There and Back Again

My name is Chris Cochran and I work for Resources Management Group. I’m an agent, a.k.a. “account executive” or, my favorite, “dealer development specialist.” But I wasn’t always on this side of the fence.

In the not-so-distant past, I spent six years “in the box,” spinning paper as a business manager working with franchises such as Mazda, Hyundai, Toyota and Subaru. I excelled at the position and was fortunate enough to earn my dealer an F&I Pacesetter award and nomination for Dealer of the Year from F&I and Showroom. I also created “Captain Credit,” a subprime marketing campaign which gave me national exposure and a trip to the 2011 Industry Summit as a guest on a panel discussion.

In my time working in the finance office, many product provider agents, bank representatives and DMS representatives, along with a host of others trying to get our business, visited me. I never paid much attention to who they were or what they did outside of whatever immediate need they could fill for me; forms, rate coupons, paperwork glitches, etc. … That is, except for the agent from one company: Resources Management Group.

I found out halfway through my six-year tenure that this person, Jim Cunha, was known as a reinsurance agent/account executive/dealer development specialist. He was different from all the rest. Jim would come in, sit with me and have a discussion about improving my performance. He seemed genuinely interested in seeing me succeed.

I began to interrogate Jim on the nuances of our business. I finally started to realize that I was working in an industry, not just holding down a job, and that there are many, many dynamic parts to what makes a dealership function profitably. Similar to having an out-of-body experience, I was elevated. I began to see the dealership as a whole and not just the little “box” that I worked in 10 hours a day.

I made a conscious decision to become a student of F&I. I began searching for other people who did what I did for a living, talking to them about their experiences. I searched for education and training. I would have regular meetings with my GM to discuss learning new parts of the business. I am sure, at times, I became annoying in my quest for knowledge.

As time passed, I grew out of my job. I had a thirst for new information that I could no longer get by sitting in the dealership for 50-plus hours every week. Seemingly on a whim, I left my position at this dealership with no thoughts of what was going to come next for me. About three weeks after my departure, I received a message from Jim, who was so crucial to my success. He asked me if I had ever considered becoming an agent.

After a request for elaboration on what the position entailed, I was hooked. I finally would get an opportunity to sit in dealerships all over the Northeast and see exactly how they function. I would also be an integral part of their success (or failure) in the finance department. With my love of training and my thirst for knowledge, I thought this would surely be a perfect fit. I researched several reinsurance companies and product providers. I called some of my contacts across the country and one company kept rising to the top, Resources Management Group. Not one person had anything bad to say about this company. Everyone spoke very highly of the owner, Greg Hoffman and the executive vice president, Gregg Lindo. This was the company I wanted to work for. After a few interviews and a couple weeks of anticipation, the job was mine.

My expectations were limited. I didn’t have much of an idea of exactly what I would be expected to do, and I didn’t care. I just knew that I wanted to learn and teach. My first few weeks were spent studying. I studied the history of reinsurance, the history of our company, the history of our employees, the details of our product offerings and the company’s process for acquiring and developing dealership partners.

I also went on ride-alongs with other, more experienced, dealer development specialists within the company. I saw how they were able to take dealers who were underperforming in their finance departments and turn them into profit machines — all with a process that was ethical and compliant with current rules and regulations. It was also no coincidence that this company uses a trainer that I am very fond of, George Angus. I was a student of his and have been for three years. I am a firm believer in the process he trains and can attest to the success it brings.

After three months I have found that it is not all glitz and glamour. I put an average of 1,000 miles a week on my car. I am away from home quite a bit. I sometimes will try to work with people who don’t want my help. Now comes the time where I need to decide, do I continue this grueling pace or find my way back to retail? When I started writing this piece I was unsure of where I would end up. Now the results are in… I am heading back to retail.

I am not jumping back over the fence because “I picked the wrong company” or because “I couldn’t handle the job.” I am going back because the dealership is where I belong. Being on the road as an account executive is not for everyone and, as it turns out, it is not for me. I need instant gratification. I need to see, firsthand, that my work is being put to good use. I want to be involved every day in the training and managing of people. This is why I have gone back to retail. I chose to work for the best reinsurance agent and also chose not to.