Thanks to our partners Promotive and Wicked File

What if that empty bay in your shop is costing you $175,000 a year?

What happens when your best technician walks in on Friday afternoon and says they're not coming back Monday?

In this episode, Hunt Demarest welcomes back Chris Lawson from Technician Find — the first returning guest on Business by the Numbers. Chris tackles the question shop owners struggle with most: Can you really afford to invest in recruiting when money is tight? Drawing on real shop data, Hunt and Chris break down the hidden cost of empty bays ($175,000 per year in lost gross profit for the average shop) and why treating recruiting as an optional expense is costing shops far more than any recruiting service ever could.

Chris explains why recruiting is fundamentally different from advertising — you're not looking for people actively searching for jobs, you're reaching employed technicians who need a compelling reason to take the risk of leaving where they are. This requires completely different messaging, targeting strategies, and an understanding that ChatGPT-written ads on Indeed all look identical because they're copying each other. The conversation covers everything from why shops get 10+ applicants per opening while others get zero, to the emerging concept of "bench building" — maintaining relationships with potential hires before you desperately need them.

This episode also dives into compensation strategy, the importance of running competitive salary surveys, and why the trades are positioned for continued wage growth as AI threatens white-collar careers but can't turn a wrench. Whether you're fully staffed and looking to build insurance against turnover, or scrambling to fill an empty bay, this conversation provides a framework for thinking about recruiting as an investment rather than an expense — and why waiting until you're desperate is the most expensive strategy of all.

What you'll learn…

(03:05) The real cost of empty bays: $2,000 per day vs. the cost of recruiting

(05:00) Why recruiting is viewed as a vendor expense instead of an investment

(05:30) The Indeed problem: Why every automotive technician job posting looks identical

(07:10) How to write ads for employed technicians vs. people actively looking for work

(09:00) Why good techs aren't on job boards — and where to find them instead

(12:05) The evolution of technician recruitment

(15:00) Optimizing the hiring process

(18:00) Building a strong reputation

(21:00) The essential role of interviews in recruitment

(24:30) Understanding technician recruitment challenges

(30:15) The importance of communication in recruitment

(35:00) Leveraging AI in recruitment strategies

(40:00) Future trends in technician wages and industry perceptions

Thanks to our partner Promotive

It’s time to hire a superstar for your business; what a grind you have in front of you. Introducing Promotive, a full-service staffing solution for your shop. Promotive has over 40 years of recruiting and automotive experience. If you need qualified technicians and service advisors and want to offload the heavy lifting, visit https://gopromotive.com/

Thanks to our Partner WickedFile

Turn chaos into clarity with WickedFile, the AI for auto repair shops. Transform invoices into insights, protect cash flow, and stop losing parts, cores, or credits to maximize your bottom line. visit https://info.wickedfile.com/

Paar Melis and Associates – Accountants Specializing in Automotive Repair

Visit us Online: www.paarmelis.com

Email Hunt: podcast@paarmelis.com

Text Paar Melis @ 301-307-5413

Download a Copy of My Books Here:

Wrenches to Write-Offs
Your Perfect Shop

The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

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That Empty Bay Is Costing You $175,000 a Year: The Real Math Behind Recruiting (Or Not Recruiting) [E213]