Selling POS finance was not the only challenge facing dealers, Louise Wallis, business development consultant at the RMIF, said at the FLA conference.

“Dealers have a lot of other pressures to contend with,” said Wallis. “Consumers are more choosy than ever about what they buy, and when.”

But she agreed some dealers failed to realize the potential of F&I, and failed to sell it effectively.

Wallis said dealers could use the sale of finance to improve customer loyalty, because buyers could be given the chance to take out another agreement when they wanted to buy a car after two or three years.

Niall Campbell, an Institute of the Motor Industry consultant, said dealers stood a better chance of selling F&I if they invested in staff training.

He said dealers should use the FLA’s online testing and certification to improve the professionalism of staff selling POS finance.

Quentin Willson, the keynote speaker, said there was apathy among dealers over POS, and the 30-year decline would not be turned round in 12 months.