On Tuesday, October 15th a small but strong group of female F&I Managers spent the day at the Spa at the Chestnut Ridge Conference Center. There they had the chance to have a day of learning and pampering all to themselves. Attendees were encouraged to come comfortably dressed since the morning began with a half hour yoga class to loosen everyone up and to remind them that it is important to just make time to relax and clear their minds.
After a brief welcome that included a mimosa bar and a light breakfast, they were treated to a presentation by Lisa Chamberlain on improving your F&I skills and achieving greater success with menu selling. Lisa graciously gave her time to drive from Duncansville to speak. She has over 25 years of F&I experience and most recently has been a management team member and the F&I Director of the 19-store Blaise Alexander Group.
A leisurely lunch was provided in the restaurant at the conference center, followed by a great presentation by Stephanie DiCarlo, General Manager of Preston Toyota who took her day off to drive from New Castle to Blairsville to speak. Stephanie is the youngest female in Pittsburgh to attain the General Manager title! Her presentation was on what it takes to climb the ladder in the retail automotive business. While hard work and skill was certainly a part of her advice, so was confidence and having the tenacity to break through the male-dominated field.
The last speaker of the day was Laine Greenawalt of Case Specific Wellness. Laine spoke on the importance of nutrition and exercise in a job that is filled with high stress and long hours. She gave several down to earth suggestions on what types of lunches and snacks to bring to work to fight the pizza deliveries and heavy lunches that can result in a 3:00 sugar crash. Laine also discussed the importance of a good night’s sleep and equated getting several days in a row of 5 hours or less sleep to driving drunk.
Throughout the day, the women were being pulled out for spa services. They had their choice of several services from which to choose, but most of them opted for the Swedish Massage!
I want to thank everyone who attended and all who helped to make the first Women In F&I Seminar a success. I especially want to thank the dealer principles and general managers who did without their finance managers for the day. Everyone agreed it was a great day and that we should do it again next year!
Comments