Micromanaging Your Process Service Business - or not

“Hold on, just a little bit tighter now…”

While those might be great lyrics for a song, they’re not the best way to run your process service business, or most any other business. Sure there are things you have to hold on to tightly, things like control of your finances, adherence to your mission statement, working “on” your business and so on. But there are also areas where you have to learn to let go. Primarily those areas are focused in the area of working “in” your business.

Last posting I spoke of the advantages of outsourcing. Whether you outsource to a 1099 contract employee or you bite the bullet and hire (another form of outsourcing – as you are not doing the work) a W-2 employee there are distinct advantages, the primary one being the freeing up of your time to focus on other than the day-to-day functions. Without the day-to-day stuff holding your hostage you can set up additional prospect meetings, work on customer retention and service or add balance in your life with a short or long vacation, or just an evening off.

So now you’ve taken the big entrepreneurial step and found help for you and your business. You provided the training they would need to do the work you have delegated to them. Awesome! How are you doing with that? Are you letting them do their job, or are you holding on, just a little bit tighter, afraid to let go?

When I finally realized I’d have to suck it up and just delegate the work, I had to overcome that psychological barrier that I think many small business owners deal with as their companies expand – micromanaging helps no one. The reality of it was that other people that I had gathered around me could actually do the job just as good as I could. In some instances, they could even do it better than me; heck, that’s why they were hired. And whenever someone other than me made a mistake, the mistakes were so few and far between, that it was manageable from a customer service perspective. It took a bit of doing, but eventually I overcame me fear of letting go and let others do the work. To be completely honest, this probably saved the company because it allowed me to rest, breathe, and think while others handled the nuts and bolts of day-to-day field operations.

So delegate / outsource where you can and then let go and watch your business grow.

What are your feelings toward delegation? Please share if you are so inclined. As always, I appreciate any feedback.

If you enjoy these tips, you'll find more like them in my book "The Business End of Process Service, Running a Process Service Company from the Ground Up". You might also like my other book "CounterSpy, The Industrial Counter-Surveillance Manual", both available on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Business-End-Process-Service-ebook/dp/B008E8RBHK/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407774550&sr=1-8&keywords=bob+hill and http://www.amazon.com/CounterSpy-Bob-Hill-ebook/dp/B00BTJYU1Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407774644&sr=1-3&keywords=counterspy/  

Growing Your Process Service Business Through Delegation

The goal of every start-up business, including process service, should be to reach a point where you have so much work you cannot reasonably handle it by yourself. Ideally you have already decided how big you want to grow and how to handle the growth.  What makes this tricky is that growth all too often has a mind of its own and doesn’t always follow plan.  Hopefully, you have written at least a simple, basic business plan (nothing fancy required) and have set out the action(s) to take when your business outgrows your personal capacity. Just be flexible and go with the flow when you have your growth spurts, but be realistic in what you can reasonably handle without affecting customer service and your health, both physically and mentally.

What I’m talking about is expanding your business through delegation. But, you say, it’s just me and I don’t have any employees to delegate to. Neither did I when it happened to me many years ago. But after considerable reflection on where my business was and where I wanted it to go, I realized that I would need to bring on additional servers or a partner.

At the time I was working 80 hours a week and the annual gross revenue of the company was only $69,000. The following year, I brought on servers to help out and an admin person in the office. Our gross revenue shot up to $105,000 and my work hours dropped to 55 per week. Even with the additional expense of servers and an admin, I worked fewer hours and made more in net profit. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

You don’t have to hire employees. You can contract process servers and even admin help. With the convenience and flexibility of the “Cloud” so much can be accomplished today between work colleagues without ever meeting face to face. If you can handle the mandatory on-site paperwork (think filing) a virtual assistant can often take care of all the other admin work.

So if you've reached that plateau in your process service business where all you do is work in the business with no time to work on the business, consider delegating. If you're like me, you'll be glad you did.

Process Service Marketing – Reviewing Ten Basic Steps

Sometimes it just makes sense to revisit the basics. Life is not static, neither is your business. What may have worked for you once upon a time, may not work as well for you today. That being said, let’s revisit my ten basic marketing steps that a process server should take to become successful. 

Your primary job is to get jobs. You can't serve court documents if you don't have them in your hand.  To that end, one of the first rules of business a process server has to learn is this.  If you don't have a job, then your job becomes finding a job.  Even when you have jobs, you should always be actively looking for the next one. More succinctly, you need to market your services.

Here are some very basic steps to take to get you moving, some of which require some capital while others require just a little of your time.

1.  Advertise in the classified section of the local bar association newsletter.

2.  Order quality business cards and place them in the hands of every court clerk that will take them.  When someone comes into the courthouse to file a lawsuit, they may not already have a process server in mind, and if they ask the court clerk, your card will be right there at their fingertips.

3.  Obtain the member mailing list from your local bar association.  This could or could not be a little pricey, but now you have the names and addresses of all the attorneys in town that belong to the association.  Begin by mailing postcards to those addresses by the hundreds.  Be patient with this, though.  On average it might take sending your postcard to the same attorneys up to five times before they finally contact you.  Find a way to make your mailing stand out from others they may be getting. For instance, instead of asking them for the job – send a series of cards (a marketing campaign) with different messages – from an introduction, to a “have a nice day” to “give me a call when you need service”. There are programs and services available to make this a smooth, affordable process.

4.  You need a website.  Even if it is nothing more than a very basic online brochure of your services, an online presence is critical in the 21st century.

5.  Social Media Networking.  This falls in line with your website.  You may not have a large budget for setting up and driving traffic to your website.  So, a good way to establish a web presence that may also drive traffic toward your website is through the various social media networks such as Facebook, Linked-In, MerchantCircle, and several others.  Make friends and connections anywhere and everywhere you can, but most especially with fellow process servers, private investigators, and attorneys.

6.  Become a member of an industry association.  Membership fees are generally inexpensive, but the networking possibilities for B2B exchange of work with other servers in other locations throughout the state and the nation are golden.

7.  Become a corporate member of a legal secretaries or paralegal's association.  These associations exist throughout the United States and are a perfect opportunity for you to interact one on one with your key client demographic - legal assistants/paralegals. They may even be a better “target market” for your post card mailings than the attorney list.

8.  Sponsor an event with the local bar association.  You'll get exposure as a vendor and you will be amazed at how inexpensive it is to be a sponsor of an event.

9.  If you already have a client or two (or three), nothing works better than word of mouth.  So, first thing, do a superior job for those clients.  Second, take your clients some goodies -- chocolate works very well with legal secretaries -- or take them to lunch.  Show a genuine interest in them, not just as a client, but as a friend.  Be grateful. Remember, you are building a relationship here that could, over the course of many years, develop into a sizable stream of income, as well as the many, many referrals to other potential clients that these one or two clients will provide where they tout your services for you.

10.  Door to door.  Difficult and sometimes daunting, this one does work, but it is truly a numbers game.  The key here is to know that most likely the law firm you are cold-calling or visiting probably already has a process server to whom they are quite loyal.  You're not there to attempt to take the business away from that process server, but to offer to be the "back-up" in case their guy is too busy, sick, or on vacation.  

Consider what worked for you before. Is it still working? Does the process need modification, updating? What efforts have provided the best ROI? Keep evaluating and refining these ten steps to fit with the current market trends.

I appreciate your following. If you or someone you know would like more tips like these check out my book “The Business End of Process Service, Running a Process Service Company from the Group Up” or for a change of pace check out “CounterSpy, The Industrial Counter-Surveillance Manual”. They are both available on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Business-End-Process-Service-ebook/dp/B008E8RBHK/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407774550&sr=1-8&keywords=bob+hill and http://www.amazon.com/CounterSpy-Bob-Hill-ebook/dp/B00BTJYU1Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407774644&sr=1-3&keywords=counterspy/  I think you’ll find the both useful in your process service business. As always, I welcome your comments. 

Name Branding for Process Service

Record Time Retrieval & Investigations evolved from Record Time Retrieval. Record Time Retrieval was descriptive of the initial service offered of being a business that served subpoenas to obtain business and medical records. It was simple; we retrieved records in record time. Our name aptly described what we did while giving us an identity that our target market could identify with. It was important; however, to be sure we backed our branding by actually providing record time service.

Over time I realized that I was more inclined to work on process service befitting my previous law enforcement background; so the quick turnaround on assignment completions that process service entails was a much better fit for me as owner/employee of the company. As the business evolved we changed the type of service we wanted to provide from records retrieval to process service, eventually adding private investigations. Although we occasionally still do records retrieval, we predominately provide the services of process service and private investigations. Changing the type of service to coincide with my passions and my personality meant that Record Time was no longer as appropriate as it once was. It meant making an adjustment in the name of the company that was more befitting of the services offered.

Here is where we became somewhat stuck. We already had clients, business cards, a website, stationary, etc.  Changing all of that would have confused existing clients and cost the company money.  It was decided that we would change the name of the company from Record Time Retrieval to Record Time Retrieval & Investigations. As you can see, just from my own experience (or lack thereof) the importance of a company name, especially if you change out your services. We actually lucked out in being able to just lengthen the name.

So think carefully when coming up with a name for your business. If your focus is to be a process serving company that is very professional, then a name like Professional Process might work.  If it is important to have your family name on your “shingle”, then by all means, call it Thompson’s Civil Process.  Just remember, the name says it all, and it gives your company a distinct identity as well as (especially, if it has a recognizable, catchy name) a marketable slant that perhaps gives you an edge over your competition.  Think hard and long on it, and what you want the company to represent because you do not want to go through the contortions my company went through when we changed services, but then struggled with how we wanted to represent that change later on down the road.

Like what you've read? Check out my books; available on Amazon.com "The Business End of Process Service, Running a Process Service Company From the Ground Up". or “CounterSpy”. As always, I appreciate your feedback. 

Process Service Online

Is an online presence really necessary? That depends. Do you have all the clients you want? Do you know that in performing a simple search of the internet for “Texas Process Servers” using Google, one of the primary search engines, there were more than 2,000,000 (that’s two million) results. Not all of those are going to be exclusive of one another, but if you expect to get even a small portion of the business, the need for an online presence is pretty much a given.

So, what do you need for an online presence? For starters consider social media. But I’m a process server, not a techie, you moan. What do I know about social media? Do you have opinions about your industry? Do you have helpful advice to offer? Do you have fun or interesting information to share? Then you can do social media. There are many different avenues for social media; some are geared more toward business than others, so you will need to do some research to figure out which will work best for you, your style and your business.  The most important thing to remember for social media is to be consistent. You don’t have to post something every day. But, whether you post daily, a few times a week or a few times a month, be consistent so that your followers will know when to look for your next helpful, fun, or educational share.

Next, you want to consider the importance of a website for process servers. What do you need in a website? Websites can range from relatively inexpensive and simple, self-produced, generally template based, one page informational, no interaction-type of sites to an expensive, custom-designed multi-page, interactive site with all the bells-and-whistles.   So how do you choose which is right for you?  First let me say, not all template sites are inexpensive, nor are all custom-designed websites expensive; but the wrong type of site without proper SEO (search engine optimization – which helps you to be located in the sea of internet information) can be very costly. The other thing you need regardless of how simple or extensive your website may be is that it is “responsive”.  Responsive means that it can be viewed on any mobile device. If it can’t, you might as well not even have one.

www/rtr-i.com

To begin with, the type of website you select will probably come down to what your budget can afford at the time. Like all business tools, the budget should look at not just the initial cash outlay but cost over time and ROI.  Remember, as your business grows your “tools” can always be updated in line with the growth of your business. Feel free to take a look at my site. www.rtr-i.com.

You may think that the first step to building your website is to purchase a domain name (generally your business name or some variation thereof) aligning with your branding, followed by a hosting service. A hosting service is the business that stores the data for you. In reality, the first steps are to know your target market and then develop a plan as to what message you are trying to convey to that market. Classes are held all the time to help small businesses with website planning and design. Once you know who your target market is and what message you are trying to get across, determine your domain name and then get your hosting service. Now you are ready to begin building a site.

If you are just starting out, a basic website set up by yourself or others might not draw in a lot of work without any “search engine optimization” or all that fancy computer “stuff” (as I call it), but get it started. You won't be found as easily without the optimization, but you will at least be online.  Over time, as your company begins to bring in steady revenue, you can always get the right service to upgrade and enhance the website so that customers can find it whenever they conduct a search on the internet for a process server. What little I do know, as I am not an expert in website design, the best thing one can do is to optimize the website so that search engines can easily pick it up.  This requires the ability to understand “key words” and to be able to know how to submit your website to the various search engines, like Google, Yahoo, etc.  I rely on a website hosting service to handle this for our company.  There are also businesses, who are not hosting companies, who specialize in search engine optimization (SEO).

Another way to draw traffic to the website is to consider exchanging links with other businesses as this is known to draw traffic toward your website.  But first and foremost, get the site up and running at the very least.  Then, if you have the funds, hire a “qualified” web professional who knows how to submit your website to the search engines and knows how to push traffic towards your website.  And what I mean by qualified, in my opinion, is ask someone who already has a website where the website is getting traffic on it.  The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money to have someone set up a website for you and they promise to get the internet traffic to it, too, and then you find out that person or company doesn’t know what they are doing and they are just taking you for a ride on the information superhighway at your expense.  Research the purchase of this tool as you would any vital tool for your business.

If you've read my book “The Business End of Process, Running a Process Service Company From the Ground Up” I'd appreciate a review in the comments below or where it is available on Amazon.com. If you haven't read it yet, it's an easy read with what I consider to be some handy tips for running a process service business.  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.

Marketing Your Process Service Business is a Daily Must

I continually remind myself that getting clients and keeping them is what I must do every day; it’s what keeps the doors of Record Time Retrieval & Investigations open. Should I forget to remind myself, I could receive a not so pleasant sign within a very short period in the form of a drop in business. With that drop comes a decrease in accounts receivable.  Even with a client base like ours that repeats, attorneys’ filing lawsuits, if you fail to give good customer service, face-to-face time and/or excellent service, there is someone else out there who will leaving you out in the cold. There are also things out of your control that shrink a client base -- clients going out of business, moving, retiring and/or (heaven forbid) passing through the pearly gates. So if you want to maintain your process service business you have to market your business. If you want to grow your process service business you have to market your business even more and market it with consistency. Market like a shark swims – constantly – or your business, like the non-swimming shark, may die.

Whether you’ve been in business for decades or you are just starting out, it is important to keep a fresh perspective on how you market your business. What may have worked for you one, five or even ten years ago may not work as well for you in today’s market. And nowhere in time is this more evident than today. And tomorrow. Technology is changing at an unprecedented pace modifying, updating, improving; and did I mention changing? With that comes a change in how your clients locate you and even perceive how you do business.

This is one area you don’t want to be a secret agent. Do you know what your on-line presence looks like? Have you checked lately? If not, you should. What’s being posted online could have a big impact on your traffic, both internet traffic and client traffic. Is all your information current? I maintain a website presence and write a blog. I participate in some of the various social media networks. Social Media networks include Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Google Hangout, Twitter, and more. I’m also listed 30+ times with specific links to Record Time Retrieval & Investigations. In writing this, I noticed a few of those need to have some slight updates. If you don’t have time to do it, consider outsourcing. Just make sure you have a solid online presence.

A strong online presence will help your business to be located. In our business location is a big thing. Local is important. Being listed where you can be easily found is important. Not just on a computer search, but on everything mobile, phones, tablets, notebooks, etc. Where do your clients look for you? That is where you want to be prominently recorded.

Other areas to be found that I’ve suggested in previous blogs include:

1.     Advertise in your local bar association newsletter.

2.     Yellow pages and business pages – particularly online

3.     Business cards – hand them out to all clients and potential clients. In particular, make sure your court clerks have at least two of your cards.

4.     Market to a list of the members of your local bar association.

5.     Associations – be a member; NAPPS, local, state bar associations.

           

The important thing to remember is find out where your clients “hang out” or seek your services and market there. Market consistently and continuously.

Next time – servicing your customer.

If you enjoy reading my posts, please leave me a comment. I always welcome feedback. If you haven’t yet taken a look at my book, check out “The Business End of Process Service: Running a Process Service Company from the Ground Up”. I think you’ll find a lot of helpful information for working on and growing your business. Thanks. 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. 

Creating a Competitive Advantage

On my last blog I discussed setting a pricing strategy to acquire business and make a profit. Pricing, however, is not all inclusive to numbers. If you don’t provide a great service, it won’t matter where you have set your prices, you won’t remain in business.

That being said, I suggest you look at your competition. What are they doing to get and keep business? Look at their prices, response time and any other way that they reach out to and/or treat the clients.

Obviously, pricing is important and must be considered if you’re looking to have a competitive advantage. You don’t want to be the cheapest service, although an inexpensive service is good. Keep in mind that the difference between cheap and inexpensive is a matter of quality provided. And until you are well established, you probably don’t want to be the most expensive service provider.

Some process service companies feel they get the competitive advantage when they offer to not charge anything at all if the paper is not served. I strongly caution against this model as it is a double-edged sword.

Think about your pricing strategy. How will you cover your costs (there will be costs incurred) and just as important, how will you, if you don’t charge just because the papers could not be served?

But, you reply, by offering this bonus, word will get out and I can get a ton of business coming in quickly. That will make up for it and that’s good, right? Wrong!

If you get in too much work too quickly, your quality of service could suffer. But Bob, that’s not a problem; I’ll just hire more servers.

Say you do hire more; will you have the time to properly train them? What happens if they decide to “gutter serve” your papers. Gutter serving is what occurs when your server has said they served the paper, but they may not have. There have been instances where this has been known to happen. The server’s concern being that they will go to the time and expense (gas, parking, etc.) to attempt service and if it’s not served and you don’t charge, they won’t get paid because you’re not getting paid.

Say you decide to pay your server regardless. Did you factor this in with your pricing strategy?

The bottom line is, set a fair price using a pricing strategy that takes into consideration all the expense you will incur and what the marketplace will bear. Don’t be ruled by price alone. Be competitive, but focus on providing a worthwhile service in terms of service and quality and will be able to justify what you charge.

For more tips on running your process service business, check out "The Business End of Process, Running a Process Service Company from the Group Up". It's 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. 

One more note, I just want to thank you for reading my posts. I appreciate your interest and I welcome your feedback.