Finding Technicians

[warr_wiz]

Has anyone had any experiences with the companies (known as "headhunters")that find qualified techs? I realize that the fee is generally 10% of expected annual earnings. But at this point, I have spent a whole lot of $$$ in newspaper advertisements, internet sites, etc. All I have gotten from them lately is high school kids or phone calls asking "how much does it pay" or the applicant wants $100K+. Any tales, good or bad to tell? Thanks for the input. By the way, we are looking for qualified and experienced techs so the trade schools really can't provide immediate help.

[ScottM]

I have used a high quality group called Carpeople. I have used them for other fixed ops prospects and have been placed by them myself. They do primarily west coast but if you are in a different region he can probably give you a referral. You can find more info on them at www.carpeople.com. Totally class act and Brad engelbrecht the owner is A+++.

[the beave]

I was experiencing the same problem at our Ford dealership. I would spend hundreds of dollars on newspaper ads and not receive one single response. This all changed when the headlines of my ad started like this.'up to $10,000.00 Signing Bonus" In one week I was able to hire 3 "A" techs. This is paid out in full at the completion of 3 consecutive years of employement. $2000.00 after the 1st year, $3000.00 at the end of the second year and the final $5000.00 at the end of the 3rd year. A tech averaging 45.0 hrs/week will give you your $10,000.00 back in 5 weeks.

Rick from Buffalo

[Eddie Haskel]

Gee beave, don't ya think moms gonna be sore at ya? Just kidding Rick , I guess I will have to put up a 20K bonus ! Just kidding but we are all in the same boat.

Brad in Buffalo

[warr_wiz]

Thanks for the replies all. I have tried the "sign on bonus" ad got more questions about how much and when do I get it. But I didn't go as high as $10K. Maybe I will try that on the next ad. I also made the bonus payable 3 month, 6 month, 1 year. I'll try your suggestion next time. Thanks again.

[flyboy]

So Beav, how do your existing techs feel about this? I cannot imagine the guys here, several in the neighborhood of 20 years, not feeling cheated. Even if a tech were here for 2 or 3 years, he has shown somw dedication, integrity, what have you. If I were to offer a new tech a bonus such as this, would it not be a slap in their face?

I guess, on the surface, it sounds like a good idea. Maybe I need to think it through and tweak it to fit my shop.

[s56817b]

Maybe we should look at why are techs so hard to come by and reward the ones who are sticking it out. With warranty work, service contracts and insurance companies dictating how much they are wiling to pay for a repair, it is the tech who finally loses in the end. you see, he can't raise his hourly rate when ever the labor op. time is cut, he just has to work harder and harder to make the same money. Why would anyone in his or her right mind investall the time and money for education, training and tools to only make 25k-35k a year. By offering a sign on bonus to new hires your are going to run the risk of your journeymen techs leaving for a sign on bonus somewhere else. How about treating your present sevice employees with the respect they deserve. The word will get out and techs will be beating your doors down to work there

[atechwhoisfedup]

I have been a tech for 12 years now, 6 with one dealer and six with the other. I have seen the disrespect that techs get from the money hungry selfish managers who seem to cut labor just make more profit for himself. Most of the techs I know have quit the dealership scene and go solo. Now they are making good money. Every year it seems car makers make cars with 100k plugs, coolant, trans fluids and so on. How are we suppose to upsell services when nothing can be sreviced, and if you try customers already know there car is good for life and decline. Also Techs talk they usually have been to all the dealers in town and they spread the word on working conditions and which manager is an a!! For example The dealership I work for it was only two techs. We both were making up to 150 hours every pay check(every 2 weeks). You can say we busted our a!!es. What do they do when we start buying houses and new cars, they cut certain labors and hire an hourly tech to rip off the work we use to do.
Now that is why techs seem to leave and never come back. Sure I have seen 60 year old techs making 40 to 50 hour bi weekly checks but it seems they have no other choice. I also have decided to leave the wrenching scene but my way out is going back to school for mechanical engineering. To any new tech out there I urge you to have a back up plan and learn more than one trade because this business burns you out!

[warr_wiz]

"Maybe we should look at why are techs so hard to come by and reward the ones who are sticking it out. With warranty work, service contracts and insurance companies dictating how much they are wiling to pay for a repair, it is the tech who finally loses in the end"

I am sure most managers realize the importance of the techs in the shop now. As a tech for 20+ years I am fully aware of the problems they face every day. The managers do not control labor rates on warranty repairs. Unfortunately the times can be unfair. Here in this dealership, techs are paid a bonus on warranty repairs. They are paid an extra % of all warranty repair times.

"Why would anyone in his or her right mind investall the time and money for education, training and tools to only make 25k-35k a year."
I'm sure it varies by geagraphical areas, but skilled techs in this area make much more than 25-35K/year. Sometimes double that. Don't forget, when the service department makes a mistake, (incorrect claim info, incorrect estimate, etc.) it is the department that suffers, not the tech. When a tech makes a mistake,(yes, they do make mistakes, I don't have any "perfect" employees here) the tech does not always get punished in any way. Often they are paid to repair a comeback. Not every time, (ie: blatant misdiagnosis, damage caused during repair, etc) but for the most part.

" I have seen the disrespect that techs get from the money hungry selfish managers who seem to cut labor just make more profit for himself."
Have a look at some of your service menu items. In order to be competative, the labor goes out the door far below the normal door rate. Most of the time that I have seen, techs are paid the same FRH time and only the labor charge is cut. And there is no doubt your manager has a home and family to support as well. Managers getting paid on department profits deserve a paycheck as well. What happens is, labor time is cut slightly, (does it really take 1.0 FRH to change a trans filter and fluid) but only to get the customers in the door. From there it is up to the tech, and service advisor, to recommend any other needed repairs. Dealer trans service: $150.00 Next door trans service: $90.00 Where do you think the customer will go for the trans service? Sometimes we ALL have to spend a little to make a little. That is the way the world is, not just a dealership.

Do you also think it's fair that when 1 tech leaves a dealer, inevitibly the rest are now looking for a raise? Sure some deserve, and get, a raise. But then again some don't. Ask your manager to have a look at the 67D account some time. Or some damage reports. We're not all money hungry, but we are expected to show a profitable department.

Sorry about the rant, and this is in NO WAY a knock on techs. As I said, I spent 20+ years on the line so I know excactly what you go through on a day to day basis. But please don't forget, we are all here for one simple reason....to EARN a living. No one is going to just pay anyone 100K/year for just being there. I can't speak for all managers, but that is my story, and I'm sticking to it.

[This message has been edited by warr_wiz (edited 10-02-2001).]

[ROLFE]

" I have seen the disrespect that techs get from the money hungry selfish managers who seem to cut labor just make more profit for himself."

In order to be treated as the professionals they are it is time that technicians assume the role of professionals.
Not all but most technicians seem inclined to think the manager, the dealer, the manufacturer, the world for that matter, has a universal interest in thier demise. That the prevailing opinion of management is that we can do without them and it's easier to ignore them than to deal with thier concerns.

While this could not be farther from the truth, there are roadblocks that the technician himself erects that keeps the manager from having that professional relationship that the technician desires. The all too common "refusal" to accept a job based on a vague observation of what others in the shop are doing. The never ending accounting of the hours turned by others without looking within to find the lost productivity. The "I'm an independent contracter" theory which inevitably leads to "I'll arrive and depart on my own terms and do not question me as to whereabouts at any time".

Professionals are those who accept the good and the bad of their circumstance with grace. They understand that their individual needs are not greater than the common goals of their employer. Professionals dig in when the going gets rough and share in the rewards when the rough times are past. Professionals do not adorn their equipment with calendars of naked women and "will work for sex" signs. Professionals would remove those objects out of respect for their customers and their peers, not at the insistance of their superivsors. Professionals dress in the uniform of their profession, most would not want their dentist wearing a Dale Earnhadt t-shirt hanging out of their pants. Professionals ask questions when they do not understand a situation completely. They do not close their tool boxes and leave without notice. Professionals do not call out sick three times a month, on Monday, with a customer in the balance. Professionals treat others in their profession with respect and are proud to share their knowledge. Imagine if all the doctors in the world kept to themselves.

The list could go on and on and of course would not apply to everyone. But we need our techs to look, act, and be the consummate professionals that they desire to be. We need our managers to do everything possible to get past the "bad relationships" we've had in the past and cultivate a new trust.
Now is a good time. The rest of the world is changing as we speak.

Thanks

Rolfe