An Interview with Tim Brugh, AAGI's Executive VP

At the Agent Summit in March, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Tim Brugh, executive vice president of American Auto Guardian, Inc. (AAGI). While handling more of the day to day business operations, Tim is responsible for the sales and marketing functions for AAGI, as well as, overseeing the design and development of new products and marketing materials. Read on as he shares his overview of the company in this Q&A.

Tell us about your company and the products that you offer?

AAGI was established in 1997; we pride ourselves on trying to set a higher standard for the administration of all our products, which consist of AutoGuard® and Wheelz® brands, as well as, Certified Limited Warranty, GAP, Etch, Excess Wear & Tear and other automotive aftermarket products. We strive to be the industry leader for Agents and Dealers across the United States and internationally. Our goal is to provide superior products and personalized service.

I’m not sure our products are much different from anyone else’s in the market place. Most of the products in the industry are pretty much equal, each having their own little nuances. While I could point out differences in our products which set them apart from our competitors’ product, I believe it’s our staff that differentiates us. I know it sounds like a cliché, but our employees really do try to figure out how they can help our agents, dealers, and customers; as opposed to saying NO first followed by how can I help you. At the end of the day it’s one of those things you just have to experience with us.

Who are your target markets and what messages would you like to give them?

We are an agent focused company that relies on agents to generate our business, so agents are our target market. As an administrator, we have more than a few people to keep happy in the sales stream of our products: the dealer, the customer who buys our products, service manager, F&I manager, parts manager, insurance companies, states and lenders. Each entity is equally important, but without our agents we would never have the opportunity to make all these people happy. We believe we understand what the agents go through and we will do “whatever it takes” to help them grow their business. We have a saying at AAGI "WE SUCCEED ONLY WHEN YOU DO!"

What products do you believe will drive your future success?

My goal is to introduce several new AAGI products in the fourth quarter of this year. We are also working on a new type of retro that we hope to roll out to the agents sometime third quarter. Early market tests show the new retro program as a game changer for our agents. We will be rolling out, at our product launch in April, AAGI’s Performance Services. AAGI Performance Services is run by Jeff Teuscher, our VP of Sales. Jeff has developed an agent certification course which takes an agent through all of our products and processes. Additionally, Jeff will oversee a five day F&I school taught by Gerry Gould of UDS. The AAGI Menu is also being introduced in April. AAGI’s Menu is a multi-layer system with dealership integration, menu tracking, and F&I data reporting, just to name a few of the system capabilities. However, our VSC is what has driven the company for the last 15 years and will drive us into the future. I have several thoughts and ideas on how to change our VSC for the future, it will be unlike any other VSC in the market place but everyone will have to wait until spring of 2013 to see if it is truly unlike anyone else’s.

What technology or services do you believe will drive your future success?

I think anyone selling or marketing F&I products had better partner or develop an e - rating, e - contracting, and e – reporting system that integrates with the DMS if they want to stay ahead of their competition. We are getting ready to launch our new QR 360 electronic system to our agent base in Chicago, IL April 11-12 of this year. The QR360 will be introduced to about 100 agents during our product launch. The new QR360, which is what we are calling our new e -system, has several features, most importantly, it is a web-based system that anyone with internet access can access. The user would go to our website @ www.AAGI.com to get a quote on any of the products we administer. This web version will allow them to e – rate, e - print, and e - submit their contracts through our website. If an agent is using one of the 16 menu companies that we already have integration with, or if they have a menu company that has integration capabilities, we can incorporate our rating and contracts so the dealership can utilize AAGI's QR360. The QR360 also has the capability to integrate directly with several DMS’s. In conjunction with the launch of our e – system, we will also introduce three mobile apps. The first of these agent apps will allow them to view the production of their dealerships utilizing one of our QR360 tools. The second agent app will be an I-Pad app that will allow agents to make their AAGI product presentation; the I-Pad app will have signature capability. Agents will be able to review the documents need for setup and have the dealers sign right on their I-Pad. They will then have the ability to email those documents to our office, making the process of signing a new dealership completely paperless. Agents will receive any correspondence coming from AAGI through this app. The third app will be for customers buying our products. The customer app will give the contract holder detailed contract information, as well as, dealership information. Information such as the address, phone numbers for service and sales; AAGI’s phone number for questions and claims, and the number for roadside assistance if their contract includes this feature. The theory behind the customer app is simple, everyone has their phone at their fingertips, but might not have the necessary documents or phone numbers handy when they under duress. By having the mobile app on their phone, a person will feel more secure in the event of a breakdown while on the road or even if it is simply that their car won’t start in the morning. We are always looking to better a customer’s experience with AAGI and the dealership.

Tell us about yourself and the path that lead you to AAGI.

Let’s see my first job in the car business was at the age of 23, I started selling cars in Logansport, IN where I grew up. After selling cars for a couple of years I got the opportunity to become an F&I Manager at a Ford - Chrysler/Dodge store. Due to the fact that the dealership was a smaller store, it gave me the opportunity to learn several other jobs in the dealership. I was given the chance to work the desk, appraise used cars, and even write a little service. That Ford - Chrysler/Dodge store gave me incredible insight on how a dealership actually runs. The next step paved the way to what is now my present career path. It came from a company that had its own its administration, direct sales force, along with owning its own P&C and life insurance company. Their company focus was on signing up dealers through a direct sales force and teaching income development in the F&I office. By signing and servicing over 30 stores in the central part of Indiana and Ohio, I learned what a dealership really needs when it comes to customer service. That brings us to AAGI. In 1997 Al Ranieri, who is the founder of AAGI, gave me the opportunity of a lifetime making me the National Sale Manager. Although, I had no experience calling on agents, Al saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. Over the last 15 years I have been given the opportunity to become an owner of AAGI and learn from the best in the business how to run a successful administration company.

We all need to take a break from the day to day operations of business, are there any interests or hobbies you would like to share with our readers?

I am married and have three great kids and an incredible wife that keeps me grounded. One of my greatest satisfactions is watching my children grow up; I‘m always asking myself the question-- Are you teaching them the right things? So watching my children become young adults and learning to be responsible for their actions is my greatest interest. Although, laughing with my wife and family brings the much needed stress relief!