I've been getting a lot of questions about all of the fake messages on Facebook lately so I made a 3.5 minute video with more information. Here's the link: https://www.awesomescreenshot.com/video/22800442?key=7c8da3429233bbdff33ba36b6730fb7b Bottom line, these are almost 100% phishing scams. Phishing is when someone tries to get access to your account by sending you a suspicious message or link that asks for your personal information. These messages may also claim that your account will be banned or deleted if you don’t follow their directions. If they get into your account, they may use your account to send spam. The sure way to tell that messages are bogus is by looking at the sender. Emails from Instagram or Facebook about your account will only come from @mail.instagram.com or @facebookmail.com. Don't trust messages demanding money, offering gifts or threatening to delete or ban your account. We are seeing hundreds of these messages per day across client Facebook accounts so be careful! Here is an article from Facebook/Meta on how to avoid scammers: https://www.meta.com/help/policies/safety/avoid-scammers/ At this time, there doesn't appear to be any way to avoid receiving these messages but I'll keep you posted if I hear anything. Let me know if you have questions. #phishing #scam #scammer #spam #Facebook #Instagram #FacebookAds

I'm honored that my episode "8 Reasons Why Techs Quit Auto Repair Shops" topped the list! And kudos to our friend @Joe Marconi who also made the list with a powerful episode on why shop owners need to be objective when interpreting external data and trends while taking a subjective look at the KPIs that impact their auto repair businesses. If you're taking a road trip over the Thanksgiving holiday, pop in your earbuds or turn up your radio and catch up on the top episodes of the past three months.

In order to get acquainted and and help fellow community members, please share: 1. The name and location of your shop. 2. Your biggest frustration with finding techs. 3. How you found your last tech.

Over the years I’ve spoken to lots of shop owners who had the belief that there were no skilled techs available in their small/rural town. On the surface, this may appear to be the case but going into a hiring situation with this mindset guarantees failure before you even begin. Yes, this may be a challenging situation but it’s not unsolvable. I know because we’ve done it dozens of times. Here’s how I help our clients shift this mindset from negative to positive so they can find the talent they need to grow. I always start by telling them two things: #1 - Stop looking for love in all the wrong places! #2 - Change your definition of the word “available”. Let me explain… If you have a limited supply of technicians in your area and you set out to attract them by grabbing a generic ad template off the internet and posting it on a job board that every other shop in town uses… What do you think your chances of success will be? Yeah, about zero. You’ll get an application from the guy you fired two years ago (the same guy that applies every time you post a new job). And a few other folks who work at local sandwich shops or shoe stores now, but “ I helped my dad work on the family car on the weekends when I was a kid. And I’m good with my hands.” That’s what I call looking for love in all the wrong places! Next, let’s work on that definition of “available”. Most shops I talk to think available means a tech who is actively looking for a new shop and is trolling job boards and Craigslist every day. Let’s expand this mindset. What if our definition of available was expanded to include: - Techs who are working but they’re in no man's land. They aren’t pissed enough to take action and find something better, but they aren’t happy where they are. Each day for them feels like a slow grind with no end in sight and they would jump at the chance to consider a new opportunity. - Techs who may be a great fit for your team but they have no idea that what you offer is even available to them. Your unique value as a shop is the best kept secret in your area. - Technicians from other cities that want to move into your city or back to your city because they have family there. - Technicians whose significant other/spouse or friend is sick of hearing them gripe about their shop and is more motivated to help them find a new shop than they are themselves. - Technicians who know your employees but up to this point, your employees have not been properly incentivized to make the introduction.

If you're reading this, chances are you're familiar with the cycle of frustration in finding and keeping skilled automotive technicians. The lack of responses to your ads, sifting through a sea of subpar applications, and the constant challenge of not just finding, but retaining master techs without breaking the bank. It's a tough spot to be in, but what if I told you there's a way to make your shop the place every skilled technician wants to work? Over the past six years, I've spent countless hours speaking with technicians, understanding their needs and desires, and now, I'm excited to share a game-changing resource with you. I've created a simple yet powerful diagram, a quick cheat sheet, that boils down the top traits that automotive technicians truly seek in an employer. This isn't guesswork; it's a distilled essence of what makes technicians tick and how you can align your shop to meet these needs effectively. Here's a sneak peek into the three pillars of this diagram: RESPECT: It starts with the shop culture and communication. Technicians aren't just looking for a job; they're seeking a workplace where they feel valued and heard. MONEY: Competitive salary and benefits are non-negotiable. Good techs know what they are worth. It's not about giving away the store, it's about showing that you recognize their worth and are willing to invest in them. If you don't, your competition will. GROWTH: A nurturing environment where management cares about their employees' growth, both professionally and in their life outside the shop, is a game changer. Now, why does this matter to you? Because understanding and implementing these pillars can transform your shop into a magnet for top talent. It's about creating an environment where technicians don't just come for a job but stay for a career. So, how can you use this information? It's simple. Use this diagram as your blueprint to fine-tune your shop's approach to hiring and retaining technicians. Use this information to write your help wanted ads, make decisions about shop culture/activities, have conversations with current and potential employees, etc.

Here's a great way to build culture in your shop and honor the Veterans who work for you. To thank Veterans for their service, @Eddie Lawrence and his wife Holly over at Mobile Transport Repair (MTR) have created a Veterans Day voucher that is good for 8.0 hours towards their PTO to use as they need. Eddie was kind enough to share his voucher if you would like to do something like this for your team (see attached PDF). I love this idea because it does so many cool things: 1. It shows appreciation and respect for your employees 2. It builds team culture around valuing honor and service 3. It shows that they took the time to learn more about their employees lives outside of the shop and that they care 4. It is a commitment to supporting a cause greater than the business

I'm so grateful that my dad made it to the Expos and we got to meet @Carm Capriotto and @Tracy Capriotto in real life! Good times, great events.

If there's one thing that I've seen over the years that will attract and retain top talent, it's building a strong culture and high-performance teams. Over the last 5 years I've watched my friend Shawn Gilfillan do both. That's why I invited him to share an overview of his High-Performance Teams Apprenticeship with you. 🔧Ready to Transform Your Auto Repair Shop?🔧 Unlock the secret to stability and peak performance with "Introduction to High-Performance Teams" - a FREE virtual session exclusively for independent auto repair shop owners! 📅 Date: Monday, October 30th ⏰ Time: 1:30 PM ET 📍 Location: Zoom (Link and passcode can be found in the event calendar) Join Magical Solutions and Shawn K Gilfillan, owner of Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber, for an eye-opening journey into leadership and culture excellence. Have you ever thought, "we need … … to simplify/clarify the structure in the shop … to eliminate our silos (Front of the house vs. the shop) … to be more strategic … our levels below to take more ownership … to accelerate our talent … to get out of the weeds?" Then HPT might be for you. Don’t miss out on the chance to rev up your shop's performance and create a thriving work environment! Mark your calendar now and take the first step towards a brighter, more stable future. #HighPerformanceTeams #AutoRepairShop #Leadership #Culture #FreeEvent #MagicalSolutions #RevUpYourShop

I am Jerry Heirigs owner of J & M Transmission and Auto Service. We just celebrated our 30th year in business. We are a full service shop with an emphasis on transmission diagnosis and replacement. We started out as a specialty transmission shop in 1993, but have become a full service shop as we have progressed in business. The biggest thing holding us back right now is the need to upgrade a couple of techs with mediocre attitudes who aren't great team players. This group comes highly recommended and I am excited to be a part of it. Thanks Jerry

I saw an interesting article over the weekend about entry level auto body technicians and I thought you might be interested: https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/these-are-most-sought-after-entry-level-jobs-2023 It gives a bit more context to the challenges collision shops face in finding good talent. Frankly, I'm surprised other techs aren't on the list. Here is the graphic that is featured inside of the article. Take care, -Chris

Congratulations to David Goldsmith for taking control of the leaderboard in September with his insightful contributions and generous feedback. David, I will DM you to get your address so I can send you a gift. Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the Technician Find Community more valuable and useful to our members by posting. Here's how the top 4 finished up: 1️⃣ @David Goldsmith 2️⃣ @Jimmy Sexton 3️⃣ @Martin Hague 4️⃣ @Alan Heriford

Just want to say Hello,

I just got off the phone with a shop owner who was spending $2,000+ per month on Indeed and getting diminishing returns (he was less than thrilled with the platform). I asked him if he knew how the job board game worked and there was silence on the other end of the phone. I took this as a teachable moment and put on my educator’s hat. Here’s what I told him… A job board/website like Indeed allows you to post your open positions that people who are actively looking for work will see. You can pay for the privilege of keeping your job on the first page of the site until you’ve bought enough clicks to exhaust your daily budget, then your job falls to whatever page it should be on based on the chronological order of when you posted it. As a shop owner or manager, there is a big problem with this business model... Every other shop in your area is paying Indeed to do the exact same thing (get more eyeballs on their ads by staying on page 1)! At any given time, only 5% - 10% of the technicians in your area are actively searching for work (this means that you and all of your competition are throwing money at Indeed fighting for the eyeballs of 5% - 10% of technicians in your area who are actively looking for work). Does that sound like a winning formula for recruiting? Yeah, I don’t think so either. Here’s what to do instead... There’s no doubt, Indeed is the undisputed heavy weight champion when it comes to their resume database. Purchase a monthly subscription and do daily resume searches to find good techs and invite them to apply for your open positions. Ditch the sponsorship of ads. Paying per application or a hefty daily sponsorship is like a cash furnace. These tips will help you use Indeed or any other job site like a pro to get more solid candidates for your open positions.

Hi I'm Martin, and I own United Fleet Services in Saint Louis, MO. We hired a tech today.....but it's a very challenging recruitment environment. Money is important, and I believe most techs will be doing $10-15/hour better than today, in two years. Skilled labor is quite a bit more valuable than someone whose job can be done by ChatGPT. I am contemplating getting ahead of that moment, and hiking pay now.

Use this proven checklist to create help wanted ads that grab attention, make your shop stand out and generate a consistent flow of applications on demand.