TICF Regional Sales Manager Daniel Kuriyama echoed the sentiment of many when he said, “It’s starting to feel like things are returning to ‘normal,’” referencing both the delight of gathering in person and the way the business is recovering, particularly the increasingly reliable supply chain.

Vince Monteleone, Regional Sales Manager for Hino Southeast, appreciates the patience displayed by the dealer principal base, even as production headwinds continue. “During conversations throughout the conference, we heard dealer principals express frequent affirmations of brand loyalty, which says a lot about Hino and the job their teams have done managing the manufacturing challenges presented over the last three years,” Vince said. “The great news is they are grateful to see Hinos being delivered, period,” he said.

The TICF sales team was on hand to offer a review of the past year, including reflecting on the most exciting developments they have partnered on with Hino dealers, accompanied by a look forward, where presenters shared a glimpse of some of the plans TICF has in the works to further support the dealer body.

As a first-time attendee, Regional Sales Manager Willie Thomas mentioned he especially enjoyed the chance to meet and mingle in person with the Hino dealers he speaks with daily. One of his highlights was hearing the keynote speaker, Alex Rodriguez, who provided an inspirational team-oriented talk. One of the takeaways that resonated with Vince was, “Culture, harmony and attitude are greater than revenue and wins. If we have the right people in this room, and the harmony/culture/grit/attitude is on point, the revenue and the wins will follow.”

Willie also found the breakout sessions informational and eye opening, as attendees learned about different products and heard more about upcoming green developments. On that note, Daniel shared that he believes the battery electric vehicle (BEV) trucks being offered are “extremely capable,” an assessment echoed by Vince.

“Thanks to the ‘ride and drive’ experience Hino offered their dealers and partners, we got to experience each truck in its respective class (Class 5, 6 and 8) from the driver’s seat and passenger seat,” Vince explained, adding that both experiences were impressive, offering a smooth ride coupled with instant power which will definitely make Hino a competitive player in the BEV truck market.

Finally, Vince noted strong buzz from Hino employees and the dealer principals on the TICF team’s dedication to success. “They notice our consistent progression and commitment to their business,” he said. “We look forward to even more joint success this fiscal year.”

Eight members of the TICF F&I Dealer Council met in New York City at the end of fiscal year 2023 for an insightful and collaborative gathering, the first in-person get-together since the pandemic. Senior Sales Manager Keith Courtney and Regional Sales Manager Steve Lanahan led the two-day event, where they presented TICF updates and facilitated an open dialogue surrounding suggested improvements and other ideas from the dealers. “It’s a very loyal group and we really appreciate the partnership and trust we’ve built up,” said Keith.

The agenda included discussions of the TC3 credit system, payoffs, funding, billing, warranty and insurance matters, Power of Attorney, titles, as well as issues related to customer service and dealer relations. Together the group generated ideas to create a streamlined approach to several processes. “We welcome the candid feedback the F&I Council provides. It’s priority No. 1 to make the improvements dealers seek,” said Steve.

Among the changes TICF has already completed based on previous input from Council members are the addition of trailers to the product portfolio, an updated amortization schedule for trucks, an enhanced template for approval letters that now include the rate, and an expanded catalog of gift cards in the Elite Dealer Rewards redemption catalog.

In addition, TICF is currently we are in the final stages of planning and negotiating a 3-year, multi-million-dollar digital transformation project that will replace both our portfolio management and credit origination systems, based on recommendations from dealers. “The group has voiced their excitement about this upcoming effort to revamp systems and are eager to be part of the process to ensure the updates are dealer-friendly,” said Steve.

During the pandemic, the Council continued virtual meetings which spawned many of these ideas. The recent in-person meeting was a definite bonus for Chris Koumoulis, F&I Manager for Frank’s Truck Center, who has been a member of the Council since its inception and has found it to be greatly beneficial to his business.

The kit is intended to be a resource the finance department can refer to and quickly answer questions and strengthen process efficiencies and relationships.

While much of the information exists online, compiling it into a kit offered one more way to present a cohesive summary. “While we’re proud of our ability to offer DocuSign capabilities and e-documents, we realize not everything happens online,” Vince says.

Delivered in May 2023; the initial mailing included a small supply of marketing resources, with reorders available at no cost through Hino Source or your TICF RSM. The TICF team wants to ensure it is useful to dealers and encourages recipients to share their experiences and any suggestions for improvement or updating now that it is in your hands.

“At the end of the day our goal is to be progressive in filling dealer and customer needs,” Vince says. “We recognized this was an area of opportunity, so we made it a high priority.”

As TICF strives to be your partner of choice, we will continue to solicit feedback and incorporate new and innovative features to provide a more seamless customer experience.