Am I the only one that does not have an "A" button on my computer? I have looked on the keyboard, monitor and hard drive I can not find that darn thing anywhere. Nobody will tell me where it is.
You know the one I am talking about, right? No, not the one between the Caps Lock and "S" key.
Let me explain. You can go up to some people and tell them that you are a skip tracer. If you are like me you then have to explain exactly what that means. You tell them that you use the telephone and computer to locate people that owe money. The usual response I get at this point is, "yeah, you can get on the Internet and hit "A" button and- poof! - you can find anybody." Sound familiar?
Is it really that easy? If so, I have been doing it the hard way for years. Or, is it just some people think they know how to do our job better than we do? I like to refer to this group of people as "they".
I think that there are a few things that "they" do not understand. "They" don't realize that we have only 4 tools- the telephone, the computer, our minds and each other. We then take these tools and use them in various combinations much like a surgeon to dissect mountains of information until we find our debtor.
"They" don't understand the multitude of laws such as the FDCPA, FCRA, GLB and others that guide our searches because of the fear of what we could do with this gained knowledge.
"They" do not understand that we can take social security number and just by looking at it we can determine that any SSN that begins with 000 or ends with 0000 is not real, or that the first three numbers indicate the state that it was issued in. We also know that previous to 1972 SSN's were issued when the individual got their first job, after 1972 the SSN was issued at birth. Should we tell them that until recently SSN's were issued in numeric sequence starting in the New England states then going down the east coast, then the mid west and finally the west coast. Only now additional numbers are being added to the list.
We also know that if the debtor has hunting or fishing license that document is a public record. We can obtain address and phone information from it. And when it comes to public records there is a ton of information that we can obtain. These include, UCC, if the debtor has a Lien, or if the debtor is a Notary, or if the debtor is deceased or if the debtor has been sued, divorced or won a judgment.
"They" do not understand that if we have a debtors name that we can go to www.bop.gov and determine if that debtor is or was in a federal prison. Should we tell them that if we have a possible name, address or telephone number that we can go to www.argali.com or www.pretrieve.com and find all kinds of useful information? "They" didn't know that with just a possible address we can go to www.netronline.com and find out who owns that property such as the debtor or their landlord.
Do "they" know that if we go to the Secretary of State Page for any state we can determine who owns a corporation, who the officers are and possible even see documents filed by the corporation. I am sure that "they" are unaware of the fact that we can go to www.vinelink.com or www.publicrecords.com and find almost every public record available about the debtor so that we can lead our investigation in various directions.
There are so many more things that we do that "they" do not understand. But, let them think what "they" want. We know the truth. We know our benefit to the overall corporate process. We know that if we were not able to do our jobs that prices would have to go up due to the loss for the inability to collect from those you can't find.
It is time that we bring our resources, experience and skills together creating a place to exchange techniques and updates so that WE can control the future of our industry.
It is time that "they" know just how valuable we are. "We" are interested in your thoughts.
As always, happy hunting.
Ron Cooper
ACCURATE INTELL
http://www.accurateintell.com
PO Box 30485
Greenville, NC 27833
(252)375-0262
Do you spend every waking minute in your business? Do... Read More
What is a Virtual Assistant?? A Virtual Assistant is that... Read More
One thing I have noticed in my travels to different... Read More
When it comes to cost, how much can you afford... Read More
Many small business startups fail within the first 2 years... Read More
Q: After years of dreaming about starting my own business,... Read More
Where do you find more customers?How do you compete with... Read More
My 16 year-old daughter said, "Gee Dad! You look just... Read More
One of the biggest fears people have about starting a... Read More
Auto Detailing: Maintaining A Commercial Carpet ExtractorYou should drain your... Read More
(Although this article is geared towards small business owners, the... Read More
In today's economic climate, the first priority for the small... Read More
Writing a business plan for your Solo Entrepreneur business doesn't... Read More
There are countless ways to save your business money. Unfortunately,... Read More
Cash flow. To stay in business, you've got to keep... Read More
Time. As a small business owner, it's the commodity you... Read More
What types of companies do you want to align yourself... Read More
How to do itPeople skim through newspapers and magazines and... Read More
KEEPING INTEREST HIGH: Supervision is key to the success of... Read More
Most of us remember going to at least one garage... Read More
What is the best time to expand a mobile car... Read More
That's right ? are you making enough mistakes in your... Read More
Do you need grant funding for your nonprofit organization? If... Read More
Contrary to popular belief, small businesses can survive a crazy... Read More
How do you find the best business partners?Finding a good... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..On June 8, 2004, the world witnessed what no one... Read More
Over the years I heard the best way to learn... Read More
Success is the desire of everyman on the face of... Read More
This is the tale of two business plans with very... Read More
Ongoing support for a franchise system is omnipotent. A major... Read More
Washing the exterior of a truck. Sounds easy right? Well,... Read More
Buyers want both online and local information about where to... Read More
Here is an interesting case study of a company, which... Read More
The choice to incorporate a small business in Florida has... Read More
Everyone wants to succeed in life. Most people want to... Read More
A Mattress Cleaning Business might be just for you if... Read More
Aircraft Interiors of personal and corporate jets have hundreds of... Read More
Microfiber cleaning towels have been around for about ten years... Read More
Many mobile car wash operators would like to add de-ionized... Read More
When does your ego get in the way?Let's go back... Read More
One of the most common issues that comes up for... Read More
Is it right for you?If you decide to advertise your... Read More
Most businesses accept checks as form of payment for goods... Read More
It's obvious when a small business has accepted the fact... Read More
First you have to start with knowing your budget and... Read More
Many new ventures are preoccupied with all the money they... Read More
Start thinking about buying an established business if you want... Read More
Looking for ways to boost your cash flow? As a... Read More
The book, "Become the Squeaky Wheel," by New Hampshire author... Read More
Starting a business? For many people, the bravery to venture... Read More
Small Business |