A Guide to Business Organization Flexible_5

Marketing Your Business 87 ed to rebrand my company image and redesign my website. I was on a short vacation with my family and had plenty of time to just search around for the right company. When I started looking for a good web-site developer, I found literally thousands of people who did website design. Many of them were very good. Many of them were excep-tionally good. It was a daunting task for me to try to find someone who understood the nuances of my business and what I wanted to portray. I did not want this to be any old website; I already had one. I did not want an average website; I already had one. I wanted something that stood out above the rest. When I really got to looking around and call-ing different designers, I started running into problems. I recall calling one web designer who really had a nice-looking portfolio, and I asked him about the content information that would be displayed, the mes-sage that would be displayed. This response was “you tell me what you want the content to be and I will put it there.” This is when it hit me. I did not need a website designer. What I needed was a “content designer.” I needed someone who would take my message and get it across to the reader. Although I know some people will argue with me when I say that there are a million great web designers out there but very few quality content designers. This is what I needed. I called and I called and I called, but I did not have very much luck finding some-one who even understood the concept of content design. I finally found one and I am so happy that I did. This lady has been a godsend to me. She is is so ingrained in my business that we talk several days a week, and I almost want to say on a daily basis. We have expanded our relationship to where we are writing coaches for each other. We share some of the funny stories that we run across, and we share ideas. This is precisely what they mean when they say that you immerse yourself with your client. She certainly has with me, and I refer busi-ness to her because I know what she has done for me. She is not cheap, and I do not expect her to be. I am not looking for cheap. I am look-ing for quality. This is what I do. This is my livelihood, and I want to portray the best image I possibly can. Once we started on the project, we found there was a great deal that needed to be done. Not only was it neces-sary for me to redesign the content of my website, but we also both felt that a complete rebranding with a new identity for my business and my website was in order. We started on October 2008 and the new 88 Basic Private Investigation website was launched in December 2008. It is still an ongoing process, however. We are always adding new things as my business evolves, and I gain new testimonials that I now actively seek from clients. I used to hope they would send one. Now, I ask for one. I know some people will say they cannot afford to spend the money. I am telling you that you cannot afford not to spend the money. Suck it up and get on with it. It takes money to make money and rather than sit there and whine about not drawing any customers I chose to take charge of my future. I have never regretted a minute of the entire pro-ject. It absolutely, positively has made a difference, and some of the things that we are doing have put me out ahead of the competition. Now, my competition emulates what I do rather than being in front of me. I honestly do not mind their following in my footsteps; that sim-ply means I am out in front of them. I use that same thought process in writing this chapter. Many of my counterparts hesitate to give up this kind of information and speak bluntly about what they have done to increase their business, but I feel differently. I prefer to see private investigators being thought of as professionals. Professionals take care of each other. By testing concepts, failing on some, and trying harder on those that we can win we have an opportunity to meet and possi-bly even exceed our goals. I am always looking for more, and I will always look for more, but that takes work and if you are willing to put out the work and the time then you can achieve it. Diana As Michael said, content and the organization of the content are critical to achieve results from your website. You also need a call to action, ease to the end user, and pathways to get them to where you want them to go. Web designers do what they say they do: they design websites. Design is important. Design without content, however, equals nothing. Web designers rely on you to provide the content. You are an investigator, however, not a marketing person. It behooves you to hire someone to handle your website from start to finish, someone who has a marketing background and who knows your market. As Michael says, you get what you pay for, and having quality material will bring business in your door. You have three seconds to capture a prospect’s attention and get them to stay on your site. To do this, you have to be able to wow him or her and speak to their need. Does your website do Marketing Your Business 89 this? If not, it is not doing you any good. Your business is your liveli-hood, and you need to invest in those things that will foster growth and bring in revenue. Michael As you might detect, I have finally gotten it through my head that in order to be successful you have to build and present a proper busi-ness image of yourself and your business—business image that is a pos-itive perception of you and your company—to your market. Without it you are just another average investigator trying to make a living. People should perceive you as a professional sought after for your experience and expertise. You need to do all you can to ensure they have a true perception of the value you bring to them. Diana The Better Business Bureau says that “Image can mean everything. Having a strong corporate image cannot be overemphasized.” Business image is the public’s perception of an organization, whe-ther that perception is intended or not. A good business image does not just happen; it needs to be cultivated and managed. You must play to your strengths and manage your weaknesses. The more you pay attention to your business image, the less you have to convince people to do business with you. They will want to do business with you be-cause they can trust you. To be seen as a professional and be a leader in your industry, you must break the old stereotype that television created. Your success is counting on this. How others perceive you and your agency will determine • Your level of success • Your credibility • If people will do business with you • If people will continue to do business with you • If people will refer others to you The benefits of achieving a professional and consistent business image are as follows: 90 Basic Private Investigation • Increase in ideal clients • Client retention • Abundance of referrals • Reduced marketing cost • Reduced marketing and sales effort • Reduced marketing and sales time • Increased profitability • Employee retention • Market confidence • Cutting edge in the market place • One solid and consistent marketing message • Credibility and longevity in the marketplace Do not leave the future of your business to chance. Take time to work on your business and not just in your business. Do not let your business lose its edge. Invest in your business, and it will provide your financial future. Remember you need to be a business owner first, investigator sec-ond. You are a business person who provides investigative services, not an investigator who happens to be in business. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the employment of private detectives and investigators is expected to grow 18 percent over the decade of 2006 to 2016, and keen competi-tion is expected. These statistics are proof of survival of the fittest. Only 80 percent of new businesses survive the first two years. One in twenty-five busi-nesses survive ten years or more. Each person’s destiny is what he or she makes it. Do the work. Become a business owner first, investigator second and create your destiny. Michael I have changed my attitude since I started on my own. Clients do not care and do not want to know how many schools you have been to, what your education is, how many years you have been a cop, how many cases you have handled. They want to know what you can do for them. They want to know that they are getting value by hiring you. They want to know you will do the right thing and that is in the results. Chapter 7 DEVELOPING A NICHE BUSINESS JAMES P. CARINO urvival as a private investigator in the coming years may well depend on one’s ability to adapt to the impact of legislation and consumer demands. Post 9/11 was by all accounts to usher in an era of new business opportunities for the security and investigation profes-sional, and it has, but not generally for the entrepreneur private inves- tigator operating as a sole proprietor or small business person. At the turn of the new millennium the private investigator already had to cope with the negative impact on the so-called Vail letter, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) policy that made it mandatory to obtain prior approval from the subject or an employed person to investigate the allegation of which he or she is suspected if the out-come could put his job in jeopardy. The requirement also involved giving the subject an unredacted copy of the investigative report. The restriction fortunately was overturned in 2004 with a revision to the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA). Additionally, many businesses divert-ed dollars previously allocated for company investigations to ensure that Y2K (the generally accepted term to describe January 1, 2000) did not cause computer crashes nationwide and worldwide. The mild recession earlier in the twenty-first century also had a negative impact on many regarding billable time. As a result, many investigators are not in a strong business position to cope with the economy that set in before the end of the first decade of this new century. The plight of the small business private investigator actually, in my professional judgment, started in the early 1970s with new stronger 91 ... - tailieumienphi.vn