Digital Dealer - August 2018 - 18

D E A L E R OP S & M ANAGEM ENT: F ixe d Oper at i ons, H i ri ng/R etenti on

By Ed Kovalchick
CEO and Founder,
Net Profit Inc.

14 Ways
to Recruit
Technicians
Finding the Needle
in the Haystack
The government
statistics forecasting
automotive and truck
technicians current and
future needs are impressive. But, tech school
enrollment is down, as well
as the number of schools
(particularly high schools)
where a student can get a
valuable dose of vehicle
care.
Phones and computers
of all shapes and sizes
have become the dominant
interest for the younger
crowd, with social mediums
the icing on that cake. Not
that you haven't noticed.
At the same time, the
growth in vehicle counts
and miles continues to
increase along with the
population of drivers. Stats
claim some 260 million-plus
vehicles are now on the
roads or waiting for the next
jaunt to work, to leisure, a
meeting, or to the bar (the
other meeting). According to
those government studies, there will be some 1.2
million jobs available in the
near future at a fill demand
of 120,000 technicians each
year - makes Snap-on
happy.
18

AUGUST 2018

So, where does that
leave the struggling dealer
service manager, always a
tech or two short it seems?
Surprising to some is that
about two-thirds of techs
work in the Aftermarket
(versus franchises), while
the annual SEMA/AAPEX
Aftermarket bash is now
hosting about 140,000 goers and growing nicely. The
bottom line is that everyone
is looking for competent
technicians and the dealer
body is a minimal player in
the employment-demand
pool.
Because of the dire need
for dealer technicians, both
maintenance and skilled
sets, I most often find myself needing to help capture
some acceptable players
for my clients. When you
figure average monthly
stall expenses of some
$10,000, and a potential for
generating $18 to $20,000
in parts and service gross
from a make-it-happen tech
on that cement, what could
be more important? And it's
important not only for the
bottom line but for customer
satisfaction and retention
too, not to mention getting
those damn used vehicles
on the lot quickly.
Over time, with much

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

3. REMIND YOUR OWN
STAFF & FAMILY

experimentation and waning
budgets, we have developed a list of recruiting
efforts to find that needle in
the haystack so to speak.
No one recruiting attempt
was perfectly fruitful, but by
using a combo of the following, we have had sweet
successes without tapping
the cookie jar too hard or
eating up the clock.
1. MESSAGE A
SANDWICH BOARD

People (you and me) will
dislodge our necks to read
a sandwich board note and
ignore a decorated $15,000
overhead sign. Recruiting
on these portable message
senders is cheap and with
a simple memo, the job
gets done. And the sign can
easily be moved around to
all-side streets and lots, to
send the message to everyone passing by or visiting.
You never know when Aunt
Sara's technician nephew is
looking for a better job.
2. MESSAGE ON
THE PARTS DELIVERY
VEHICLE

A couple inexpensive
magnetic signs will work
just fine. These vehicles visit the perfect places to get
technician referrals. How
many view this workhorse a
day? And the price is right.

Most dealerships have
some type of internal
program which includes
paying a spiff for hired
referrals. However, when
is the last time that program was presented to
your staff? And why not
include their families and
even friends in the referral
program?
4. ADD TO THE
WEBSITE MENU BAR

Is there a prominent
"employment" link on
your website menu bar?
- probably not. This is an
easy fix - consider how
many individuals visit your
site each day. Why hide
the fact you are hiring? In
some cases, this can even
aid getting seen regarding
employment searching.
Too often I examine dealer
websites and employment
opportunities are hidden in
the cellar.
5. RECRUITING SIGN
ON SHUTTLE

Just like the parts delivery van, simple magnetic
signs will work just fine.
Sending the message out
numerous ways is productive while taking little effort.
6. UTILIZE WALMART
AND OTHER HIGHVOLUME LOCATIONS

Take advantage of
Walmart and other
high-volume locations by
parking a wrapped (for instance) advertising vehicle
(van) at the end of their
lots. Move it to different
locations to get great exposure, no sweating.
7. TAP TOOL TRUCK
OWNERS
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - August 2018
