A warm welcome to 2006 and a Happy New Year from us all at Black Horse. At the beginning of last year, we described how the finance industry was under intense pressure from direct lenders, and in particular at the point of sale.

We mentioned that one of the key ways dealers could help would be to rethink their strategy when it came to promoting and selling finance to their customers, and make sure that their sales processes were robust. We stand by this statement.

You have probably noticed that the market situation hasn’t been very favourable recently. So, if dealers really want to increase their finance penetration and profits, things really have to change.

Throughout 2005, Black Horse continued to introduce new initiatives to help dealers grasp the opportunities at the point of sale, and for those who have participated, we’re pleased to say that the results have been positive. Here are just some of the innovative projects Black Horse has launched in the last 12 months:

New technology – in the shape of eQuipped2Quote, to help dealers sell finance at the point of sale by providing their customers with instant quotes from their PDAs.

Enhancements to the Approved Dealer Programme – the refreshing approach to selling point of sale finance, which has captured the imagination of over a thousand supporting dealers – continues to help accelerate showroom traffic through consumer style advertising and helping to increase dealers’ F&I profits.

New product – Black Horse Motor Warranty, in association with Car Care Plan – provides independent used car dealers with a robust and competitively-priced warranty programme developed specifically for their market.

These are just a few of the changes we’ve made to help dealers. So, why not get on board? Make it a New Year’s resolution to contact Black Horse on 0131 311 2127, and take advantage of some of the products and services on offer before the madness of March, and the new plate change. Together, we have the experience and knowledge to make a real difference.