Sales,and,the,Art,Private,Inve law Sales and the Art of Private Investigation

When you work with an attorney, you will have no problem reducing the risks associated with getting your case in front of a judge and jury, or other formal court, when you need to. However, every case is different. It is important to work wi Bankruptcy is a situation, wherein an individual is termed as unable to discharge all the debts. When a person or a company is not able to pay off its creditors, it has an obligation to file a bankruptcy suit. In fact, a bankruptcy suit is a

Sales and the Art of Private InvestigationBY LEROY E. COOK A high pressure salesman is exemplified by the salesman who sold two milkingmachines to a farmer with only one cow and took the cow in payment for the machines.Sales, like any other powerful tool, can be misused. The necessity of marketing andselling your services though, is acknowledged by anyone in business except theextremely stubborn and the foolish. Being in any business without selling is like trying toclap with one hand. Ironically, some very good private investigators who feel "sales" isbelow their dignity are unwittingly practicing sales daily while doing investigations. Thesame skills and tools are used by sales professionals everyone admires and the highpressure salesmen none of us wants to be identified with. These skills are also used byprofessional private investigators and by slick con artists. Some people seem to havenatural sales and or investigation abilities but, the skills separating the professionals inboth fields from the rest must be studied, learned and practiced. When I went to work with the General Adjustment Bureau many years ago, I was taught,how to read and interpret an insurance policy. Over the next eight years, throughcontinuous courses and on the job training, I learned about taking statements,photography, casualty law, the rules of evidence and many other areas of knowledgethat have served me well. During my 8 1/2 years as an adjuster and manager, I wastaught nothing about sales. Selling was believed to be something done only by theagents. Most people who work in law enforcement are probably also taught manytechnical things and very little about sales. A badge can effectively eliminate the needfor salesmanship. Police officers who develop and use good salesmanship in policework find the transition to private investigation much easier than those who relied solelyon their authority. Only after leaving adjusting with a well earned ulcer and going to work for FieldEnterprises did I learn what I had been missing that had contributed to the ulcer. Duringmy three years with Field Enterprises Education Corporation, I first sold door to door andthen trained and coached others to sell door to door. What an education. After"graduating" from Field Enterprises, I started my own investigation agency and enjoyedeleven years of business success. I attribute my success as a private investigator moreto my sales training than to the technical training I received as an adjuster. Yes, I prospected for potential clients and I gave sales presentations to some of theones I successfully contacted but that isn't the way my sales knowledge helped me mostin the PI business. It made me a more effective investigator. Let's talk about using sales tools in investigation. When you work a case and need tofind a piece of information, you turn over every stone, right? If you don't, what are theclients paying you for? Turning over every stone is another way of describing"prospecting", an essential sales tool. When you make contact with an important witnessor keeper of records, you must gain their cooperation to get the information you need.You must sell yourself or making the contact doesn't do anyone any good.. When youtake a statement, you need the subjects signature on it to prove you didn't make theinformation up. That requires a process called "closing" in the sales world. Whether youuse them while investigating or while getting more work, sales skills are worth learning.Here are a few examples. The next time you need to get into a building past someone standing in the doorway, trywiping your feet as you say: "May I step in?" You might be amazed at the power ofkinesics. The next time you secure a statement from a reluctant witness and need asignature, try leaving the whole bottom line empty and instead of saying: "Sign here."Say: "Which side of the page do you prefer to sign on, the left side or the right?" andhand them the pen with the paper in a comfortable position for them to sign. Manypeople resist following instructions (Sign here!) when they still aren't sure you are both onthe same side and many more have a terrible time making decisions. ("Gee! Should Isign this?") Everyone makes many choices daily so choices are easy and comfortablefor them. (Left side or right?) Handing the pen and positioning the paper is another use ofkinesics. One of the toughest sales tools to master, either while selling or investigating, is theproper and effective handling of objections. We recently conducted a marketingprogram offering a free book to potential clients of investigators. When a book wasrequested we gave local ION members the opportunity to deliver the book. Deliveringthe book was meant to be a door opener for the investigators to meet and hopefully sellthemselves to possible clients. As with getting the order for a referred investigation,some of our members succeeded in meeting with and establishing rapport with most ofthe leads provided. Others complained that none, or very few of the clients contactedabout the book were willing to meet with them. A good salesman knows the sale beginswhen the prospect says no. To sell something, even yourself, to someone who acceptswhat you offer with no hesitation does not require a salesperson. Easy sales onlyrequire order takers and clerks. You won't find many millionaire or CEO former ordertakers or clerks but there are countless millionaire and CEO former salespeople. Have you ever had someone call about possibly doing an investigation and they talk alot but never turn into a client ? Whatever their reason was for not going ahead withworking the case is known is sales as an objection. Maybe it was your price or what yousaid or failed to say but, usually it is their inability to make a decision. In many suchcases, offering them a choice instead of leaving the decision up to them would havebeen a service to them. It would have eased their stress by helping them decisively dealwith one more thing in their life and for you, it would have made the difference betweenan almost case and money in the bank for you. Most people, even attorneys and SIUdirectors sometimes need help making decisions to do things they know they should do.Making decisions involves risk whereas doing nothing seems more safe. Inertia on thepart of potential clients costs private investigators who refuse to accept the need to sellthemselves, more than 25% of what their incomes could otherwise be. Our "cancellationrate" statistics from 20,000 referrals demonstrate the difference between PI's who knowhow to close a sale and those who don't. Here is a sample choice question to try afterdiscussing the potential case. "Shall we start on that this week or next?" No one should sell people things or services they don't need. The main differencebetween a professional salesperson and a high pressure salesman is their sensitivity tothe interests of others. The high pressure salesman I described at the beginning of thisarticle didn't care about the farmers situation. Con artists who call themselves privateinvestigators don't care about the problems of their mark. The goal is not to turn privateinvestigators into high pressure salespeople or con artists. Professional privateinvestigators care about people and enjoy helping solve their problems. Learningprofessional sales skills however, will make you a better investigator and a moresuccessful and affluent businessperson. If you would like ideas on how to get salestraining and/or skills, send me a note online to [email protected].. Published in PI Magazine - Fall 1998 Copyright © 2000 by ION Incorporated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED