Let me tell you a quick story. A few months back, I got a text from Jeff Lee. He and his wife Amy own J&R Service Center—three shops, including a motorsports division. His message? "That ad got five responses in one day. Between 15 and 30 years of experience. You might wanna spread that around, bud. It definitely hits the buttons." Two minutes later, another text: "Two more just came into the inbox. That's seven. Over 10 years experience." Now look—that doesn't happen every day. That's an outlier for sure. But here's what's NOT an outlier: Ads that stand out get responses. Ads that look like everyone else's get ignored. Go search Indeed right now. Type in "automotive technician in [your city]" You'll see 380+ jobs that all look EXACTLY THE SAME. Same boring headlines. Same "requirements first" structure. Same invisible, forgettable copy. Meanwhile, the techs you actually want? They're scrolling past all of it. So I put together something special for you. Inside the classroom, you'll find: → A 16-minute video walkthrough showing you exactly how the ad that got those 7 responses was built—section by section → The actual swipe-and-deploy template you can customize for your shop → A custom AI tool (Mini Travel Brochure) that writes the relocation section if you're open to hiring outside your area → Another AI tool (Tech Ad Tuner) that diagnoses what's wrong with your current ad and shows you exactly how to fix it Your ad is usually the first impression a technician has of your shop. It's the highest-leverage thing you can work on if you're serious about attracting real talent. Go grab these tools and write something that makes a tech stop scrolling. 📍 Find it all in the classroom under "Grab a technician ad template that works!" Remember—techs aren't reading every word. They're scanning. They're deciding in seconds whether you're worth their time.

Actually it's just a bit of good natured ribbing😉 Every now and then I like to pop into Indeed and check out the competition's ads to see if there is anything new. In this 2 minute video I take a vague, over-hyped Indeed job ad for automotive technicians and run it straight through the Tech Ad Tuner GPT. The diagnosis? It’s not a real job ad! It’s too vague, lacks shop details, and "reads like a marketing pitch, not a shop owner". See the full breakdown, learn the 5 vital Fixes this ad needs to be effective, and grab the ready-to-post, rewritten job ad that actually helps you Hire More Techs. Bottom line advice from the GPT to this recruiter, stop sounding like a "hype man"—start sounding like the kind of place technicians want to find. Check out the 2 minute video and head over to the Tech Ad Tuner in the Shop Owner's AI Toolbox to pop in your ad and see what this powerful GPT says about it. If you want to see the full analysis of this job ad CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL CHAT.

"Can't make it in today." -Your service advisor. The third one this year. You're already doing the math: - You'll work the counter yourself (again) - Cancel your afternoon meetings (again) - Apologize to waiting customers (again) But here's the thought that actually hurts: "Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe my shop is where good employees come to quit." [Stand in your shop tonight after everyone leaves. Feel that? That's not emptiness. That's potential.] Last week, one of the shops we were working with had to turn OFF our ads. Too many qualified service advisors were calling and applying. What finally moved the needle for us was ditching “job posts” and writing love letters—clear, specific invitations to the person who would thrive in that specific shop. How to do it (grounded in a real SA ad that worked): 1️⃣ Start in their world. Open with what great SAs actually live: “You’re the bridge—calm with customers, clear with techs, you keep the day moving.” 2️⃣ State the promise—plain and concrete. “$60k–$100k+ based on performance. Full medical/dental/vision. Up to 21 paid days off. No weekends.” 3️⃣ Show how they’ll win here. “Family-owned, open-door leadership, steady car count, Tekmetric, clean front office, 1:1 check-ins, real path to leadership.” 4️⃣ Lower the friction to raise a hand. Offer human ways to respond: “Apply online, drop a resume in person, text the owner, or email.” 5️⃣ Proof without puffery. If you’ve got it, add social proof: “4.9★ Google rating—see recent reviews.” When your ad sounds like you actually see them, you stop hiring “anyone” and start attracting the right one. And cool stuff starts to happen like having a 20-year veteran service manager say: "This feels like someone finally sees me." Simple words can change everything. The next time you write an ad to attract a top performer, let them know within the first 10 seconds that you understand their world. Then watch what happens.

This will be a quickie... I just got off the phone with a service advisor who saw one of our ads and this is what he said: "It's like the ad was written for me." He reminded me AGAIN how important ads are in attracting the right talent. If you want to know more about writing ads that get responses like this, check out this post from last month: 6:47 AM - The text you knew was coming Most shops post a generic job template or crib an ad from their competitors off of Indeed. Then they wonder why they get a bunch of unqualified applicants. Don't be like most shops.

I know that sounds strange. Just about every shop owner I talk to wants to cut their ads down because "techs don't read." After running 100,000+ job ads over 7 years, here's what the data actually shows: Longer ads nearly ALWAYS outperform short ones. Not sometimes. Not usually. NEARLY ALWAYS. HERE'S THE TRUTH THAT'LL TRANSFORM YOUR HIRING THIS WEEKEND Quality technicians aren't reading your ads word-for-word. Nobody does. We all skim first. But here's what separates the A-players from the tire kickers: The best techs come back and re-read sections that matter to them. They're looking for proof you're different. They're looking to play gotcha and catch you in a lie or say something unbelievable so they can move on to the next ad. They're evaluating if leaving their current shop is worth the risk. Short ads? They scream "we're just another shop desperate for warm bodies." THE COSTLY MISTAKE I SEE EVERY WEEK Shop owners panic about ad length, force me to shorten their ads, then blame ME when they get zero quality applications. (I used to cave on this. Not anymore.) You know what shocks shop owners most? When techs find an ad compelling, they don't just apply. They research you. They check your Google reviews. They look at your website. They might even drive by your shop. They're doing homework because changing jobs is a BIG DEAL. YOUR WEEKEND ACTION PLAN 1. Add this ONE element to your ad RIGHT NOW: Drop a link to your best review platform (Google, Yelp, Facebook - wherever you shine). Make it easy for skeptical techs to verify you're legit. 2. Start your next ad differently: Don't list requirements. Instead, step into their world. Show them you understand what it's like to be promised the world and get handed a wrench and told to "figure it out." Example opening: "Tired of being told 'we're like family here' by managers who can't remember your kid's name?" THE BOTTOM LINE Stop writing ads for people you don't want (desperate techs who'll take any job).