A big benefit of F&I menu selling is that it keeps time-conscious customers happy.

It's gained popularity after the older and slower way of presenting F&I products more and more became a customer turn-off.

"There's a direct correlation: the faster the F&I presentation, the higher the consumer satisfaction, and vice versa," says Mike Casey, vice president of sales for JM&A.

He adds, "We developed our menu selling after getting feedback that the traditional sales process in the finance office was way too long and negatively affecting CSI. The vehicle sales process is a couple of hours long. Then F&I took 45 minutes. That's long today for people who think 'fast.'"

JM&A's menu-selling system cut that down to about 20 minutes. It offers customers a "menu" of F&I product option packages of varying costs and coverage from which to pick. It's presented simply and openly. It satisfies legalities with full disclosure and no hidden costs.

It's not only fast, it's effective, says Casey, a 20-year JM&A veteran and son of a retired Louisiana dealer.

"Menu selling offers all the products to all the customer all the time," says Casey. "It avoids situations where an F&I manager sizes up a customer as to what products to offer or not."

JM&A now offers a new generation of its menu selling, called Fast CAP. It's an electronic version. Web based, it lets JM&A capture information and feed it back to dealers. It also allows trainers to pinpoint areas where F&I managers need help.