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What you will learn:
• Finding adequate talent continues to be a struggle for the collision shop and is typically self-induced
• One of the keys to drawing new talent is to ensure your current techs are happy. To start, simply ask them
• Be aware of the reason your shop is the one to work at. Otherwise it only comes down to the mighty dollar
The ever-changing collision industry presents a multitude of challenges. None are more pressing than finding adequate talent to run a good shop.
At WrenchWay, we work with 500+ shops across the country to help them attract technicians, and what we have found is that much of what causes a shop to struggle to find talented people is self-induced.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important things shops can do to improve their ability to find and hire great people.
Take note of your team's happiness
One of the first mistakes we see collision shops make is not having a true understanding of the people that are already working for them. Retention is a core element to recruiting because you’re going to have a really tough time bringing in new talent if the people working for you don’t like being there. To understand that you need to go right to the source.
The best way to make sure you have a good understanding of your team’s satisfaction is to simply ask them. Hopefully you have a good enough relationship with your team to have an idea of where they are already at, but what I suggest is going deeper. Many shop managers assume their people are happy, but never take the time to intentionally ask. When they do take the time to ask, they’re not asking the right questions to get the candid feedback they need. The questions need to be thought-provoking and open-ended.
You also have to care. When I say care, you need to care in an authentic way. People can see though leaders who are just going through the motions. These conversations can’t be “check the box” types of chats. Take some time to put thought into them, and you’ll have a much better sense of how your team is feeling. It also helps to take a look in the mirror to know what needs to be improved.
Have a story to tell
Most collision shops have no idea why they are any different than their competition. If they do, it’s typically in the eyes of a customer. Let’s face it, most great people already have good jobs and this is why you have to understand why you’re different. Why would somebody be more happy writing estimates for you than where they are currently at? If you can’t answer this, it will always come down to the mighty dollar.
I’ve never been in a shop where people aren’t proud of where they came from. Most great body techs didn’t start off great. They had to learn how to properly fix a mangled car. In many cases, the stories of how those individuals developed their skills are great, and I’ve found that people love to share them. Those types of stories are what makes your shop unique.
We like to talk about how it’s the people who make our businesses great. Well, who are those people? We’re so worried about our competition poaching our people that we shy away from showing off our teams. Rather than worrying about other shops taking your people, focus on creating such a great culture that people would be crazy to leave.
Be proactive
After taking an honest look at the people in your shop and understanding what makes you different, you need to put together a plan to go find the help you need. From what we see, this typically comes in a very reactive way. It results in us having a desperate need for people, and we end up hiring any warm body that comes in the door. We see shops make this mistake every day. Adding people that don’t fit our culture drives down the happiness of our current employees, and could potentially cost you your best people.
If you want to change your luck in the hiring process, you’ve got to be more intentional and proactive about it. Having a great team is vital to your business, yet it often falls very low on the priority list. Being proactive means having a plan.
Keep in mind that almost every good body tech, estimator, or manager already has a job. Simply posting on a job board and expecting a flood of people to apply is unrealistic. Developing a plan where you create an employer brand to show off your shop culture, and then marketing that to good people is not optional anymore; it’s a requirement.
Make a plan
Good plans consist of multiple ways to spread the message that you’re a good place to work. Video is such an underutilized tool when it comes to employer marketing. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are phenomenal ways to show the personalities of the people in your shop, but you need to have content to share. Video is a quick, simple way to do just that.
As a collision shop, you’re extremely lucky to have new content rolling in the door each day. Use these as opportunities to show off the talented people in your shop. Grab your phone, head out to the shop, and document one of your techs doing a bumper repair. Got a new tool for the shop? Grab your phone and have a tech talk about it. Seems simple, yet so many people fail to do it.
Plans can’t consist of only posting “help wanted” ads when you’re desperate. Job boards are an important part of a plan, but they need to be just that — a part of it. By consistently creating content, you are showing why you are different. If you want to make your life easier in the future, you have to change the way you’re going about finding people for your team.
Know who you are, have a plan of attack on how you’re going to get your word out, and execute like crazy. If you are serious that people are your greatest asset, it’s about time you start acting that way.
