Gina Cocking Presents at the F&I Master Pre-Event

As a pre-event to the F&I Master Series with Rebecca Chernek of Chernek Consulting, Gina Cocking appeared with Rebecca on a LinkedIn Live.

Gina Cocking is the CEO and Managing Director of Colonnade Advisors and has deep experience in the automotive dealership services industry.

Colonnade Securities is a leading investment banking firm that has completed over $9 billion in M&A transactions for clients in the business and financial services industries. The firm has deep expertise in the automotive F&I industry and has advised many companies in the sector on strategic transactions. Please see our Quarterly Updates on the F&I industry here. 

Colonnade as an M&A Advisor to the Auto F&I Industry

In this video, Gina shares that Colonnade has been offering investment banking services to this industry since 1999. In the past six year Colonnade has been the advisor on the sell or buyside on nearly twenty deals in the auto F&I space.

M&A Drivers in the Sector

In this video, Gina discusses the trend of “the big are getting bigger”, the impact of consolidation at the dealership level, and the participation of PE firms in industry acquisitions.

The Shifting Landscape of F&I Product Sales

There is nothing as constant as change, and change describes accurately what is going on in the ways F&I products are sold. Gina describes how early-and-often education, as well as consultative selling, are key to a successful F&I office. Gina also describes the “peace of mind” aspect of F&I products, which contributes to an overall plan for how consumers can protect their major assets.

F&I Product Sales in the Aftermarket

Gina talks about a specific F&I product, Vehicle Service Contracts (VSCs). A significant portion of VSCSs are sold in the aftermarket, and Gina discusses the importance of continuous customer follow up.  The market size is large, with 400,000 vehicle service contracts in the aftermarket, at roughly $3000 each, that’s $1.2 bn of market opportunity.