Get the Word Out - Part II

Based on the principle that marketing is a two-pronged approach, my previous post provided five ideas to help you get the Word Out. Remember the importance of looking for new clients while ensuring current clients get the utmost in customer service. Here I share my remaining ideas to help you continue to Get the Word Out.

1. NAAPS – National Association of Professional Process Servers is an excellent conduit for obtaining assignments from other process servers and law firms many from out-of-state who need a server in your locale. As an affordable membership to eligible process servers, NAAPS offers many benefits providing an excellent ROI. Check out www.napps.org for more information and eligibility requirements.
2. State Associations – Every state has a state process serving association, each one representing the interests of their members. Much like NAAPS, they represent their members and provide education and networking opportunities. They are a great way to reach out to servers in areas you may not service and they in return will refer back to you.
3. Door-to-door – This is generally the most difficult, time-consuming and disheartening approach. You could visit law firms for hours, days, months and you might get one client. It is not hopeless, but takes a lot of time coupled with a heavy dose of rejection. A past associate began his business with this strategy and landed a client who he still serves today. It can pay off.
4. Social Media Networking – There are scores of social media networking sites and communities to connect with potential clients, other process servers and businesses in need of a process server. The benefit of using social media networking to market yourself is that your potential connections are limitless. In most cases, you can do it for little more than a bit of your time.
5. Targeted Demographics – When working on a process serving assignment, another process server, the attorney who requested the issuance of court documents, who do you interact with most often?  Sometimes, however, you really want to focus on legal assistants and paralegals. You will communicate to and interact with on these professionals on every assignment.  Keep them happy, make them look good and you will reap the benefits. Join their associations, attend their meetings and build lasting client relationship and friendships with legal assistants and paralegals.
6. Get Out There – One last thing, make it a habit to become involved by attending and/or sponsoring events, or become listed in their publications. We enjoy our annual participation in a 5k run event with the local bar association. As we run side by side with others, we get to meet new attorneys and their legal assistants.

If you would like to learn how to start up your own Process Service business, please check out my book “The Business End of Process, Running a Process Service Company From the Ground Up” available on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&ajr=0.

Get the Word Out - Part I

In my last post, we established the necessity of a two-pronged marketing approach. Always look for new clients while treating your current clients like royalty (within reason, of course). How, you ask, do you accomplish this? Get the Word Out. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

1. Advertise – in the local bar association newsletter. Be industry specific and target one demographic, in this case law firms.
2. Get listed – Yellow Pages and business pages, off-line and on-line – even a one-line is better than a no-liner.
3. Business cards – Be sure you carry business cards with you at all times. Place one in the hands of every court clerk you encounter. They often encounter attorneys or private individuals in need of a process server. If the ask the clerks for a referral, and the clerks have your card… well, you get the idea. A word of caution here; just because they have your card don’t assume they will refer you – mark sure you treat them well, always smile, always be friendly (and it doesn’t hurt if you bring cookies or donuts once in a while).
4. Rule of Five – Devise a marketing campaign that puts you in front of your customer no less than five times in a specified period. (Rule of five says that most people generally have to see your ad at least 5 times before taking action.) So grab a copy of the local bar association membership listing or directory. Target the litigation attorneys – family law, personal injury, commercial litigation, debt collection, etc. Send them a full-color, professional looking postcard that provides your company name, phone number and be sure you include that your company provides process service. While this is a numbers game, it is relatively low-cost and eventually pays off, usually in a way that defrays the costs spent and provides you with a long-term client.
5. Website – If you do not have a presence on the web, you do not have a presence. Even a simple single webpage is better than no web presence. We began with a low cost web-hosting template and eventually upgraded. A website is not static, however. It will require ongoing attention and changes as people will expect to see changes when they visit. If it stays the same, they will not come back. A basic website generally will not provide immediate results, but as your business grows so can your web presence. Think of a website as another tool for growing your business. When you are ready to upgrade with the help of a professional website developer/SEO professional be sure you ask for a referral from someone who is happy with his or her web partnership.

Check back next posting for the remaining ideas to “Get the Word Out”.

If you would like the complete low-down on how to start up your own Process Service business, check out my book “The Business End of Process, Running a Process Service Company From the Ground Up” available on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A%22The+Business+End+of+Process%22&ajr=0.