Yesterday I heard a story from a client that I had to share. Mike, a shop owner from Dallas called his business coach in a panic. "I just found out through the grapevine that THREE of my best techs are looking at other shops," he said. "One already has an offer. I had no idea they were unhappy." Sound familiar? Here's the kicker: All three techs had been with Mike for 5+ years. They weren't leaving for money. They were leaving because of something Mike never saw coming - they felt invisible. One tech later told him: "You talk to me when something's broken or when I mess up. But you never ask how I'm doing or what would make my job better." Ouch. LESSON: Mike learned something that changed everything: Exit interviews are autopsies. By then, your tech is already gone. What he needed were "Stay Interviews" - proactive, 10-minute weekly conversations that catch problems while you can still fix them. Here's the exact system Mike implemented (that kept all 3 techs from leaving): The Monday Morning Stay Interview Process Step 1: The 3-Question Check-In (5 minutes) Every Monday, Mike asks each of his top techs: 1. "What's one thing that went well for you last week?" 2. "What's one frustration you're dealing with right now?" 3. "If you could change one thing about your job this week, what would it be?" Step 2: The Early Warning Scorecard (2 minutes) Mike tracks these 5 flight-risk indicators weekly: - Energy level (1-10) - Tool/equipment complaints - Customer and team interactions and overall mood - Initiative on jobs (taking on challenges vs. bare minimum) - Water cooler talk (engaged vs. withdrawn) Any score dropping 2+ points = immediate deeper conversation Step 3: The Fix-It Promise (3 minutes) Mike commits to addressing ONE issue each week - even small ones. - Week 1: Fixed the shop fan that had been broken for 6 months - Week 2: Changed the parts ordering process that was driving everyone crazy - Week 3: Started rotating who gets the gravy jobs

My new mechanic just moved in his tools. Chris, your help and insights really improved my recruiting and ad. I really got a lot out of your instructions and Office Hours presentations. Thank you! John - Big Dog Fleet Services

I have emailed and texted. The responses are almost exclusively from my texts. I thought your comments on lowering friction were spot on too. I've sent candidates a skills survey which is very valuable to me to know what they can do - But I think that sometimes creates too much friction. I recently just did the survey at the beginning of the in person interview. I still got what I wanted but w/o the friction. #Boost technician ad response rates by 20%

#Do this to FIND TECHS on Craiglsist Very helpful presentation. I'm going to try these strategies and keywords

The number one question I get from independent shop owners once we’ve cleaned up their help wanted ads for technicians is, “now where do I post it?” I’m so glad you asked! This Thursday, February 2nd, you’re going to learn all of the tricks and strategies for using Facebook like a pro to find techs. I’m going to show you the ins and outs of Facebook (there honestly aren’t all that many), including: · Why we use Facebook to find good techs (and you should too!) · The secret to getting good results with Facebook. · How to go “fishing” on Facebook for good techs who aren’t looking for work. · Facebook is going to take away the jobs tab this month (here’s how you need to post your jobs moving forward) · How to do “Passive Recruiting” on Facebook when you’re fully staffed to build a deep bench of candidates so when you’re in a pinch and need help, you have folks to call. · And more! You can find the link on the Community Calendar. See you there!