A Look Inside Your eMarketing Health: Where Do YOU Rank on Google?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial in getting more visitors to your website and getting ahead of your competitors. You may have realized – after a while of getting almost no phone calls originating from your website – that first-page rankings are not as simple as they seem. Even if you have a great website, if it is at the bottom of search results, then it is losing you money. So what can you do about this?

FACT: Top-rank listings in search engine results are created by organic search traffic, not “pay per click” or paid-for ads. Website owners always seem to want an SEO “magic bullet” to increase their rankings, but the organic search traffic is what maintains certain websites at the top of the list.

In order to get on the first page, a lot of thought, research, and work must go into your SEO. One vital strategy for achieving this is to use specific keywords and revolve your website’s content around these keywords. Remember, your future clients are out there typing specific words into that search engine – those words should lead straight to your website!

FACT: SEO is constantly evolving. You’ll notice that when you type the same phrase into a search engine one week, and then again on a later week, the results are never the same. It is proactive marketing that always keeps your website ranking high.

The goal is to modify your SEO strategy to make sure your website always ranks high in search results. An extra step would be to have your SEO maintained by a professional who not only understands the changing nature of SEO, but also understands the ins and outs of the automotive industry. That way, he or she will know exactly what needs to be updated in order for the website to remain at a high level and attract customers.

It can take time to get on that first page, but when you do, the payoff is great – increased calls, new clients, and more income for your shop!

If you need help with your website, want to get better rankings, or would like a free analysis of your website, visit us at www.mswebpros.com.

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Is Your Service Writer an Order Taker? by Robert Spitz

Robert Spitz
Senior VP Business Development
Management Success!

This used to be a fairly simple business. The cars were simple, and repairs and maintenance were common. The cars manifested problems on a regular basis, and the owners of the vehicles knew something was wrong.

I grew up in this business and started working in shops in the late 1960’s. I worked primarily in import shops, what we used to call foreign cars. The first job I had was a decarbonization job on an Austin Mini with less than 40,000 miles on it. This was commonplace - brake pads every 10-12,000 miles, front end work and clutches, tune ups every 6,000 and 12,000 miles (and boy did those cars need tune-ups!), not to mention constant exhaust work.

We didn't need to be great salesmen. Customers came in and told us what the problem was. We told them we’d fix it, and we’d give them a call when it was done. We didn't even have to give them an estimate. 

That was a long time ago, and a lot has changed, starting with the cars. The modern car is vastly superior to the older cars and does not need the constant attention of the cars of yesteryear. (Did you know a model T Ford needed to be serviced every 100 miles?) However, the modern day car does need to be serviced! One of the problems is the new technology seems to be able to mask problems that used to have customers coming in the door. Engine lights come on, but the car seems to be running fine, until it doesn’t anymore. Then the customer gets shocked with the price to replace some component that might not have needed to be replaced prematurely if the vehicle had been maintained properly. 

It’s not that preventative maintenance is a new idea - it’s just that the vehicles run so much better than the old cars that it can lull customers into a false sense of “everything seems to be okay, I'll put it off until later” attitude.

A recent survey was done on John Q. Public and they were asked, “What do you expect out of your vehicle?” The majority of those surveyed stated, “A safe and reliable vehicle that will last a long time.” When asked, “What does it take to achieve this goal, and what does it mean to service a vehicle?” the answers varied greatly.  31% stated “maintenance”, 23% stated “change the oil”, 19% said, “keep it running”, and 15% stated “I don’t know,” and 12% stated, “fixing it.” From this, we can see that the car-driving public is fairly confused on this point. I can recall a fellow coming into a store I was running and asking how much it would be to rebuild the engine on his car. When I asked him what’s going on with the vehicle, he told me, “Oh, it’s running fine. I thought a rebuild would be good preventative maintenance.” We can see the subject of servicing a car has been a source of confusion for a long time. A service writer or adviser can no longer be an order taker. The orders are not there to take. 

It has long been my experience that there are two kinds of service writers: those that make things happen and those who wait for things to happen. Which one is on your front counter? Here are some things for you to check that might help you with this evaluation:

1.     Does your service writer check the customer’s record for previously recommended services when customers set an appointment?

2.     Does he/she suggest a service at the time of the appointment if called for?

3.     Does he/she note the miles on the vehicle when customers drop off the car and suggest the factory recommended service if the vehicle mileage indicates it’s ready for a service?

4. Does he/she call customers while the vehicle is in the shop and recommend a needed service?

5.     At the end of the day, does the service writer set a new appointment for the next needed service?

The above five points are just an example of what a good service writer should do to generate business for the shop. There are many other points that good service writers do on a daily basis. Another critical point is taking the time to educate customers on what they are driving and how to keep the vehicle in top-notch condition. They should be educated as to why they should do preventive maintenance. 

When this is done honestly and sincerely, the service writer is demonstrating care for the customer. That is what every owner is looking for - someone who will care for the customers the way the owner cares.

The ability to recruit the right people, hire the right people, and train them to do things the way an owner wants is an ability every owner needs in order to have a successful business. I invite you to see how you are doing in these areas. 

Visit www.managementsuccess.com and take the Shop Owners Free OnLine Analysis. You will get a visual graph that will show you where you are strong and where you could use some improvement in your business. I’ll even have a consultant evaluate it for you, free of charge. Do it today!  

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Business is Slow, and I Need More Leads! - by Mike Lee, Management Success!

Mike Lee
Co-founder
Management Success!

My service writer says, "Business is slow, and I need more leads!"

It is not unusual for some of our good clients to occasionally say they were doing okay, but it has slowed down. This is one of the areas which drives shop owners crazy. Just when they thought they were going to make some real money, the business slows down. 

There are several possible sources for this problem, but the one we are going to discuss in this article is: If business is slow, it is always the service writer. 

I can't tell you the number of times I have heard about shops having problems, and suddenly they change their service writer and - boom! - the business takes off.

Shops do not become busy by luck or accident. Oftentimes, successful businesses have a service writer who is good at selling, while the shops not doing well try to figure out where all the customers went. Let's look at some service writer basics which determine whether a shop will be busy or not.

Selling is a Necessary Evil!

A service writer needs people. It is amazing how many service writers really do not like to deal with or talk to customers. A good service writer likes people and enjoys talking to them. 

Oftentimes, when we interview service writers from shops around the country, they will indicate that selling is a necessary evil. This is a sure-fire indicator the service writer does not like dealing with people.

I Don't Want to Make Them Mad!

A service writer has to be willing to handle customers, even the tough ones. A good service writer is not afraid of the customer! 

A service writer has to have the ability to tell customers things they do not want to hear - upsetting things, such as it is going to cost more to get their car fixed. Unfortunately, some service writers are afraid to handle customers and tell them the truth - it costs money to fix cars! 

Some service writers are so afraid of upsetting customers and not willing to risk it, so they resort to not telling customers the full story on their car. They try to sell only what they think customers will pay for the job, instead of asking for the money on the full job. 

They suffer from the "Tricky Lower-Jaw Disease." This is the disease that afflicts service writers when they need to tell customers the repairs are going to cost $750.00. Their lower jaw goes into stutter mode, and $450.00 comes out of their mouth!

I Never Want to Rip a Customer Off!

Some service writers have high personal integrity and are careful to make sure they never rip customers off, especially by not overcharging for the work that needs to be done.

Again, this decision leads to service writers becoming rip-off artists. They end up ripping off the business, the employees, the employees' families, the owner, and the owner's family.

It is the responsibility of service writers to sell the work profitably, so all employees and the owner(s) of the business make enough money to live comfortably.

This comes from not knowing what is a fair price to both the customers and the business.  Most shops set their prices based on the "Grand Fake 'Em Method." Their prices are not based on their own costs, but on what their competition is charging. Of course, their competition is going broke, but they have to be competitive.

Can't You Give Me a Ballpark?

Price jobbers! This is the area which drives a lot of service writers nuts. Many service writers are not good at handling potential customers over the phone! Some shops quote prices for major work over the phone to new retail customers. 

This comes from not knowing how to handle price shoppers and, in some cases, the belief a shop must give prices over the phone for major work. 

The truth is that good service writers will normally be able to get 20-30% more business if they learn how to handle price shoppers and do not quote prices for major work over the phone. There is a technology to effectively selling. Most service writers have not had any professional training.

The result is a loss of income for the business and a lot of frustration.

I Need to Speak to a Technician!

A lot of women are involved in the automotive business and many let the lack of training stop them from becoming service writers. They are afraid that male customers will not be willing to listen to a woman because she is not a technician.  

At Management Success!, we have found a lot of women have the ability to be very effective service writers. Some of the most effective service writers in the industry are women who have learned to handle customers. One of the main reasons they are so effective is that most women do not have the technical knowledge for cars - and the less technical knowledge a person knows, the better they are able to sell the work.

In addition, women generally tend to be better at listening and have better communication skills. As a result, they do a better job of handling customers because they listen and do not overwhelm customers with a bunch of technical jargon that the customers do not understand.

I Want to Think it Over!

What the customers are saying with the famous "I want to think it over" statement is they are in confusion and are not sure that what their service writer is telling them is true. This is an indicator that the service writer is not in communication with the customer.  

Customers who are in confusion will not buy! They will go somewhere else. Trained service writers should know whether or not their customer is tracking with them and what they are thinking - this should happen before they get to the end of the sale only to find out the customer wants to think it over. 

When the customer says...

1. "I have to talk it over with my spouse."
2. "I want to think it over."
3. "I will have to wait."

...they are really saying, "The service writer hasn't sold me yet!" A lot of service writers spew out their sales procedure unaware of what the customer is really thinking. The service writer is not in good communication with the customer, but is really just talking to the customer.  The customer is wondering if the car really needs the work and the service writer is telling him or her how much. 

The customer is in confusion and the service writer does not know it. This is because the service writer has not been trained. Most service writers lack the technique of selling and are not in good communication with the customer. When this happens, the shop loses sales and customers.

The Phones Are Not Ringing!

"The phones are not ringing!" This is a favorite statement made by service writers when sales are down. It is normal for a shop to have one or two slow weeks; but overall, if one shop's sales are down, but other shops in town are doing well, then the problem lies in that one shop - and the problem is the service writer.

It takes a person who is motivated, likes people, and does not have his or her attention on other things to be good at sales. One problem of owners being service writers is they are splitting their attention among lots of things which need to be handled. If they have something pressing which needs to be handled, sales will drop. It does not take much for a shop to lose two or three jobs a week when the service writer is not focused. This is why it is best to have someone whose sole function is sales. When you have a service writer, the key point in sales is the rule: It is always the service writer.

I can recall numerous occasions when a client indicated the sales were down, and I gave them the rule. When they got in communication with their service writers, they found that he or she was having marital problems, had a sick child, or had another personal issue, which was diverting their attention from the job and affecting their customer service.

When a job has been growing, sales have been good, and suddenly it starts to go down, the first thing is to pull in the service writer and find out what is going on. Service writers will say it is slow and the phones are not ringing. That is a sure-fire indicator that they have something going on which is preventing them from doing their best.

Being a service writer requires a person's full attention. Service writers must like people and must be willing to tell customers things they do not want to hear. They must know how to do it and need to have good communication skills to know what the customer is thinking.

The Solution to the Above Problems

Just as you would not put someone with no training and knowledge on a tough computer diagnostic problem on a car, you would not allow an untrained person to be your service writer, correct? The sharp businessperson will make sure the service writer in his or her shop is knowledgeable in the technique of sales and has all the tools necessary to do a good job.

I recommend all of our clients who have started their training in business management to come to the five-day service writer course and bring their service writers to learn sales techniques and good communication skills. This is a challenging course that demands a lot out of the attendees. In the end, attendees leave the class with improved communication and sales skills. But, it is only money - yours!

Take a Free Online Shop Business Analysis!

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Marketing To Women: A Female Shop Owner’s Perspective By Nancy Knight Management Success!

Nancy Knight
co-owner of Knight’s Automotive
Ledgewood, NJ

As a wife, mother and major decision maker in my family when it comes to purchases of goods and services, I have lots of experience as a consumer.   My past experiences as a female consumer, both good and bad, have helped influence the way I market and manage my own auto repair business.  I make sure that our shop gives the same friendly service and high quality products that I expect from the people I do business with.    In particular, I pay special attention to meeting the needs of my female clients.  

Why do I have so much attention on female clients?  It turns out that I am not alone as the major decision maker on purchases for my family.   Even in what is perceived as a male domain, women request 65% of the service work done on cars (in our shop it’s closer to 75%)  Women spend over $200 billion on new cars and servicing of vehicles each year.  We buy more than half of the new cars in the US and influence up to 80% of all car purchases.  There is power in the female demographic indeed.  It pays to find out what your women customers want and need then deliver it.   To do this successfully you must first understand that men and women—for the most part—communicate and make decisions differently. 

Besides trust, which is important to both male and female consumers, women want a “relationship.”   We all know that being in a relationship requires a higher level of care and communication to nurture and sustain it in the long term.  Women want more information about what is being done to their vehicle and why.  They want you to listen to them, educate them and not talk down to them.   I call this the C.A.R.E. factor:  Completely And Respectfully Explain their car care needs to them in language they can understand.  We like to use visual aids at the counter and walk the customer out to the car when necessary. 

While men tend to communicate less and want a brief explanation of price and function of the repair or service, women want more details.  Female clients also prefer you to take a personal interest in them, their families, jobs and hobbies.  Ask a woman about her kids, her business accomplishments or her hobbies and watch her brighten up immediately.  This increased familiarity, sincere care and concern goes a long way in building long term relationships with your female customers.  Since, happy, long-time female customers are more inclined to refer business to your shop than male customers (in my experience); they are the best customers to have.

Acknowledging birthdays, anniversaries or writing personal thank you cards are successful marketing actions to consider in building relationships with your female client base as well as personal follow-up phone calls after service is performed. Some additional points to ponder when marketing your repair shop to women are:

• Make sure that your shop is clean and neat both on the inside and the outside. Do not confuse this with fancy. The reception area should be scrubbed and fresh smelling.  Include comfortable seating where possible. Female-friendly magazines, coffee, bottled water and fresh baked cookies are nice touches. 
• Pleasant music playing is preferred over a television blaring bad news.
• Insure that your bathroom is sparkling clean and smells good. 
• Just as your physical location should be scrubbed, so should your online reputation.  Women are more likely to engage in social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook as well as check review sites such as Google, Yelp or Insiderpages before deciding who to do business with. Respond to your reviews and engage your customers on these sites.  Happy customers will share your information with their friends and family members online.
• Make certain that your website is fresh and attractive. Including personal information about yourself and your employees makes you real to potential customers. Pictures and education points are also helpful.
• Set up regular maintenance schedules and send reminders. Utilize all the current technologies such as text messaging and email as well as direct mail according to the individual preferences of your customers. 
• Leave your customer’s cars clean and smudge-free. Besides making a good first impression, making a good last impression is also important especially to the more discerning female customer. Use floor mats, seat covers or steering wheel covers to prevent any dirt or grease from damaging the interior. Do not change the radio station. Offering a complimentary car wash or interior vacuum for large jobs are also welcome treatments.
 
These are just a few female friendly ideas to get you started.  Of course the best way to find out what your female customers want and need is ask them!  Survey your female customers.  They will love that you care enough to ask their opinion.  This is another action which builds long term relationships. 

At the very least, ask your wife, mother, girlfriend or daughter her opinion of your shop.  They will tell you like it is, both the good and the bad.  Adjust accordingly.  It is helpful to ask yourself: how would I want my wife, mother, girlfriend or daughter to be treated? Go over this viewpoint with everyone at your shop from service writers, managers to technicians.

Though I have addressed the female customer base, many of these points are good practice when dealing with your male customers as well.   Make the women happy and the men will certainly follow.    It takes a little effort, but it will pay off in the long run, with repeat business, future referrals and an increased viable customer base.  That is a huge return for just “making Mama happy.”

I learned ALL this and so much more with Management Success’s amazing and knowledgeable staff. I very highly recommend that you attend the How To Increase Your Profits seminar—don’t wait! Let their staff show you just how successful your shop can be!

Get help with your marketing and other management tools—join us at a Seminar near you!

Visit www.managementsuccess.com

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The Size of the Problem by Mike Lee Management Success!

Mike Lee
Co-founder
Management Success!

It is an interesting phenomenon to talk to a shop owner whose statistics are downtrending, whether it is a small shop without enough work or a big shop that is still doing a good volume of cars but isn’t making enough money.    Whatever the situation, the owner doesn’t seem to be able to fix it.

The manifestations of confusion are varied, depending on the problem.   Let’s start by first identifying the problem, which can usually be described as “they are not making what they need to be in order for them to be happy and winning in the business.”  (Translation: They are not making money!) 

It Is The Economy

When a shop is not doing well, there are many reasons that create the problem.  Normally, the shop owner picks out the one that seems to be the most obvious.  There is not enough work, or customers are not spending like they normally do.  

Whatever the shop owners have been doing to solve the problem has not worked and they go into apathy!   Oh! Talking to them about solutions is like talking to a stone wall.  They aren’t listening and they are sure there is nothing that can be done about it.

But, I never let that stop me!   So I start attacking the problem.   When I ask what the problem is, they start bringing up vague generalities in which there appears to be no possible solution.

1. “Its the economy”
2. “The customers are not spending money on their cars”
3. “Everyone is slow”

You can’t solve any of those problems, because they are a generality and it is not the real problem in terms of the business.   The first step of solving their problem is to move the owner out of apathy!  (Translation:  Moving him from “there is nothing that can be done about it” to “well maybe something might be able to be done about it.”)

The Size Of The Problem

We start by defining the size of the problem.   I first ask what their gross monthly sales have been on average.  Let’s say 40,000 a month.   Next, I ask how much their monthly breakeven is.   Let’s say that is about 43,000 a month.    Obviously, he is losing about 3,000 a month!   If he wants to make at least an additional $1000.00 that means about $4,000 more a month is really the size of the problem.

Ok!  We are at least recognizing the real problem (not enough money) and the size of the problem ($4,000 more a month).  First step in handling a problem is to clearly define what the real problem is.   If you do not identify the real problem, then every solution to the problem will not work.

There is no solution to the economy being bad other than to ignore it and concentrate on the problem the bad economy created for you and your shop.   The real problem that a bad economy created for you is the fact that you are not making enough money to break even or heaven forbid, make some money.   

So if you don’t find the size of your problem, then it is unlikely that you will come up with a solution that will fix the real problem.   Everything is dependent on identifying your real problem and then confronting and handling the real issue.

Next we want to break down the real problem (not enough money) to a size that can be confronted, and then come up with a real solution to handle it.   So in this case, I would ask the guy how many cars he does a month.   Let’s say 200 tickets a month.  If we divided the $4,000 more he needs to make, by the current amount of cars that he is doing, then it turns out that he needs to average $20.00 more per ticket on the work that he already has in order to go from total apathy to where there “might be something he can do about it.”

Or since he is averaging about $200.00 per ticket now, he would need just one more car a day.

Let’s look at a possible solution to getting the $20.00 more per car or getting one more car a day to come to his shop and buy the normal services he offers.

Look, I know about 7 or 8 ways to get $20.00 more per car and probably 3 to 4 ways to get one more car in the shop.  I know how to be more efficient and increase the production of his people.  This doesn’t even count the ways the average shop is just blowing money out the door and doesn’t know it.

Solutions:
1. Do Pre-Service inspections on each car.  This is generally good for $15.00 more per car.

2. Do complete inspections on every car.  Doing it right and selling it right, means easily $20.00 more per car.

3. Get your service writer trained so he does a better job of getting new customers in or handles the current customers properly.   Increasing the Service Writer’s closing rate is good for 2 to 5 more cars a week, which is worth about another $1,600 to $4,000 a month increase.

Body Shops:  Oh!!! Oh!!!  Please, getting your Estimator trained on handling the Insurance Companies if you are part of a DRP program, or increasing the capture rate on estimates if you are not, is good for $1000.00 a week more or the $4,000 a month alone.

Likewise, learning how to increase your shop efficiency in a Body Shop is good for at least one more car a week which is another $4,000 a month.

4. Increasing the production of your technicians 3 or 4 hours week is good for $200.00 per technician.

5. Putting in an effective referral program with your existing customer base is usually good for 2 to 5 cars more a week.

Well like I said, there are about 7 or 8 things you can do to make a change in the overall condition of your operation without costing a ton of dough and changing the bottom line from a negative to a positive.

But, then again, it requires that you want to change and you are willing to change, and that you know how to implement the changes.   

I highly recommend you read the article from Scott Bickley of Little Wolf Automotive in this brochure to see what can happen when you change your mind and start doing something different.

I wish you much success!
Mike Lee

Management Success! Automotive Shop Website Design

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A Bad Week, by Robert Spitz, Management Success!

Robert Spitz
Snr VP of Business Dev
Management Success!

Recently, a shop owner was venting to me about the “bad week” he was having. He was not really interested in running his shop anymore. He just wanted to coast along until he could sell it, so he could do what he really wanted with the rest of his life.

When I say he was “venting,” it was worse - he was furious! Earlier that week, his lead tech had been into a Ford block and had managed to sheer off the head of a bolt. So, the tech got a bolt remover and sheered the bolt remover as well! That is when the tech ran out of ideas and gave up. The owner, who is an excellent tech, stepped in. He removed it, re-threaded it, and finished the job - bang, bang! Boy, was he ticked off about all this. This incident was not the only thing that had gone wrong during the week, but it was the one that drove him over the edge.

Here is the truth. The entire incident was a direct assault on what he was trying to accomplish. He hired a tech that he thought - in other words, hoped and wished - could do good work. He wanted to slide along as an owner. He definitely did not want to be there, but he had to be there; otherwise, everything would fall apart. Like a ball and chain, he felt he not only had to be at the shop, but he had to have his head under the hood. In his eyes, several things crashed in at once - a very bad week.

This shop owner is a super individual, definitely worthy of the best possible life. So, after I heard this I cut straight to the heart of it all and asked him what he really wanted to do with the years to come. He first apologized for venting and then eloquently outlined some excellent dreams.

He said his time spent thinking about visions of a better future was the only thing helping him get by with a work situation he sometimes hated. But there was an unworkable fantasy in the middle of all this, and I knew it would block his dreams if he did not tackle it. He was sick of sheered bolt removers, but he was even more tired of employees who sheered off bolt removers! He still had a shop and he still had employees, but in his mind, he was done with all of it - and there he sat.

Quite frankly, this adds up to more than a bad week. 

I could not help him with his week, but I could certainly help him with his future.

He needed to learn how to get others to do a good job. An owner’s primary duty is to get others to get the work done. This is easy to say, but it takes tremendous skill. That, alone, would change his life in a big way. Yes, he could do an excellent job himself. That is an exceptional starting point in any activity. If you cannot deliver the goods, then what matters? 

Here’s the bottom line – many shop owners are great techs. They will say (and they are often dead-right about this) that they are the best tech they know. However, they need to be able to say “I make the best techs I know." When they can truthfully say that, from that point forward, their life will change fast. Many things will not change for a repair shop owner until they can make that one thing happen.


It is not the end of all bad weeks, but it is the beginning of a bright new future. Now, here is my question to you: Can you make the best techs you know?

At Management Success! we can show you how. Then, the new game can begin.

Management Success! Website Design

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In Search of a Good Technician By Bob Spitz Management Success!



Bob Spitz
Snr VP Business Dev
Management Success 

Let me tell you a story about a shop in Anytown, USA.  Anytown is an expanding upcoming prosperous suburb of a major city.  The town has four dealerships and twenty independent service facilities.  Pat’s Family Service Center is one of them.  Nice shop, good customer base, plenty of work.  In fact too much work as far as Pat (the owner) was concerned.  Pat was frustrated and worn out from the long hours that come with not having qualified help.  He fired one of his three techs that day and ended up back turning wrenches to get the cars done.  He knew tomorrow was already stacked up and he would be turning away new work, which he knew was a really bad idea. So that night sitting in his office with his hand on his head he was thinking,

“Where do you find good help?
There are no good techs in my town.
I ran an ad for a month, but the only guy who showed up was the one I fired two years ago!”

Pat was disgusted and thinking maybe he should close the doors and do something else. He tried everything he knew how to do and it was not working.  His kids were growing up without him and he and his wife had not had a vacation in years.

Although this is just a story this is one of the most common problems in any industry that requires skilled labor.  It is not just the automotive repair industry.  If you are suffering from this problem let us take a look at some things before you throw in the towel, hop in your truck and head off into the sunset.

Do You Really Need Another Technician?

In some shops, the solution will turn out to be getting more production out of the technicians you already have. In other shops the problem can actually be too many people on board. There is a guideline you can use to sort this out. Take your gross sales (minus sales tax) and divide by the number of production people you have. The resulting figure should be at least $17,500 per production person per month. Most shops should be in the $17,500-$20,000 range. If you are a specialist, your numbers should be in the $20,000-plus range. If your number is a lot lower, you’re not getting enough production out of the guys you already have.

All too often, an owner’s solution to low production is to hire more people. However, if the shop is not properly organized for production, more employees will only add to the confusion and adversely affect your income.

You Really Do Need Some Techs!

But sometimes you really do need additional help or a replacement. While you may have had some frustrating “adventures” trying to find a new technician, rest assured that there are good employees out there. You just have to maintain a good attitude and persist in your search. If you believe that “there are no good techs”, or “nobody wants to work,” you probably will prove yourself right and you won’t find anyone! So that is the first step; decide that it is possible to find someone. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready for the next step.

Working the Grapevine

In every community there is an informal communication system called the grapevine. Good technicians don't usually have to look in the paper for a job; they just use the grapevine to find out which shops in town are good to work for. Here are some people who can help you get your message out on the grapevine.

Tool-man
Tell him what you need and want in a tech; give him your business card. Keep mentioning it to him WEEKLY.

Parts Vendors
Talk to the salesmen you deal with, and even the parts delivery people that go into most of the shops in your area. Again, give them a business card or two that they can pass on to prospects. Some parts houses have a bulletin board on which you can post a small ad.

Customers
This is probably the most ignored communication line available to you, your loyal customer base. Put up signs in your sales and waiting areas. If your zoning codes allow it, put a similar message on your marquee or on a signboard in front of the shop. Your customers might have a friend, a relative or a neighbor who is a technician looking for a job.

Local Trade Association
Many local trade association chapters actively help members find technicians. They run ads in the paper (paid for with membership fees), they contact tech schools, interview applicants and sometimes will even build a pool of prospects and resumes that their members can utilize. Usually the pool includes guys with all levels of skill and experience. 

Churches and Synagogues
Talk to your minister, your priest or your rabbi. Let him know you want someone to join your family of employees. Give him a business card, a 3x5 ad for a bulletin board, or run an ad in the Church Bulletin. Or do all three.

Local Business People
Spread the word via everyone you do business with in town, from the person you see every week at the grocery store, to the guy at the printing shop. Give them all business cards and let them know what you need and want.

Vo-tech Schools
Contact anyone you know at the local Vo-Tech, or call one of the teachers and ask for the names of the best graduating students. You might even end up hiring one of the teachers! One note of caution: some Vo-Tech schools are magnets for addicts and criminals who choose tech training to stay out of jail or the army. Make sure the school has high standards for its applicants.

Military Placement Agencies
A local military base will sometimes have a placement service for guys leaving the service. Call and see if they have one of these offices.

 If so, mail or fax them a description of what you need and want in an employee. Guys with motor-pool experience and military discipline usually make good employees.
By now you’ve gotten the idea that you cannot ignore any possible avenue of communication for your search. The more you tell people what you need and want, the better your chances are that you will find what you need and want.

Place an Advertisement

If, in spite of your efforts, the grapevine does not provide enough prospects, do some advertising. There are some very good web-sites for placing help wanted ads. Not only are they less expensive, but you are likely to get higher quality prospects responding to your ads in them.

Your ads should be worded so that they will attract people with good attitudes and some experience. It is better to hire someone with less experience who wants to be part of the team and is willing to work, than to hire some “Super-Tech” with a giant chip on his shoulder. An employee with a bad attitude will affect everyone’s production and drive you crazy.  I have personally heard from many clients how well the  ads they got from Management Success work.

It is also better to hire two or three guys at the same time because one might not show up for work, one might not be able to produce and only one might be a “keeper.”  Rarely will you run into the problem of having too many good technicians on board.

Your positive attitude can create a good, secure atmosphere that will attract and keep good employees. On the other hand, a negative disposition can repel the best guys. Good people don't want to work for a grouch, and sane people don't want to work in a chaotic, insane environment.  Similarly, employees that have a lot of baggage, such as drug or alcohol abuse problems they bring into the workplace, will contribute to an “unsafe atmosphere” that will drive the good prospects away.

Sloppily run, unprofessional shops that have no basic systems or policies in place will attract non-productive, unmotivated technicians who cost you more money than they make you. On the bright side, a tightly run, efficient shop in which everyone is making decent money and which has policies that limit personal baggage will be most likely to attract good technician prospects.

The bottom line is that, in spite of any difficulties you might encounter in the adventure of finding technicians, over 80% of the people out there are decent and willing to help you achieve your goals. Positively decide you are going to find the right one of them for your team. And good luck in the hunt!

“Hi Honey, I leaving the shop early, things are under control.  Why don’t I pick up the kids from school?”

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