🎙️ Podcast: A technician stalked a shop on Facebook for two years.

The owner didn't even know that the tech was there.

The tech was watching everything. The bowling nights. The lake trips on the owner's boat. The birthday celebrations. Techs getting recognized publicly for ASE certifications. Every single post that showed what it felt like to work there.

Then one Friday, his current shop did something that pushed him over the edge.

And guess who he called first.

Not Indeed. Not a recruiter. Not the shop down the street with the biggest ad and the billboard.

The shop he'd been silently watching for 24 months.

That's the story I shared on the Honest Garage Podcast this week with

@David Laird

and Paul Regalado. And it's the story that changes everything about how you think about recruiting.

Because here's the uncomfortable truth:

The best technicians in your area aren't scrolling job boards on their lunch break.

They're not.

They're employed. They're getting paid decent. They've got a family and friends telling them "You're crazy for even thinking about leaving."

And the only thing that gets them to pick up the phone is a shop that made the risk feel worth it.

On this episode, we get into:

→ Why one of our client's techs (an A-tech with six shops competing for her) chose THEM — and what the tool truck driver who didn't even service their shop had to do with it

→ The blue marlin fishing story I told at a conference that explains exactly why your Indeed ad isn't working (and what to do instead)

→ What happens when you make a tech fill out a 12-page application before you'll even talk to them (spoiler: they go to the next shop)

→ The real cost of every day you're down a tech — and why treating recruiting as an expense instead of an investment is the most expensive mistake you'll make this year

→ Why speed-to-lead isn't just a marketing concept — it's the #1 reason good candidates ghost you

One thing David said that stuck with me:

"Set aside your ego. That person in your inbox deserves the same courtesy and respect as if they showed up in person."

He's right.

And most shop owners aren't doing it.

🎧 Link to the full episode: Hire Faster: Chris Lawson on Speed-to-Lead Recruiting, Ads That Convert, and Stop Getting Ghosted.

P.S. On the show I offered a free salary survey for any shop owner who wants to see exactly what's being offered in their area — actual shop names, actual salary ranges, actual benefits. No strings. Just data so you can walk into your next conversation with a candidate knowing exactly where you stand. Reach out to me if you want one.

What's the longest you've gone without a tech before it started really hurting?👇

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