Got this question from a client yesterday. Here's what most shop owners don't realize: Techs aren't hibernating. They're still scrolling social media and hanging out in the trade groups just as much as any other time of year. They're just not moving yet. Which means December is actually the perfect time to start conversations—not close them. Think of it like warming up an engine before you drive. The shops that plant seeds now? They're the ones techs reach out to in January when they're finally ready to make a move. The shops that wait? They're competing with everyone else who had the same "wait until the new year" idea. Recruiting is like marketing—it's never a bad time to do it. And when you really need it, you always wish you started sooner. Are you planting seeds now or waiting for spring?

This post is a bit long but its full of hiring gold nuggets if you stay with me till the end. You might know that Technician Find has started doing comprehensive salary and benefits surveys for the shops we work with so they can see at a glance what their competition is offering their techs and how they stack up. We pull this data from the top job boards online and then aggregate the data into an easy to read chart. Then we run a statistical analysis of how our client shop's salary and benefits stack up so they can see where they are weak. This level of detail helps us write ads that get applications and it helps shops make offers that get accepted. Anyways, a client asked a great question this morning... To paraphrase he asked if there was a way to see what shops were actually paying their techs. NOT what they were offering online in job ads. You know me, I love a good challenge so I took a deep dive on Perplexity.AI to see what I could drum up. This is my reply and the interesting stuff I found in my deep dive: ______________________ Thanks for the detailed context. You're absolutely right that posted salaries only tell part of the story. Short of doing a W2 audit of each shop in your area there's no way to get an accurate read on real compensation numbers. That being said, there is a workaround of sorts. I did a deep search for actual compensation information in Perplexity.AI and received the output below. This output is based on supposedly factual data gathered from real shop owners and technicians via online sources where compensation is being discussed candidly. You can be the judge of its veracity but this data does reveal some interesting conclusions about how salary should be structured and listed for maximum impact. Let me know what you think. Take care, -Chris ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Based on recent placement data and industry compensation research, here's what strong technicians are actually accepting when they're recruited off-market versus what appears publicly.

Now you're staring at the bay wondering if you're about to spend the next six months turning wrenches yourself. Here's what nobody tells you in this moment: Posting a job ad after your tech quits is like shopping for a car after yours just died. You need wheels NOW—so you're taking whatever's on the lot instead of waiting for the right deal. You know exactly what this looks like. You've watched customers who've made that mistake walk into your shop desperate to have you help clean up the mess because they skipped the inspection, ignored the warning signs, overpaid—all because they needed something that day. That's you right now. On the other side of the counter. The shops that don't panic when someone quits? They weren't "lucky with hiring." They had a bench. A relationship with a handful of quality techs who weren't actively looking—but would move for the right opportunity. That's not recruiting. That's leverage. So let me ask you: What would change if the next time someone gave notice, your response was "I've got three calls to make" instead of "I'm screwed"? Drop a 🔥 if you've ever been blindsided by a resignation that threw your whole shop into chaos. And if you need help building that bench... Let me know.

I'm thrilled to introduce @Christi Warren, who just joined our team at Technician Find as Client Success Manager. Christi brings something special to our community - she's been living the shop life alongside her husband, who's both a technician and shop manager. Those dinner conversations about the tech who didn't show up? The excitement when a great candidate accepts? The frustration when your A-tech gives notice? She's been there for all of it. But here's what really sets Christi apart: she's worked directly with independent shops, helping them onboard shop management software. She's been in your shops, seen your workflows, and felt your pain points firsthand. She attends industry conferences and truly understands the daily frustrations - from software that promises everything but delivers headaches, to the constant juggling act of keeping customers happy while developing your team. One of the many things I love about Christi is her genuine passion for this industry. She's been quietly absorbing technician culture through forums and groups - not as a recruiter, but as someone who genuinely cares about understanding what makes techs tick. She gets why respect matters as much as pay. She understands the difference between a shop that just employs techs and one that develops them. Her husband has given her the real insider's view - the good, the challenging, and everything in between. Combined with her hands-on experience in shops like yours, that perspective is invaluable, and I'm excited for you all to get to know her. Christi will be helping coordinate our recruiting campaigns and keeping things moving smoothly for our clients. But more than that, she's here as someone who truly understands your world from multiple angles. Please join me in giving Christi a warm welcome! Drop a comment below to say hello - I know she's excited to connect with each of you. Welcome to the family, Christi! We're lucky to have you.

As an industry, we keep saying we’re “short on techs,” but the best ones aren’t hiding—they’re just ignoring shops that look the same. After 7 years of conversations and 100+ exit interviews, the pattern is blunt: 1) Wrong pond, wrong bait.We blast generic job-board ads and expect top performers to bite. They don’t. They move through referrals, reputation, and communities where your shop rarely shows up. 2) Leaving beats staying (on paper). Great techs flirt with opening a shop not because they want payroll headaches, but because it promises three things they’re missing: respect, control over income, and real growth. 3) The 3-circle gap (why they quit): - Respect: Real open-door policy, not lip service. Clear communication, decisions with tech input. - Money: Competitive comp that tracks value, not tenure. Transparent paths to higher earnings. - Growth: Personal AND Professional training, tooling, and a ladder beyond “turn more hours”. Great employees want to go with shops that want their life to work inside and outside of the shop. When all three circles overlap, two things happen fast: - Retention sticks. People stop taking recruiter calls. - Attraction turns magnetic. You stop “hiring” and start selecting. The “shortage” mostly exists in shops trying to win with one circle (usually Money) and hoping the rest will sort itself out. If you want fewer resignations this quarter, start here: audit your Respect–Money–Growth overlap. Then replace job-board spam with proof—tech-facing videos, team-led referrals, and visible systems that make great techs say, “Yep, I can thrive there.” The future isn’t about convincing kids to join the industry—it’s about building shops worth joining.