Anyone know Private Investigation Marketing?
Im a young private investigator looking to go into business for myself...I'm looking for suggestions on marketing Insurance companies.. Auto Liability and Workers Comp claims.
Answers:
Hello,
I'm sure you already have some of the prerequisites - such as a license and some experience in this field.
You will also need to carry your own insurance, to the tune of $3MM in coverage and you'll have to provide a copy of that binder prior to getting any insurance work.
The insurance claim industry is a huge market - and as such, is the most competitive arena of investigations. Just as you will be marketing to these companies, you can expect that there will be a dozen more companies, including companies with Nationwide coverage marketing to the same clients you market to.
Insurance companies usually pay the lowest rates, since the arena so competitive. They know they can always find someone to work at the minimum rate.
You will need to make friends with adjusters. You will have to wine and dine them, play golf with them, and stay "in their face" as much as you can, with letters, newsletters, etc.
Adjusters have a high rate of turn-over, so you might spend 6 months courting an adjuster only to have them leave and be replaced by someone who already has a relationship with an investigator. This means you are now out in the cold after your hard work.
Insurance companies are like any other company in the United Staets, they look to consolidate and conserve costs. To that end, the larger nationwide investigative compannies have an advantage over you in that they can handle multiple cases, and deploy multiple agents in multiple locations all over the US at the same time.
You just won't be able to provide that level of service starting out.
These are some of the harsh realities of doing insurance work.
Having said that, you can rest assured that not every adjuster or claims agent is happy with the level of service they are getting from their current vendor.
If you can hit this person at the right time with your message you just might be lucky.
Beware of being a clone of what other companies are offering - try to make yourself stand out from the crowd. The following book is a good place to get started - you might find it used on half.com:
http://www.davekahle.com/higherprices.ht...
Steve Mallon is a private investigator who specialises in marketing to insurance agencies. His books are usually full of good stuff if you're a newcomer:
http://www.pimall.com/nais/bk.pcd.html...
Don't forget that attorneys will use you also. We don't market to insurance agencies, but rather to the defense attorneys. The work is less consistent, but attorneys will understand that "you get what you pay for" and are willing to spend extra to get good service.
You should also attend any Claims Associations meetings in your area/state. There's usually a monthly luncheon where you can meet/greet etc.
You should also see if there's a self-insured group in your state - this is an association of companies who are self insured. They have the same needs as insurance companies in this regard.
Good luck!