Message from Doug McDougall

Everybody needs technicians, but do they? I see a lot of dealerships looking for technicians, with promises of signing bonuses, etc.

We had no shortage of technicians at Sisley for Honda, and here’s why:

• We offered employees a concise program to begin as a lot person, then to a lube tech, then to a tire technician, then an apprentice, then the technician role. It was a five-year plan, and our employees knew exactly what would come next.
• We always “filled the Ferris wheel” and ensured that we had two graduates per year.
• We promoted some technician personnel to shop foreman positions and, at times, to assistant service manager and even service manager. (The current service manager was a shop foreman.)
• Our technicians did not perform LOF (lube, oil, filter) and tire work. A hospital wouldn’t put their brain surgeon in the ER putting bandages on scraped knees. Why would you put your highest skilled person on low-skilled jobs?
• By carefully assigning our work, we kept all of our people busy.