Carlito wrote:
I'm new here and new to bail enforcement, but I got my company off the ground with only a few short marketing visits with some bail bond companies. How? I presented myself like a professional, created some very professional looking flyers and letters and I understand what the stigma of BEAs are and attempted to refute that entirely.
My approach was to create a flyer that was informative about some things that plague bail bond companies; FTAs and Bond Forfeitures. On my flyer I put some tips that I felt bail bonding companies failed at miserably and led to numerous forfeiture cases. The flyer was NOT about my company per se, but about helping these companies limit the need for my services. Tricky, but VERY effective. A detriment to my business? Absolutely not! Everyone I've spoke with has stated how much they appreciated what we had to say and that alone got them reading my marketing letter. Our name and services was certainly on the flyer, but the emphasis was helping the bail bond company by being informative.
My marketing letter consisted of 3 pages. Each page contained a news story. The first page contained a news story about a BEA that arrested the wrong person and was charged with kidnapping. I used that story to highlight how we do things differently and that our training prevents these types of erroneous actions. The next story was about a bondsman who kicked in the wrong door. We went into the benefit of hiring professional investigators and actually conducting an investigation prior to an arrest. Also used that story to highlight why it pays to hire a professional investigator. Our final news story was in regards to a suspect accidentally being shot during the arrest by a BEA while in a struggle. Our intent was to point out that safety, especially the safety of the public, was absolutely paramount. We highlighted the fact that lethal force is NOT always the best approach and that non-lethal tactics are in MOST cases the best approach.
Every single person I have sat down with gave us cases that day. I also point out that my company represents the NEW school of BEA and we really lean on the term investigator because that's what we do. The actual arrest is such a small part of the job. Without an investigation you really have nothing but luck to rely on.
You'd be surprised how something as small as having a professional looking business card can make. I've heard some real horror stories from a lot of my new clients and almost all of them say the same thing "We're looking for a company that is professional, courteous and reliable". We do what we say and say what we do. Some people will find that statement elementary, but you'd be surprised at how many people talk the talk and never walk the walk. If I say I'm going to be somewhere at a specified time, I'm there. If something changes, I make sure and give the bondsman plenty of notice of the change. I follow through!
Be consistent, be professional in your appearance and demeanor, and always remember that you're providing a service to help. I wish you the very best in your endeavors.
I have seriously taken your advice,and I have been making tremendous progress these last couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted.....
