In late August, iA American was named the winner of three 2021 Dealers’ Choice Awards:
A consistent Dealers’ Choice Awards winner since 2013, this marks the first time iA American has received the top awards for F&I Product Marketing and Data Mining, and for five years strong and counting, the Gold Award for Service Contract Reinsurance.
“We are deeply honored to have been chosen to receive so many Dealers’ Choice Awards this year,” said Kristen Gruber, President of iA American. “I am proud of our team, and very thankful to all of our dealership partners who voted to recognize the enormous value iA American brings to the table. With the momentum gained by iA Financial Group’s ownership, and iA American’s complete focus on the Client Experience, I have no doubt this positive trajectory will continue for many years to come.”
We completely realize that none of this would have been possible without the support of our valued agent-partners. Thank you for everything you do!
To read iA American's press release about the Dealers' Choice Awards, click here.
Jim Tansey of Responsive Automotive In this month’s agent newsletter, we continue exploring the challenges and triumphs our agent partners experience every day in an ongoing series of 1-on-1 agent profiles and interviews. Next up is Jim Tansey, President of Responsive Automotive, an agency in Springfield, New Jersey. In addition to being a successful agent for the past 26 years, Jim has been a police officer, and went to school at age 40 to get his Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law. He has been an amateur boxer, a bagpipe player, and even appeared in a live action police series on A&E television. How did you get started? I was a New York City police officer, and worked in the Auto Crime unit. As a side gig, I started selling a knockoff of “The Club,” a steering wheel immobilization device, when a friend of mine in the car business told me about something called “vehicle replacement.” I started Responsive Automotive in 1995 and began selling vehicle replacement to dealerships. When I left New York City, I went to law school and became a prosecutor in Union County, New Jersey. All this time, I was still running my business. I hooked up with a guy from Chicago who told me that I needed to call someone by the name of Jerry Lacour. (Jerry Lacour and his son Garret Lacour were the founders of IAS.) This is a true story: There was a company here I was trying to bring on as a sub-agent, called Auto Action. I called Jerry on a Monday, and was scheduled to meet with Auto Action that Thursday. He asked me when my appointment was, I told him, and he said he would be there on Thursday morning. I said, “Excuse me?” I couldn’t believe it. Jerry assured me that we would close the deal with Auto Action. At the time, Auto Action was a big operation, working with 200 dealers. Jerry flew in, and we went and sat down with a guy named Bruce Cohen (founder of Auto Action Group), and we closed them! When I was driving Jerry back to the airport, I said to him, “Looks like we’re doing business!” I asked if we had to do any paperwork or anything like that, and he asked me, “Jim, are you a man of your word?” I said, “Yes, I am.” He said, “Shake my hand. That’s all we need.” That’s how we did business for many, many years. Jerry is still a dear friend of mine. He is a wonderful, altruistic human being. I can’t say enough nice things about him. He started me in this business, and he mentored me. We’d argue like cats and dogs over a nickel, but at the end of every conversation he’d say, “Hey, Jim. I love you.” And I’d say, “I love you too, Jerry. What skills are necessary to do your job and be a successful agent? I named my company Responsive Automotive, because that’s what you need to be. You have to respond quickly to the dealer’s needs. If you don’t, you’re going to be replaced. If the dealer calls me, I’m going to respond. If I’m not sitting in a meeting, I’m probably going to pick up the phone on the first ring. They know that, and they know that I’m here and that I’m going to take care of their issues. It's a very relationship-driven business. Relationships are everything. And I’m a referral guy. I’ll ask a dealer to refer me to his friends. Are you happy with the way we’re doing business? If you are, can you call some of your dealers? I have had many dealers help me get business from other dealerships. But I think if you wanted one characteristic that’s important, I would say that it’s being responsive and handling the dealer’s problems promptly. They don’t want to hear that you can’t get a claim adjudicated, or things like that. They’re busy too, and they don’t want to spend a lot of time with that. It’s my job to keep them from getting heat. What are some of the biggest challenges you face today? The biggest challenge today is, I just lost a dealer because Lithia bought them. The big operators are moving in because there are a lot of good deals out there. There are a lot of dealerships on the block right now, and that’s not good for us. What do you love about being an agent? It’s afforded me a lifestyle that I never expected. I live a very nice life. It’s afforded me the ability to send my kids to the schools they wanted to go to. Some people might think all I do is talk and not work. It is work. The way I am, I make it look like it’s not. I do it even when I’m not working. When I’m socializing, it looks to be the same thing, but it’s really not. It’s a lot different when you’re socializing and talking, vs. pitching and talking. For that reason, I’ve never found it challenging. It’s something that, by the grace of God, comes naturally to me. And I recognize that I’m blessed that way. But it’s afforded me a life that I appreciate. What do you like the least? The heat. There’s heat in this business. Stuff gets screwed up and you’ve got to deal with it. Nobody likes that. It’s the most challenging part of it. But that’s the same in any business, I imagine. It’s not unique to ours. Dealers are not always the most understanding of individuals. Dealers are a different breed. Some of them are dear friends of mine, and some of them aren’t, but you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference because of the way I treat them. And generating new business. Signing up new stores. It’s hard. It’s not an easy thing to do. It sounds like you’re great at it, though. So when the pandemic hit, what kind of impact did it have on you and your business? It killed us. Jersey shut down. Dealers were considered non-essential businesses and were shut. They slowly brought it back by appointment, but it’s back pretty well now, and we’ve had good months. Is it back to normal? It’s not back to normal, particularly for the dealer on the service side. It’s hurting them. Maintenance, oil changes, etc. Service is taking a hit. So when you’re making a pitch, what’s the secret to getting the person on the other side of the table to agree to do business with you? Being prepared, and letting the dealer talk so you can find out what their hot buttons are. The hardest person in the world to pitch to is the guy who just sits there and stares at you. You don’t know what to say or what he’s thinking. When a guy is a talker, you just let him go, because he’ll tell you exactly what you need to know to sell him. You also have to know when the pitch is over. Don’t over-pitch them. If you think they’re ready, show them the dealer agreement and ask them to sign it. The whole thing is very similar to selling cars. I guess I’ve been a salesman my whole life. Thinking about it, standing in front of a jury is the same thing. It’s just another pitch, and the person who tells the best story wins. That’s the truth. With a closing argument, the most important thing to know is when to sit down.
But it's a lot easier with one person in front of you than 12.
Why did you choose to offer our products to your dealers over somebody else’s? I’ve never dealt with another administrator. Never. Primarily because of Jerry Lacour. It's like a relationship. As long as you have your needs met, you’re not going anywhere. I break Glenn’s chops a lot, but on the whole, we get things done. Glenn Nielsen and John Lutman are hard working guys. That’s the thing. Even if things don’t always work out, you know that Glenn and John are trying very hard. You know that you’re not being ignored. (Glenn Nielsen is National Sales Director for iA American, and John Lutman is Senior Vice President of Enterprise Sales for iA American.) I once asked Glenn to get out a piece of paper and write down the following rules (which Glenn has on his wall to this day): Rule #1: Don’t ever call me after 5, when it’s too late for me to do anything but worry about something. Rule #2: If I call you back, always pick up the phone. Rule #3: Shut up and listen. Rule #4: Don’t tell me I’m right, because I’m always right. What would you tell somebody just getting into the business right now? I’ve watched a lot of people get in this business because they’ve worked in a dealership, and they decide to become an agent because it looks easy to them. If somebody is good at what they do, and I think this is true with any occupation, people will look at you and think it’s easy. It gets easier after you’re established and have your accounts. But it’s not easy when you’re starting out. I’ve watched, and I can’t tell you how many guys and gals try and fail, because it’s not an easy thing to do. If you never became an agent, or a lawyer, or a police officer, what would you be doing now? If I had it to do over, I’d do the same thing. I’ve loved every job I’ve had. I loved being a cop. I don’t know that I’d love being a cop today, but I did back then. I loved being a prosecutor, and I love being an agent. The only other thing I think I’d like to do is maybe acting. I actually was on a TV show called “Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force” on A&E. I was the commander of a unit looking out for stolen cars. At the time, car theft was going crazy here. We had these gigantic SUVs and Suburbans, and we would block these guys in. If you got into a chase, these guys would go 100 miles per hour and kill people. So the trick was to block them in. What do you do in your spare time? I play the bagpipes in a police pipe band called the Essex County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums. I also box twice a week. I fought Gerry Cooney in an exhibition fight. Actually, let’s say I “danced” with Gerry Cooney in an exhibition fight. I hang out a lot with my kids. I have a beach house, so we spend a lot of time down there in the summer. I have three kids, Bridget, Owen, and Grace, and two grandkids. My girlfriend Stephanie and I are in Montville, and we go out to eat a lot. I stay busy. Who’s your hero? At the top of the list would be my mother. My mother was the first female sheriff’s officer in Essex County, New Jersey. She taught my sisters from the time they could hear her, that there was nothing a man could do that they couldn’t do. She proved it, by becoming the first female cop in that county. She raised six kids, came from nothing, and her parents were Irish immigrants. My mother would be my number one hero. If you had one story to share with us about life on the road, what would it be? That thing with Jerry Lacour. Jerry came up here on 2-day’s notice, helped me close a deal, and we ended up working together for at least 20 years. Without any contract. Never a dispute. I’ll tell you a story about Jerry. Here he is in a nutshell:
We were in New Orleans, probably at a NADA convention. At the time, etching was a big thing. IAS wasn’t producing the materials themselves. They were buying a massive amount of etch stencils and acid and all that. Jerry and I went out to dinner with a guy who wanted to supply IAS with etch materials. We all went to a really nice restaurant, and this guy was wonderful to me and Jerry. Really nice. Very personable. But he treated the waiter like dirt. The guy got up to go to the bathroom, and Jerry said, “We’re not doing any business with him. Do you see the way he’s treating the waiter? You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats people he can’t get anything from.”
Thank you for sharing all of these great stories with us, Jim. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and expertise, and thank you for sticking with us for so many years. It’s a real honor to have you as our valued partner!
Surfers Healing: Changing the World by Helping Autistic Children Learn How to Ride a Wave Traveling volunteer event helps 4,500+ kids every year For the past 10 years, iA American's Matt Romanowski has been a dedicated volunteer for Surfers Healing, a traveling surf camp for autistic children.
According to the Surfers Healing website, many children with autism struggle with sensory overload and are easily overwhelmed. By pairing them with patient and professional surfers, these kids can enjoy the therapeutic experience of the weightlessness and rhythm of the ocean waves.
"The event is life-changing for participating children and their families," said Matt. "Some of the kids, who are between the ages of 5 and 6 years old, will do things they've never done before, like say their first word."
"The Surfers Healing event is so special for the kids," said Matt. "They'll talk about it every day, 365 days a year until the next event. Surfing is something they absolutely love. It becomes part of them. It's pretty powerful."
On August 18th, Matt volunteered for the Surfers Healing event in Ocean City, Maryland. To view some photos, please click here, click here, and click here. For a heartwarming video Matt created about Surfers Healing, click here.
To learn more about Surfers Healing, please visit their website. You can also contact Matt at [email protected] or 443.880.0918.
Matt Romanowski is Regional Sales Manager for iA American.
Our Next Agent Spotlight: Enhanced Care VSC Please join us online on Friday, October 1st! At our next Agent Spotlight, we’ll be sharing details about another absolutely great legacy SouthwestRe product: the First Automotive Enhanced Care vehicle service contract. Enhanced Care covers necessary repairs to ALL mechanical and electrical parts of the vehicle, except for those items listed under “What is Not Covered” in the contract. But that’s just the start.
On top of that, Enhanced Care includes coverage for many “wear & tear” components, including brake pads, the battery, belts and hoses, and more. And on top of THAT, Enhanced Care provides a wheel alignment, travel expense reimbursement, and 24/7 roadside assistance.
For a deep dive into Enhanced Care, including terms and eligibility, don’t miss our next Agent Spotlight!
Meeting times: 8:30 a.m. CST / 9:30 a.m. EST, or 11:30 a.m. CST / 12:30 p.m. EST.
Thank you in advance for your participation. Please contact Glenn, Matt, or Jon and let them know if you have any questions or need assistance joining in. If you are reading this after October 1st, we will be happy to provide you with a link to a recording of the event.
At our last Agent Spotlight, we discussed iA American's upcoming line of ProTrek RV products. To view a new promotional video about ProTrek, please click here.
iA American Training Institute (iAATI) Our hands-on approach equips your team with the necessary tools and techniques to increase production and profitability in both a compliant and customer-centric manner. Let iAATI assist you with training opportunities that fit your needs and your schedule.
Class: F&I Training School
Location: Oklahoma City, OK.
Location: Austin, TX.
To sign up for iAATI's F&I Training School, click here!
For more information, please contact:
Tony Dupaquier | North American Training Director [email protected] | 512.542.1669
Mike Holliman | National Director of Training
Lender Updates:
Loans are a very effective way to ensure dealer loyalty! Your partners at iA American may be able to offer your dealers loans for needs such as acquiring new stores, renovating existing facilities, or partner buyouts. Contact your iA American Sales Rep today for more information. Physical paper slows everything down, and is far less efficient and competitive! iA American can help you and your dealers get up to speed with an easy-to-use eContracting system, including full online business remittance. Email [email protected], or contact your Sales rep today. IT issues? Contact Client Services or your Sales rep first! If you ever have a technical issue to report, no matter how big or small, please let Client Services or your personal Sales Rep help you with it. If you have contacted our developers directly in the past, please let Client Services or your Sales Rep help you going forward. Thanks!
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