Live from the 2025 NADA Show, we’re catching up with our good friend Adam Marburger, a frequent contributor to CBT News and CEO of Ascent Dealer Services. Known for his passion for advancing dealership success, Marburger unveiled his latest book, The Servant Leading F&I Manager. With decades of experience and over 20,000 retail transactions under his belt, he has distilled his expertise into this comprehensive roadmap to success for F&I leaders.

NADA Show 2025: Adam Marburger | Ascent Dealer Services

Servant leadership is not a new concept, but its application in the automotive F&I industry offers a fresh perspective. In The Servant Leading F&I Manager, Marburger presents a framework that emphasizes the well-being of employees and customers alongside business outcomes.

“F&I managers are often seen as profit generators, but they are so much more than that,” Marburger says. “They are leaders who have the power to create a culture of trust, accountability, and growth. This book is about showing them how to do that effectively.”

The book offers actionable strategies for fostering collaboration, improving communication, and delivering customer experiences that may drive long-term loyalty—all while working toward financial success.

 

Key Takeaways

  1. Marburger’s book, The Servant Leading F&I Manager, is designed to serve as both a blueprint for aspiring F&I professionals and a refresher for veterans in the field. Drawing on his 20 years of experience, his goal is to create a duplicatable process that any dealership can adopt to boost performance. The book is packed with practical tools, including scripts and a soon-to-be-released workbook, that dealerships can use for workshops and coaching sessions.
  2. Marburger highlighted how the role of F&I managers is shifting to meet the needs of today’s consumers, who increasingly prefer flexibility and transparency in their car-buying journeys. With margin compression and growing pressure on F&I departments, dealerships must adjust by enabling transactions that align with customer preferences. He supports the integration of technology that allows buyers to initiate or complete their purchases from home while still valuing in-person interactions for test drives and final decisions. He emphasizes that dealerships must prioritize it’s consumers’ preferred way of transacting to remain competitive.
  3. Ascent Dealer Services prioritizes personalized service by employing only retail experts with significant dealership experience. Marburger’s team is deeply committed to their clients, offering round-the-clock availability and hands-on coaching. This high-touch approach ensures dealers work with professionals who understand their challenges and deliver actionable solutions. His dedication extends to taking calls any day of the week, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to his clients’ success. He believes this personalized, expert-driven model is the key to maximizing dealership performance and customer retention.

Catch all of CBT News’ coverage of the 2025 NADA Show here. 

 

 

Original Article – CBT News