2017’s opening quarter, auto loan balances registered single-digit growth for the first time in four years and subprime auto financing fell to a 10-year low, making it clear underwriting standards are tightening once again. To Dupaquier, director of The Academy, and Dyson, founder and CEO of Dealer F&I University, that means relationships really do matter again.

“Tony and Shaka are going to translate what the current trends mean to the F&I office. They’ll also offer strategies for uncovering a finance source’s appetite and training the desk on proper deal structure,” said Gregory Arroyo, show chair and editorial director of F&I and Showroom and Auto Dealer Today magazines. “Their main message will be that a credit score, especially in today’s auto finance environment, is not F&I.”

Toward the end of the 50-minute session, which begins at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, the two trainers will engage the audience in an intelligence-sharing exercise. Attendees will gain insights on which finance sources are active and in what credit spectrum.

Dupaquier, who will also serve as the event’s emcee, worked every position in variable operations and is a former Nissan National Walk-Around Champion. He is considered one of the industry’s most forward-thinking F&I and sales trainers and consultants, and has been a featured speaker at the National Automobile Dealers Association’s annual convention, as well as numerous dealer 20 Group and dealer associations.

“There are still business managers and sales managers who don’t understand structure,” Dupaquier said. “The only thing they know is a credit score, but a customer with an 800 credit score doesn’t guarantee an approval if he or she doesn’t have money down and is on the wrong car.”

Dyson, who began selling cars in 1999 at age 21, describes himself as a “national recordbreaking F&I trainer” with more than 17 years of “true in-dealership experience.” Prior to founding his training firm in March 2016, he served as corporate finance director and trainer for Chicago’s Napleton Automotive Group — where he oversaw 26 finance departments and 58 finance managers during his three-year tenure with the group.

Dyson is also the founder of F&I 20 Group, a Facebook group for F&I managers that counts nearly 12,000 members. His main message will center on why F&I managers need to change their tune when it comes to finance source reps.

“Nothing will build you up among your sales staff faster than being able to get the most complicated deals done,” Dyson wrote in a January 2017 article in F&I and Showroom magazine. “To be known as the F&I guy or gal who can get anything bought is a fantastic reputation to have and one that will precede you. Who better to help in those endeavors than a bank rep?”

Registration for Industry Summit 2017 is open at the event’s website. Attendees who register by Aug. 11 will enjoy a $100 discount. To discuss sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, contact David Gesualdo at (727) 947-4027 or via email.