Author:  The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States. 
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"I lost 80% of my process service clients...", John is telling us his story in a phone call. ​

​"I drive around every day, leaving cards at law firm offices, wasting gas and all, and then nothing, absolutely nothing! I don't hear back from them! What am I doing wrong?"    Frantic calls like this one are an almost daily routine at the Process Server Center. There are many process servers like John who have lost a large percentage of their process service clients and they all need help. We tell John that he is not doing anything wrong. But there is a huge difference between not doing anything wrong and not doing the right thing to help your process service business, particularly during hard times.
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Process servers belong to the service providers industry that has been hit particularly hard by the current pandemic. According to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, conducted in August 2020, 21% of business owners say they will permanently shut down if the economy does not improve within the next six months.

As a process service professional, you servers need to acquire multiple revenue streams to weaken the financial risk, given today’s economy. It is also critical to operate with the right mindset about one’s work. You are the absolute proprietor of your own labor, and particularly during these hard times, it is important that you see yourself as the owner of your own professional process service firm. Your name, reputation and brand are inseparably tied to your process service quality and professionalism. As the CEO of Process Server, Inc., the following are four quick, yet effective ways process servers may use in order to acquire new clients:

1. Connect to a hidden job market
Many process servers regularly mail out, email or drop off business cards and brochures to paralegals, attorneys and other legal professional. Unfortunately, this marketing approach rarely works. Process servers who randomly send introduction letters are at a huge disadvantage. Small and particularly large law firms are also going through the current difficult times, many working remotely or with limited resources. Lawyers and paralegals struggle to find time to review the cards and brochures process servers send them, and instead opt to merely discard the majority of the all-too-popular time-wasters in a digital (or literal) trash can.

A better approach for process servers is to tap into undisclosed opportunities by instead speaking with social-media contacts, business associates, friends, family members and people who are already in your existing personal and professional circles. Networking is a powerful tool for finding new business opportunities or expanding your current process service customers.

In addition to law firms who do not have a process server and are actively searching for one, the majority of process servers clients actually come from customers who are not satisfied with the quality their current process servers provide.  Unlike the open and active customers who sometimes even advertise openings for process servers, the hidden ones represent a much larger approach in acquiring a new process server. In fact, a LinkedIn poll from the end of 2020 found that unposted or hidden opportunities represent 75% of all new service industry opportunities. Leveraging this hidden market through networking makes it more likely you will find new customers for your process service business.

2. Touch base with past clients
If you are like most small process service businesses, the bulk of your revenue comes from a few clients while the rest only provide infrequent work or one-off projects. The 80/20 rule says that 80% of the effects (i.e., revenue) come from 20% of causes (customers). Because of this, there is a natural temptation among process servers to ignore past clients who did not previously provide consistent cash flow. However, times and circumstances change. Remember, decision-makers are also routinely replaced and hidden opportunities to grow your process service business are abundant if you know how to hustle for them.

There is a popular saying in marketing that goes like this: “The money is in the list.” That is an email list.

Do some digging in your inbox or process server software and create a mailing list that allows you to touch base with former clients and associates. Remind them of who you are and what services you offer. It only takes one or two resurrected accounts — in addition to current clients, of course — to create a new pipeline of work that will keep you busy year-round. When reaching out, personalize your email and show what you have done for similar clients in the past. Focus on what differentiates you from other local process servers: consistency in quality, excellent turn around time, additional education, industry designations like PROServer. Since former customers have paid you once, assuming they had a positive experience, they will be more likely to pay you for your services again. Slowly but surely, some of your past clients will come back or remember your process service business when an associate asks them for a referral.
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3. Fight for strategic accounts
As a process server, it is a good idea to separate regular clients from potential high-value clients, like large law firms,  government agencies and nationwide process service management companies. High-value targets are ones that make you very profitable, have a large volume of process service and if they are the right one, then they are also easy to work with.

In contrast, struggling process service solopreneurs work with low-margin accounts which often supply more in the way of migraines than actual revenue. Bad customers imprison service professionals in a cycle of service-to-service dependency, as they are unable to devote enough time to landing more lucrative accounts.
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​4. Stay connected with decision-makers
In many cases, it is a matter of timing. You may have a shot at landing a lucrative large law firm client but just not right now. Paralegals with whom you have built a relationship routinely go on maternity (or paternity) leave or vacations, attend weddings or come down with an untimely illness — any number of things, really. By constantly networking with decision-makers, you can be first in line when decision makers change. A hidden opportunity to grab this new large process service client may just be around the corner.
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With social media, connecting with decision-makers is more convenient than ever. As a process server, it is never a bad idea to become well-acquainted with popular networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, which allow users to connect with high-value prospects, as well as join relevant industry groups like the exclusive PROServer List. LinkedIn is the top choice of social media platform for legal professionals of all sizes, large or small. Join LinkedIn as a process server and also join process server groups, like the PROServer Center. Or join process servers Facebook community groups, like PROServer Center. But don't just join and browse and waste your valuable time as a process server solopreneur. Make your voice be heard, be an active participant and provide regular value. The more fellow entrepreneurs, paralegals, lawyers, managers within your industry view your profile and the expertise you readily share as a process server, the greater the chance you will be considered as their preferred process server. And isn't that the ultimate goal of most process servers, all of whom are chasing a limited number of clients. 

Yes, putting in the effort to be top-of-mind can seem daunting, but not everything you do has to have an immediate return. Being predominant with legal industry decision-makers can lead to securing a contract or landing that large new law firm as a client when a business or online acquaintance is suddenly in need of the process service you offer, even if your relationship may not seem very strong at the time.

Will each of the above methods immediately lead to a constant influx of new, exciting work for all process servers? If that is your expectation, prepare for a letdown. What is more likely to happen, instead, is that one or two of the people you have networked with will at least give you a shot and choose you as their preferred process server. From there, it is your job to keep your new client satisfied. Really satisfied! Fortunately, your growing process service business bank balance will be proof of the right, targeted effort!

Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, is an expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.
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Is it possible to start a process service business with no money? It is not easy, but for certain type of businesses like process service, the answer is yes, and here is how it is done.

​Process service is one of these service businesses where in most cases,  you spend money only when you make money. What it means is that if you have organized your business frugally (you have not rented an outside office and have not hired an office assistant before you have even served one process), then you spend money only when a client hires you to deliver legal documents. The "secret" to launching your process service business with little or no money is to get creative and be determined. Contrary to the cliché, it does not always "take money to make money." There are plenty of process service business owners who started their businesses with little or no cash.

Here are 11 strategies that work to start a process service business without capital:
1. Recognize and Use the Assets You Have as a Process Server
If you are reading this article, chances are you have little or no cash to invest in a business. But you do have assets and abilities that you can use to get a process service business started. Most likely you already have skills and knowledge that would help you launch your process service business. Perhaps you are a retired law enforcement officer,  a former military, have worked as a courier or even a delivery guy. Many skills you  have developed while working other jobs could be applied and used as assets when starting your process service business.  Using those skills and assets  - in other words, using what you already have – is the key to getting your process service business started when you have little or no money.  

Begin by making a list of things you already know how to do, are good at doing and like doing that are related to process service. Do not limit this initial list. List even the simplest tasks like delivering pizza or mail, as well as more difficult or skilled things like analyzing financial data or creating software. 

Next, think about the physical things and money you do have that could be used in your process service business. For instance, if you are reading this page on a computer or a mobile device that you own, you already have a piece of equipment that you can use to get your process service business started. You can use your word processor (or other software if you have it) to keep track of your services or prepare affidavits of service or even write up promotional materials and distribute them by email to paralegals or attorneys who want information about your services. If you have an inkjet or laser printer, you can print some of your initial promotional materials in very small quantities. Once you know what works and want to print, say 100 copies, it may be cheaper to have a local UPS or Staples or an online printer run them off for you.  Your smartphone can be used to create snapshots or videos to publicize your process service business to people you know on Instagram or other social media platforms.  And if you own a reliable vehicle, then you already have one of the most important physical assets to launch your process service business, particularly if you do not live in a metropolitan area with regular and reliable public transportation.

2. Make Money by Saving Time While Launching Your Process Service Startup
To increase your chances of success with your business, consider getting proper process server training through online or in-person programs. Your investment in such programs ensures that you have the right skills and knowledge to serve legal documents in the most efficient way and cut time spent per service. Why do things the hard way, particularly if you have little or no money to invest in your process service business?  Wasting time while attempting to serve a respondent or getting affidavits ready translates into wasting money. The better equipped you are, the more efficient you become and the more money you will make as a process server. Learning and acquiring process service know-how teaches you to pay attention and minimize spending. It also helps you keep business costs down once you get your process service business going.

3. Work as a Process Server from Home
Many process servers complain that they are struggling to make ends meet, even though they have clients and they regularly serve legal documents. While the reasons behind this could be many, one key expense may be pulling you down and preventing you from seeing that profit. Renting office or retail space for your process service business is expensive and most times unnecessary. It is something you may want or need to do once you grow the business in the future and have solid savings in your business account. But when you are just starting out as a process server, find a way to work from home. If you work from home as a process server, your business will not need money for rent, utilities, and office furniture.

4. Conserve Your Cash as a Process Server
Yes, a faster computer might be nice. Or a new desk, a better camera, an expensive software package or cloud service. But make do with what you have and look for the lowest cost options for anything you need to acquire until you start bringing in paying customers for your process service business.  Conserve cash by organizing your day better and being more efficient when setting your routine. Most legal documents need service attempts during the day if the address given is a business, or early in the morning or later in the evening if the address is a residence. In addition to making attempts to deliver the documents, process servers also need to dedicate time to prepare affidavits, to update their clients on the status of the services, to market themselves and in general, to run their business. Many process servers start making attempts early in the morning and work on their office work in the evenings. Such repetitive routine leads to deadlines being missed, affidavits and invoices being delayed, and ultimately leads to poor business outcomes. Instead, consider alternating your daily routine, where you work on your office and business duties in the morning, then begin attempts toward service at noon. Follow that with attempts early in the morning and office work in the afternoon the next day.  Alternating your daily routine increases your due diligence toward service, maximizes your chances to catch a respondent home while it ensures that your office, marketing and business duties will not be neglected.

5. Use Free and Low-Cost Marketing Techniques
There are dozens of free and low-cost ways to market your process service business. Learn them and implement them before you start spending money on paid advertising via Google or any other search engines. Using free promotional strategies at first will help you gauge your marketing goals better, and it will help you start to understand what attracts or what motivates your customers to try your process services. Consider joining state and nationwide process service organizations and directories like PROServer list where competition for your local area is low due to its exclusivity which allows only three process servers to be included in each county served.

6. Do All the Process Service Work Yourself at First
Rely on your own sweat equity to start a process service business with no money. Expect long days and the need to learn how to do things you have not done before, such as marketing, selling, accounting or even building a website. You can learn how to do some of these tasks for free by searching the web or YouTube for “How to…” followed by the skill you need help with. Consider serving all legal documents yourself and hold off on hiring another process server until you have a good amount saved in your business account. Doing all these tasks yourself at first saves you money and will also help you understand what type of skills each activity requires when the business is making enough profit to hire office or process service help. 


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​7. Start Simple
Your dream might include a pretty big process service business offering a wide variety of products and services and serving large-volume accounts, but for now, keep it simple. Focus on serving process and take excellent care of each and every client who trusts you with their legal documents. Build your customer base and later branch out into other products and services. One of the most expensive parts of running a process service business is acquiring customers. If you gain their trust with one service now, selling another one or attracting a new customer will become much easy.

8. Work for Somebody Else
Although they may not admit it, most process service business owners became entrepreneurs thinking they knew more than what they did. In fact, many process servers fail because the person was ill-equipped to build a successful business. Before you start your own process service business, make sure to complete what we call the 2 Factor Success Tools: know-how and field training. Know-how training builds your skills and knowledge necessary to build an efficient and successful process service business. Field training involves practical training of your know-how skills while attempting to serve legal documents. Working for someone else allows you to practice your process service skills while continuing to learn from other process servers' past experience. As a process server working for an agency, you will also gain insider knowledge of the industry that is valuable to the success of your own process service business.

9. Use Free Services
The Internet is full of high quality services you can use for free while launching and growing your process service business. Mailchimp is a powerful e-mail marketing platform that is free for the first 2,000 e-mail addresses. Wufoo allows you to make online forms, and although Facebook and other social media platforms will not put your ad in front of large amounts of people unless you pay, you can still gain some traction by telling people about your process service business or by joining Facebook groups and communities. There are also freelance platforms like Fiverr, Elance, and Upwork that have quality freelancers willing to help with logo and web design, and another service for cheap. You could get a logo made for $5! 

10. Hustle!
Finally, go into your process service business endeavor with a hustling mindset. Be ready to do anything legal and ethical to get your business off the ground. Do not like cold calling? Do it anyway! Not a graphic designer? You can find templates online for just about anything. Do not want to do any free work? It might be worth it to get your name out there. If you do not have the money to pay for services, you have to do them yourself or find somebody who can and will do it for free.
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Do not let a lack of funds discourage you from starting your process service business. You may have to work harder than someone with more financial resources, and it may take longer. But resourcefulness, creativity, hustle, and determination are often better predictors of success than money!
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Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, is an expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.
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​One of the top questions process servers ask is how to get new clients and grow their process service business. It is also one of the major challenges both new and experienced process servers face. 
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As a business, process service is a low-margin business, where service fees are usually set very close to the price or expense necessary to complete the actual process service. In order to stay profitable and be successful in the long run, process service businesses must sell a greater number of service of process, i.e. deliver more legal documents. To achieve that great number of services, process servers must attract a great number of clients with single or small volume of services or a smaller number of clients with a high volume of legal documents to be served. ​

Attracting and retaining clients is a constant effort for process servers in the United States. In addition to fulfilling their main duties to deliver legal documents, to locate defendants, to complete and file affidavits on time, to manage the administrative and financial side of their businesses, process servers must exercise regular effort to attract new clients. In today's world of technological advances, many process servers turn to email in order to market their services to potential paralegals, attorneys and law firms. Understanding their clients and being able to offer them the kind of process service they seek is key to whether a client actually responds and engages back when a process server initiates contact via email. Being persuasive over email is very important to whether a process server actually lands enough clients in order to boost the profitability of his/her process service business.
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In general, most people have mixed feelings about email. On one hand, email allows us to instantly communicate with people much more efficiently. On the other, email can be incredibly overwhelming. One recent study, for example, found that the average U.S. worker spends nearly six hours each day checking their email!

The fact that email is a text-based form of communication is both its biggest asset and its greatest drawback. Unlike having a face-to-face conversation with an in-person human being, email is a blank slate. Though we can get our words across, it is harder to convey our tone of voice and the nonverbal cues that are a critical component of constructive communication. This makes email a very efficient communications tool for process servers, but also one that leaves a minefield of potential miscommunications and lost opportunities.

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In business, most emails are a form of negotiation. When process servers send emails to potential clients, they are asking these clients to read their message and respond in a certain way or take a certain action within a specific time frame. The result process servers are hoping to achieve is to convince these potential clients to try their services and ultimately become their go-to process server. 

To help you get better results when using email as a tool to attract new clients for your process service business, here are six tips that can help you be more persuasive:

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1. Know the Best Ways to Use Email
​When it comes to attracting clients, your goal should always be to get them to speak to you in person or, in the COVID-19 era, at least over the phone or on Zoom. That said, process servers can use email to support and amplify verbal communications efforts by:

• Summarizing conversations and noting confirmations. "Thanks for your time earlier. Here’s what we talked about."

• Following up. " Let’s circle back in two weeks to follow up on these points."

• Obtaining information.  "Am I incorrect in assuming that we’ve agreed to work together?"

2. Do You See What They See?
Before you hit the reply button, take a moment to think about the person who is going to be reading your message and what you know about them. Is this person a paralegal who is under much pressure from his/her attorneys? Or is it a solo lawyer who hardly has time to take care of his/her clients? What’s happened to them in the past week? What factors might be affecting their mood? Is it impossible for them to be mad about something else while they are reading your email?

If you have encountered this person before as a process server, you probably have an idea of their preferred communication style and a rough sense of their daily routine. Use this knowledge to form your communication strategy and try to add some personal relevance to your email in order to connect on a deeper level. 

If you do not have a history to draw from, use what limited information you have to conduct a Downplay ™ to address the negatives the other side might be harboring. Then use Actionable Empathy™  throughout your message to make sure they know you see things from their perspective.   ​

3. Keep It Short
​When you are trying to attract new clients for your process service business and you approach them via email for the first time, think of email as playing a virtual game of chess. Would you lay out your next seven moves for your opponent on your first turn? 

When you do not have a live audience to answer or interject, it is easy to get carried away and forget about the back-and-forth nature of communication required to build trust-based influence. The paralegal or attorney you are trying to entice to try your process service do not know you, your experience or background. Limit the information you share and incorporate questions, as they invite your potential process service clients to reply back. To keep your cadence and expectations reasonable, limit yourself to two questions per email. If you are sending a 2,200-word email filled with 17 new concepts and eight questions, do not be surprised if the clients you are trying to engage for your process service business never respond.

4. Consider Timing
Every form of communication comes with its own invisible clock. Waiting a couple of hours or even days to respond to an email is perfectly reasonable, less so for texting, and ridiculous to even fathom for in-person conversations. These unspoken rules are helpful to keep in mind when you are trying to grow your process service business for a couple of reasons.

First, remember that you do not have to respond to an email immediately. If you receive a message that makes your blood boil, resist the urge to respond on impulse. Wait until your emotions settle down and you are once again governed by logic.

Second, remember that these social expectations are not guarantees. Everyone has their own timing expectations and set of priorities. 

To make sure you and your potential clients remain loyal to the same timeline, and interpret words, like urgent and delayed the same way, use Responsive Questions™ that address how and when you are going to connect again. For example, when you are preparing a message for a new process service client, ask them, "What’s the best time to follow up? Is Friday too late? Is the end of the month good after your deadline?"

By asking these kinds of questions, you will foster buy-in and increase the chances the other side follows through on their word.

5. Use Email Softeners
Here is a little-known trade secret that will ensure your emails are not received in a hostile or aggressive tone. Write your email and make sure you consider all of the tips offered in this article. Then go back and add email softeners like "I’m sorry" and "I’m afraid",  wherever they fit. Your process service clients will never read the tone of the email the way you would like them to. Give your email a friendly and welcoming nature by taking the time to add in specific words and punctuation that support this effort. Lacking these crucial elements means your emails will have a cold tenor at best and, far too often, they will even have a harsh tone that will work against you. For positive or even neutral emails, exclamation points are great way to express energy. Sentences that end in a period will likely be received as flat and cold, even when the tone you heard in your head was upbeat.
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6. Do Not Underestimate Subject Lines and Sign-Offs
Most people see subject lines and sign-offs as throwaway parts of an email rather than vital pieces of digital real estate. When you are composing messages and hoping to attract more clients for your process service business, think about a subject line as your first impression and your first chance to win your client’s attention. 

When people open their inbox, they scan subject lines and mentally prioritize their emails before figuring out which messages to click. If you are using email as a mechanism to spark a quick decision or ignite a conversation after a period of silence, no-oriented questions can make effective subject lines. They warrant a response to set the record straight.

"Have we missed our opportunity?"
"Is it too late to sit down at the table? "

If subject lines are first impressions to attract paralegals and attorneys for your process service business, sign-offs are your last opportunity to communicate tone and intent. Well-executed sign-offs can ensure your message carries the intended weight of your email. Instead of using a standard sign-off, label how you would like to be perceived. Simply signing an email with phrases like "Very humbly" and "With all sincerity" may help you drive home your intention and earn you the benefit of the doubt.

Process service seems an easy business to run. Yet similar to any other small business there are many parts that need your attention constantly, and building and maintaining your client base is a very important part of your success. Learning how to properly craft messages to attract new clients and how to organize your email messages is crucial to how your potential clients respond to your messages and whether they accept your invitation to try serving legal documents with your process service business.

Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, is an expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.
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Can a perfectly executed service of legal documents, known as process, go wrong?
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Mary, a paralegal from ABC Law firm in Texas, retained John, a process server in the state of New York, to serve a set of legal documents on a defendant (all names in this story are fictitious). When Mary first approached John about process service, she called him on the phone number listed and asked him how much he charged for a routine service in his local area. John provided the information, and Mary emailed him the legal documents with the name and address of the defendant to be served. John diligently recorded the information about the service and began making attempts. Before long, the process server was able to catch the son of the defendant at the given residential address and completed the service as a service on a suitable age person. John duly prepared the affidavit of service and sent it back to the paralegal. When Mary saw the end result, she was very unhappy. The legal documents were not correctly served. 
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So what really went wrong with this perfectly executed service of process?

The legal documents in this case were filed in the state of Texas. As such, the originating court rules apply and the method of service under Texas law requires a personal only service on the defendant. John closely followed the rules of the state of New York which allow service on a suitable age person in addition to personally serving the defendant. Both Mary and John neglected to communicate about the specifics of the documents and the allowed methods of service based on the originating court and the type of documents served. Mary had to ask John to make attempts toward personally serving the defendant again. The defendant avoided service, and John had to prepare an affidavit of attempted service showing all attempts made to personally serve the defendant. Mary obtained a court order to serve the documents by a substitute service and John had to attempt yet again in order to serve the same legal documents. A simple service of process became long and costly. Both Mary and John felt frustrated.
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What happened with John and Mary is not an isolated incident. Just because process service is simple, it does not mean it is easy...  A nationwide survey, conducted by the Process Server Center, shows that more than 87% of process servers struggle to retain their clients in the long-run, while 89% of legal professionals are ready to change their process server. 

Among legal professionals, process service is often associated with headaches! What usually happens is that either you or your legal team spend valuable time chasing process servers to check on the status of legal documents being served or to obtain a completed affidavit on time for a court hearing. Even when filed with the court, a defendant may still appear and challenge the sufficiency of the service or the veracity of the return. Your headaches from improper service of process are mounting and your legal team spends valuable resources to ensure compliance and due diligence.
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​Among process servers, service of process is also associated with frustrations! Most of the time clients provide very scarce information when contacting a process server for a new job. The information a client usually seeks is how much a process server would charge for serving legal documents in his/her area. Hardly any further details are provided, such as originating court, type of legal documents, methods of service allowed by the court. It is rare that a client would offer any other information pertaining to the person to be served, such as when he/she is usually home; does he work?; how is the address verified? Lack of information provided by the client and lack of details oftentimes lead to incorrect service of process or unnecessary attempts without proper due diligence, similar to what happened with Mary and John. 
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How can paralegals, legal professionals and process service managers ensure proper service of process?

​Every successful process service must start with thorough information gathering prior to making attempts to deliver the legal documents. In order to ensure correct and timely process service and avoid unnecessary delays, expenses and frustration, paralegals and process servers must communicate the information necessary for the successful completion of every process service. 

In our example here, Mary should have provided John with clear instructions on how the legal documents should have been served. If Mary failed to do that, John should have asked her about the permissible methods of service prior to making any attempts to serve the legal documents on the son of the defendant.

​Paralegals, legal professionals and any client sending legal documents to a process server must:

• Provide the Right Information:

The first step in process service must include a clear understanding of the laws and regulations that pertain to this particular type of service. Each state, court and type of document has a strict set of rules that must be followed in order to ensure the proper execution of process service. Process servers are generally knowledgeable about their own state rules, but it is rare that they would understand all the laws and regulations on the federal, state and county level. Many paralegals and legal professionals wrongly assume that they should just call a process server and hand him the legal documents with the name and address of the defendant. In reality, it is the client's responsibility to properly advise the process server.

Next time Mary has a legal document she needs served, she will provide the following information to the process server:​
*    name and address of the person being served
*    methods of service allowed by the originating court
*    legal deadlines as prescribed by the court to deliver the legal documents
*   additional information about the defendant, if known: does the person live alone? is he/she working? when is he/she usually home?  
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​At the same time it is the process server's responsibility to gather as much information as possible about a service prior to beginning his/her attempts. When accepting legal documents from a client, a process server must:

• Ask the Right Questions:

Gathering all pertinent information before making the first attempt is a very important part of every process server's duties. In fact, asking the right questions before attempts are made is crucial to the outcome of process service. The better prepared is a process server, the higher the chances that the legal documents will be served correctly and on time. In our case shared here, Mary failed to provide any details about the service. At the same time John failed to ask the right questions which led to the delay in this case. If John realized that Mary neglected to tell him how to serve the legal documents, he could have asked her the right questions and the service of these documents would have been successful the first time.

To help paralegals and process servers, like Mary and John, the Process Server Center has developed the Process Server Questionnaire, offered as part of the process service Toolbox. It is a fillable form that can be used every time a paralegal sends out service of process. It contains all the necessary information a process server must have before making attempts. Using the fillable Process Server Questionnaire paralegals and legal professional can:

• ensure proper service of process every time
• minimize time spent per service
• decide on the best approach to attempt to serve the legal documents
• eliminates unnecessary delays, expenses and frustration for both you and your client

Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, is an expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.
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If you are just starting your process serving business or trying to build your volume during these difficult times, most likely you do not have much money to put behind launching and scaling as a business. What you may lack in financial resources to grow your process service volume, you may make up for in mastering knowledge that you could use to become your own marketing department.  Here is what Jean Ashcroft, a process server in Austin, TX is saying about her experience: 
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"What I lacked in financial resources, I decided to spend time learning social media strategy and PR. I even researched other businesses, both local and large process serving agencies. I reviewed different process server associations and what each offered to get more work as a process server. I also enrolled in the one-on-one session with the Process Server Center, and they helped me build a master plan of how to use viral tactics and customer satisfaction to level up and expand my process service business, all for free. Over the past six months, I've worked with hundreds of clients without spending a dollar on advertising or marketing thanks to the great ideas on how to build my process serving business that I got from the Process Server Center..."

Following the feedback we received from Jean, we decided to share the tips we gave her with all process servers. Here is exactly how Jean Ashcroft succeeded to build her process service volume in six months: 
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1. Build a Personal Brand as a Process Server
​When you first start a process service business, a lot of trouble in getting new customers lies in paralegals, attorneys and other clients needing to trust you, especially when you are the one providing the service to them. That is why turning to your personal brand as a process server, which may consist of a few months of serving legal documents to years of experience allows any potential clients to get to know you as a professional in process serving. If you are a new process server, perhaps you can highlight your prior law enforcement experience or your training and knowledge of process service. If you are an experienced one, you may use your track record of successfully delivering process, finding defendants who have moved to a new location or delivering the documents to a respondent who has avoided being served several times. Allowing potential clients to get to know her helped Jean Ashcroft emphasize on what made her stand apart from other process servers, and ultimately bring her new clients.

Every process server or process server agency needs a personal brand. Start by understanding your value, skills, story and your background and experience in process serving. Then communicate that consistently across multiple platforms, starting with a website and one to two social media channels. Paralegals and attorneys have repeatedly shared with the Process Server Center that they like to do business with process servers they can trust and know. That is why your personal brand as a process server will help attract new clients who might be wary of taking a chance on a process service business they just discovered.
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2. Do Your Own Process Serving Agency PR
"​Getting featured in news articles across legal journals and bar associations newsletters helped me bring in new clients on a monthly basis. I never hired a PR firm and instead found ways to pitch myself", shares Jean. Upon our suggestion she started out by researching and creating a long list of outlets she wanted to be featured on, and then learned what kind of stories they like to focus on. Then Jean adjusted her pitches to each of these outlets, carefully crafting them to share her experience in process service and how she has helped clients deliver legal documents to particularly hard-to-serve defendants. Finally, Jean followed up with them, many times, to get feedback and eventually get featured. 

Create a wish list of places you would like to be featured on as a process server, then do your research and craft a pitch that is relevant to what their audience will care about and what will make a good story for them to run with. You can also use tools like Help a Reporter Out  ​(which is free) to get an understanding of what reporters are looking for from sources. 

3. Provide Free Value as a Process Server
​Most process servers are eager to increase their volume of process service, build their business and make money. Even new servers, just starting out, are eager to quickly grow their volume of work, and one of the most frequently asked questions among process servers is "How do I find more work?" Perhaps the focus, too often seen, is on the growing of your process service business rather than on asking yourself the question of what constant value do I bring to my clients. When she first approached us for an online consultation, Jean Ashcroft shared that "although I was eager to make money when I started my process service business, I realized that I also needed to create constant value for my clients."  Upon our recommendation, Jean began offering a few free services to each new client in order to entice them to switch from their previous process servers. She also improved her organization by utilizing a new software for managing her process services. Jean also resolved internal issues that delayed the execution of affidavits. While doing all this, she made sure to let her clients know about the recent improvements or changes highlighting how they would help with the smooth service of process and ultimately benefit paralegals, attorneys and law firms.

The recommendations shown above would help you build and maintain credibility for your process service business and add to the overall value for your clients. In addition to the services your offer as a process server, create at least one way to share free value with your clients. Consider a blog on your process service website, an article shared with an online publication, an active participation in Facebook and LinkedIn groups or other marketing materials that will not cost you anything, and will give so much to your existing and prospective clients. 
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4. Tap into Social Media Geared Toward Process Serving
​Social media can be a powerful free avenue of finding new clients for your process serving business. Every chance you use to build credibility, to allow your clients and peers to get to know you, to showcase your background or your many years of successful process service, all of these would help both new and experienced process servers reach and connect with more potential clients.

Join as many social media groups, pages and platforms as you can. Dedicate at least half an hour each day to visiting and actively participating in these groups. Let your voice be heard and let other servers or clients hear about you. Move from being unknown to someone who others are now getting to know. With perseverance and patience, such daily actions would lead to more and more people "knowing" you. Try and add value when interacting with others and both peers and clients will begin to recognize you as an authority in the process serving industry.
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5. Keep Process Service Industry Friends Close
​"When I was first starting out, I spent a lot of my free time finding people within the process service industry I could network with", shares Jean. Most process servers do not necessarily have a budget for ads or marketing. Therefore, word of mouth referrals can be a big way to gain new customers as a process server at any stage of your business. 

Do not shy to send cold emails not only to paralegals and attorneys, but also to your peers. Introduce yourself and the process services you offer, the areas you cover. Let other process servers learn about you, your background, how they can benefit of getting to know you.  Do not forget to reach out and interact with other process servers using the social media platforms discussed above. Help them as much as you can, send them business and ask to help them with their business. Make yourself available and show other process servers that you are available and reliable to them. Taking these steps is a great way of building relationship with people who also interact with your "audience" like attorneys, paralegals and law firms. Establishing such peer relationships would definitely help you reach out clients indirectly and create opportunities to gain new clients on a regular basis. Research who else in the process service industry your clients often interact with or buy from. National association, state associations, online directories and of course, the exclusive directory PROServerLIST that helps legal professionals find process servers the easy way. All of these are platforms for opportunities to find, reach out and connect with potential clients. This can significantly help you build your process service business and get more referrals.
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6. Create Superfan Clients of Your Process Service Business
A few weeks after implementing our team's recommendations, Jean shared that​ "I prioritized over-delivering for my clients to ensure they were happy with my process service." Making sure your clients are happy with your service of process, from the initial phone call or email to the successful delivery or filing of affidavits of service, taking excellent care of each of your clients helps process servers create "super-fan" clients who would share your contact information with their peers and networks, and also be happy to act as a good referral to your process service business.

First focus on providing the best service of process, then when they are happy with your work, ask your clients to share your contact information with other legal professional. Be ready to also offer them a free service (like a check-up phone call) if they brought in a new client. Think about how you can encourage past super-fan clients who enjoyed your process service or working with you to become ambassadors who help bring in new process serving business.

Finally, always remember that you can be successful as a process server without having a big budget to spend on bringing in new business. You just have to have a strong strategy and think outside of the box. Tap into skills you already have, continue to learn through online classes and join social media platforms. Learn how to be your own master marketer, so you can use different avenues to spread the word and grow your process serving business.

Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, is an expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.
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​Do you know that most people who think they are good listeners underperform? By as much as 60 percent? In fact, it turns out that overconfidence actually impedes your success whether you are interacting with your clients, other process servers or the people you are trying to serve. Being too confident actually prevents you from truly understanding what motivates the other side. This, in turn, stops you from being able to use Actionable Empathy™ to get the outcomes you are looking for as a process server or even in your personal relationships.
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Truth be told, nothing puts a relationship in jeopardy faster than poor listening skills. It does not matter whether you are talking to another process server, your client, a defendant in a case or your family. People simply do not take a long time to estimate your commitment to listening, particularly since a good deal of communication is nonverbal and wrapped up in physical syntax and delivery. Suffice it to say it is not easy to convince someone you are actually listening when in fact you are not.

So why do most people who think they are good listeners underperform? It is because most do not have the communication skills to recognize that there are actually five levels to listening. Experience shows that if you recognize and master better listening skills, you are more likely to:

• improve your relationships with both new and existing clients
• work more efficiently with other process servers or server who work for you
• attract more new clients and increase the volume of services you have
• eliminate problems in being understood or understanding what your client really needs or wants
• spend less time per service and uncover more of the information you need to get the legal documents served or find that difficult to find defendant

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Let's explore the five levels of listening and see how they help you get more clients for your process service business, grow it, and find that defendant who is avoiding service:
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Level 1: Listening for the Substance:
The first level of listening is intermittent listening. What it means is that you are simply listening long enough to get the substance or essence or the main point of what the other side is saying. When you are talking to a new client who just called you and wants legal documents delivered,  and you think you have got the basic idea, your ears shut off and refocus on your internal voice, which is formulating a reaction based on your worldview. Though you might not even recognize that you have shut the other side off and actually articulate this reaction, you are engaged in an internal dialogue about how what is being said does not line up with your logic. While "talking to yourself" at the same time when your new client is giving you more information about the process service he needs done, you have just missed out on some very important instructions on how the client expects you to serve the defendant.

Level 2: Listening to Rebut:
During this next level of listening, you are still not practicing active listening. In fact, you are listening to rebut. This is the stage at which you listen long enough to understand the incoming message until it hits the trigger (i.e., something in the statement or phrase that you can argue against or rebut). Imagine you are talking to another process server from another state who has just sent you a service, and he is trying to explain to you why he needs the respondent personally only served. You interrupt him and are eager to tell him why you feel he is wrong. When you hear a trigger, you just wait for the other side to shut up for long enough so you can tell them why their position is faulty and, by extension, how much smarter you are than they are. These enthusiastic replies undermine communication and the entire relationship. Interjecting with a quick response is a clear indication that you are not listening. How could you be? At this level, you are actually focusing on your agenda at the expense of theirs, and it is, for the most part, obvious to the other side.

Level 3: Listening for Logic:
The third level of listening involves using inference to try to pin down the internal logic of what is being said, if such logic exists. If this is the other side’s point of view, their conclusion, or their judgment, why does it make sense to them? It is the first step toward truly understanding whom you are actually speaking with. During this level of listening you are paying more attention to what the person who just answered the door is attempting to tell you. Is she trying to say that her spouse is not at home right now while impatiently holding a baby in her hands? Is she ready to move inside and close the door on you before you have asked her when he might be home so that you can deliver the legal documents to him and successfully complete the process service?

Level 4: Listening for Emotion:
At the fourth level of listening, you are listening for any emotions or issues that may be driving their argument. You are standing at the door of that yellow house for a third time this week, and you are hoping to finally find the person you are looking for to deliver the service of process. You feel lucky this time, lights are all on inside the house and you hear people talking inside, a small child crying loud. These emotions or issues may or may not make sense to you. But at this level, you recognize their significance as the other side may be in a stressful situation if the small child needs their attention. The door suddenly opens and you find a very angry man staring at you.  When it is your turn to speak, you might decide to use Labels (See https://www.theprocessservercenter.com/serve-like-fbi-agent.html) to identify the unstated emotions or issues you believe are influencing what they have to say. Here is another situation, this one involving a very satisfied client who gives you an energetic compliment about that successful process service you have just done, you might say something like this: "It seems like you’re very pleased with the outcome of your service of process ...", in hopes that the other side will reveal additional information and perhaps agree to give you a written review on your Google listing of your process service business.

Level 5: Listening for Their Point of View:
At this level of listening you become a great listener. It is truly this level where you listen for what the other side’s argument says about who they are in the world, using Actionable Empathy™ to do everything you can to see things from their perspective. This communication skill is how you filter the other person’s emotion and logic through a prism of empathy. It is what you should try to do every time you interact with others, regardless whether it is another process server, a defendant you are trying to find or your client. During this stage of listening it is all about getting beyond the cursory level of understanding to a deeper appreciation of their point of view. If you do not understand where the other person is coming from, you do not really understand them at all, making it that much less likely you will get that new client you are hoping for. If you do not understand the other side, you will never influence them. It’s that simple! Though it is difficult to maintain this level of listening every waking moment of every day, you need to be ready and willing to get here when the situation warrants it. The better your listening skills, the more likely it is that you land this new client with volume process service you have always wanted.

Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, is an expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.

​Summary: 
​Just like the four characters from Dr. Johnson's parable "Who Moved My Cheese?", Sniff, Hem and Haw, process servers can grow their businesses and find the many clients they are asking for. 

• Anticipate Change
• Get Things Done 
• Overcome Fear
• Don't Get Lost in Your Comfort Zone
• Learn to Adapt
• ​Open to Learn New Stuff

A common question among both experienced and new process servers is how to attract more clients and how to find more work to maintain or grow their process service business. In the past several months, particularly during the current health crisis, most process servers have seen their volumes shrink to less than half and many are still struggling to return to the average number of jobs from last year. Even before these difficult times process servers were finding it hard to get ahead of the competition and the need for reliability and professionalism has grown stronger. More than ever process servers are asking for help to build back their volume of services. The question often asked is “What Happened with All the Services I had?” or in the words of Dr. Spencer Johnson “Who Moved My Cheese?” Perhaps sharing this powerful story with you will help you discover yourself in one of the characters and move you in the right direction to build your process service business up again.
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Dr. Johnson’s powerful novel “Who Moved My Cheese” is a simple yet memorable story about four characters, 2 mice named Sniff and Scurry and two little people, named Hem and Haw. All of them are living in a twisted maze as they strive to find their favorite Cheese. As you learn the story of Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw, make sure to think about yourself as a process server. When you read about the cheese, think about your volume of many services that you are trying to attract. Cheese is a metaphor for all that you want to have in your life, and the Maze represents your process service business or life in general.
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Key Idea #1: Your “cheese” or success in process service may be paralyzing you.

The two mice, Sniff and Scurry, don’t think about things too much. Instead, they spend their time running up and down the corridors of their maze, in search of cheese. This seemingly “brainless” way in which these two mice set about achieving their goal is often the most effective method in reaching your own goals. In fact, acting without thinking too much can save you time and energy. If there’s no cheese at the end of a path, for example, Sniff and Scurry simply turn around and scramble down another path – without wasting time being angry or frustrated.
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At the same time, the little people Hem and Haw were also searching for cheese in the maze, but not because they were hungry. Rather, they thought that finding cheese would make them feel happy and successful. With their more “complex” brains, Hem and Haw worked out strategies to find cheese, memorizing the maze’s dark corners and blind alleys. Yet with all this planning, they still often got confused, and sometimes lost their way. And whenever the pair came up empty-handed, they became depressed, wondering if happiness would ever be attainable. As a process server, do you feel you tend to overcomplicate things? Do you overthink issues or ideas? Do you become overly attached to the status quo in your process service business?

Working hard as a process server may finally land you that great new client you were searching for. You feel happy and proud! In the story we are telling,  Hem and Haw also found a huge stash of fancy, imported cheese down one corridor, at Cheese Station C. Every day they made sure to wake up early and visit the station for a snack. Yet the pair’s life gradually began to revolve around the feast at Cheese Station C. They felt at home there, and were very proud of it – yet they also began to take it for granted. 
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Like Hem and Haw, when we find success or “our cheese,” we can quickly become dependent on it, so much so that our life revolves only around our “cheese.” Perhaps you find yourself serving legal documents day and night to keep your clients happy. Perhaps you months or years have passed and now you are taking that great client you landed for granted.

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Key Idea #2: Good situations never last forever, so be prepared!

So Hem and Haw woke up one morning and were shocked to realize that their cheese was gone. Change always happens, sooner or later. Whether it is because of a global health crisis or an economic downturn or courts being closed, being aware that change always happens, can help you keep a closer eye on your current situation, to better anticipate the change ahead.

Once Sniff and Scurry realized that Cheese Station C was almost out of cheese, they moved on without stressing too much about it. And luckily, they found a huge stash at another station, Cheese Station N.

Hem and Haw were not so lucky. Unable to cope, the pair kept returning to the empty station, growing increasingly hungry, depressed and weak. Take a lesson from these two “little people”: The less you hem and haw and the sooner you adapt to change, the better off you’ll be.

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​Key Idea #3: Visualizing your goals helps you push through the fear that keeps you from dealing with change.​

Why do so many process servers (and many of us, in general), just like Hem and Haw, get blindsided by big changes? It’s fear. Fear is what makes confronting change so difficult. After all, change requires you to cope with a new situation and grapple with a new set of rules. That can be both disorienting and frustrating, so it’s natural to be scared of change. As long as you’re afraid of leaving your comfort zone, things will never get better.

For example, once they came to grips with the empty Cheese Station C, Hem and Haw had to venture again into the maze to find food. They worried that they might get lost, or find themselves in a blind alley with no way out.  Even though Hem and Haw were hungry, they were still too fearful to explore new paths in the maze. Instead, they smashed down the walls of Cheese Station C to see if there was something to eat behind them! But all in vain.

Haw eventually discovered a good way to deal with his fear. He visualized himself sitting atop a huge wedge of his favorite cheese, soft-rind French Brie. Indeed, visualizing your goal in vivid detail, for example to get more services, to attract new clients, to build your process service, will actually increase your desire to attain it. So if you find yourself stuck, or you can’t tame your fear, visualize your goal. That will stoke your desire and give you the energy to move forward.
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Key Idea #4: Dare to move in a new direction and things will get better.

​After visualizing his goal, Haw moved on to find new cheese. But Hem refused to budge. He stayed at the empty cheese station, angry and emaciated, and crucially, far too afraid to go out and search for cheese. At the same time, Haw’s experience improved dramatically.

When you move in a new direction, you learn how to better embrace change. Instead of fearing the difficult times and complaining about it, work harder as a process server. Take extra care of the few clients you have, be reliable at all costs. Take a little time to get further training or improve systems in your process service business. Ask us for help!

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Key Idea #5: Use the lessons you’ve learned from this “cheesy” parable to reach your own goals as a process server!

​So how can you apply the lessons of this parable to the benefit of your process service business or even your personal life?

• Which character you identify yourself with? - Ask yourself. People who are “Sniffs” are great observers. They notice the smallest of changes, which enables them to predict subsequent larger changes. People who are “Scurrys,” on the other hand, like to get things done. The “Hems” among process servers often feel unsafe during times of change. The better you understand yourself, your fears, preferences and style, the more confident you will become and the easier to overcome your fears.
• Consider telling other process servers or servers who work for you the story of Hem, Haw, Sniff and Scurry. They may begin to think more favorably about change and the potential benefits it can bring to your process service business.

The experience of the “little people” and mice can teach you to let go of fear, and be on the lookout for new opportunities to grow and sustain your process service business. Just consider how our parable ends. Even though there was plenty of cheese at Cheese Station N, Haw – having learned his lesson – kept exploring the maze, looking for other stashes. Indeed, what works today won’t necessarily work tomorrow. As the environment changes, your process service business needs to change, too – or you’ll be left behind. 

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Author:  The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States. 
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​Summary: A key role in learning how to apply FBI techniques while serving legal documents is developing our emotional intelligence. By doing that, we learn a crucial secret about de-escalating any difficult situation or calm an angry person in seconds. That secret consists of two simple things:

1. Ignore the words
2. Guess at and reflect back the emotions

Process servers face many challenges while attempting to locate a person, to obtain more information that could help find the person to be served, to build rapport with a stranger, to alleviate an escalating situation. Most of these challenges can be resolved by observing and communicating. ​Observation plays a key role in identifying and gathering additional information that could prove helpful in ruling out an address. It helps a process server discover more about the residence,  rule out if anyone actually lives at the given address or not; or confirm that a person may not reside here if his/her name is not on the mailbox.​
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Along with observation, communication helps a process server gather valuable information before and during an attempt to deliver process and may ultimately help with locating the person being served or overcome a difficult situation of avoiding. Using FBI techniques and tools process servers can successfully build rapport, diffuse a difficult situation, gather valuable information and ultimately complete the service of process right the first time.

A key role in learning how to apply FBI techniques while serving legal documents is developing our emotional intelligence. By doing that, we learn a crucial secret about de-escalating any difficult situation or calm an angry person in seconds. That secret consists of two simple things:

1. Ignore the words:   Unlike with other forms of reflective listening, when you are attempting to deliver legal documents and the person you encounter is upset, you wish to calm them down. At that very moment, process servers must ignore the words and pay attention to the emotions. This is counterintuitive to many people as we are trained to pay attention to words from the time we are born. Words do communicate a lot of useful information. We are conditioned to speak, read, and listen to words. Because this skill is deeply engrained in us, we do not learn how to listen for emotions. Yes, we can recognize when someone is upset or angry, but we are not really listening to their emotions in a deep way. That is why the secret to de-escalating an emotional or upset person in less than ninety seconds when attempting to serve legal documents is learning how to ignore the words and pay attention only to the emotions. When you have mastered this, you can calm most people down quickly and easily. There are, of course, situations where calming someone will not work and may not even be appropriate. However, those situations are generally rare among process servers in their daily encounters. When serving process, we are mostly concerned with the more common types of arguments, anger, frustration, and annoyance. These emotions, if not resolved, may lead to fights or, worse, to violence.
2. Guess at and reflect back the emotions:   Emotion is a complex set of physical, cognitive, and mental attributes that we give to certain experiences. The physical part of emotion is composed of two parts: affect and feeling. Affect is the word used to describe the physiological changes that occur within our brains in response to a memory or outside event. Imagine that you are approaching a residence attempting to deliver legal documents, and you see an angry dog. Instantaneously, unconscious systems in your brain activate as neurons fire and neurochemicals are released in response to this sudden danger. This brain activity, when it arises in the emotional centers of the brain, is called affect. Affect is one of the biological foundations of emotion. Despite some disagreement within science circles about the number of affects we are endowed with, let's look at psychologist Silvan Tomkins’s nine affects model. In his model, affect is categorized as positive, neutral, or negative. The following illustration lists these nine affects:​​

Experience shows that underneath anger and fear, people are often experiencing deep unresolved grief. Many people also experience abandonment and feel deeply unloved. These are added to the list because they arise often. 

The physical aspect of emotion is what we commonly call feeling. When a person you are trying to serve gets frustrated, his/her face may turn deep red which is caused by blood rushing into his capillaries. In addition, some people have a difficult time labeling their emotional experience. A person you are trying to communicate with while attempting to deliver legal documents, may experience the affect of anger, for example, but not be able to communicate his experience. He will just want to go out and hit something because he has no way to express to himself or others what is going on inside him. Another person may be able to categorize his emotional experience as anger, and communicate in a rough way that he/she is angry. People who are able to not only categorize their emotional experience, but can also provide details about it, tend to have higher emotional intelligence, have better self-control, and are able to make better choices under the fire of emotion. People with lesser ability to name and detail their emotions have less emotional intelligence, less self-control, and a harder time making good choices when upset. Here is an illustration showing the degrees of emotional distress:
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As a process server your communication skills and ability to detect emotions in others help you identify situations that may spiral out of control. Equipped with the right set of tools and techniques, a process server can learn to de-escalate a tough situation or calm an angry person in 90 seconds or less. It is important to be aware of the words you use, the way you phrase things. Do you phrase things always as either/ or? Are the word choices you choose always negative? Are you compassionate with how you describe the purpose of you knocking on someone's door? Do you use language that lifts up or pulls others down?

Mindfulness is one of the most effective behavioral tools you will ever have as a process server for dealing with rising anxiety, stress, sadness, and myriad other emotions. Process service is often a difficult job where both process servers and the people they are trying to serve experience negative emotions. Therefore, process servers must be equally mindful of their own emotions as they are to the emotions of the people they encounter in their daily routes to serve process. Internal mindfulness,  which pays attention to our own inner self-talk, watches for any negative patters in behavior or perceptions. It takes some practice because you have to break through the distortion of what you think versus what is true.

Next time you are out attempting to deliver legal documents, be mindful about what is real and what is distorted. Watch out for your own negative thoughts as they can influence how you approach the next person on whose door you are going to knock. Always take a step back and take control of your own emotions before you carry them with you and onto the next person you are going to try and deliver legal documents to.

Developing your emotional intelligence as a process server is just one of several tools and techniques that top FBI agents use to de-escalate and calm an angry person. To find out more about the other tools that FBI agents use on a daily basis,  consider enrolling in the program "How To Serve Like an FBI Agent".

Author:  Brani Andreev, MBA, is an expert in nationwide management of process service, consultant, speaker, and developer of the breakthrough Management Model of the 4Ps™ that ensures the consistent quality of process service.
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​Most limits are self-imposed. The difference between good and great comes from pushing yourself beyond them...

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Over the years, we have helped many process servers throughout the United States and have had the opportunity to talk to dozens of extremely successful servers with different levels of experience. One of the favorite questions we ask is: "What got you here?"

The answer reveals a simple truth about success, and the process servers who actually achieve success.  During the current times of change, many process servers feel they are on the downside of advantage. It seems that it is tempting for them to rationalize that incredibly successful process servers were blessed with some advantage. Intelligence. Talent. Education. Connections. A special something.  

In reality, that never turns out to be true. Almost to a person, highly successful process servers consider themselves to be average in almost all things.  Sometimes even below average. Their only "advantage" was hard work.

So what is the secret you may ask? What is that special something that makes some process servers really successful?

Mental toughness. Determination. Willpower. Perseverance. 

Whatever word you use, the ability to overcome roadblocks, to push through hesitation and discomfort and even just boredom, and keep working toward a long-term goal, is what allows "ordinary" process servers to accomplish extraordinary things, to stand apart from others, to "land" this great law firm as a client, to succeed and perhaps most important - to retain that level of success for years to come.

Take Dave from Michigan for example (Dave is the name we chose to use for all successful process servers we talked to). Dave is decidedly average. No special background in process service when he started 10 years ago. It has been a difficult few years struggling with learning the rules and regulations of service of process. Finding clients was challenging as it seemed most law firms in the area already had someone they were using, even though they were not particularly happy with who they had as a process server. Dave persevered. He diligently continued to do his work with utmost dedication. No matter how large or small a law firm was, Dave approached each one of them with the same excitement, attention and respect. Doing the extra little something, like a skip trace, even when the client never asked for it, or providing a timely affidavit, Dave kept his focus on how to best serve each and every client that called or reached out to him. Day after day. Year after year. It is when he least expected it that the miracle happened - both local and large law firms started calling him to take care of their service of process. They have heard how great Dave was from other clients. Yes, the miracle happened. Except it was not really a miracle. It was Dave! 

You, as a person and as a process server,  you always​ have more in you than you think.

When you are doing something difficult and think you need to stop, you have more in you. When you are trying to find and serve this person who has been avoiding you and are ready to give up, you have more in you. When you are about to give up on running out for that paralegal who called you at the end of the day with a rush service to handle, you have more in you as a process server. When you are about ready to give up on yourself, because finding new clients seems so unattainable, you have more in you. And when you are about to give up on process service because your business does not seem to be working out as you have hoped for,  you definitely have more in you!

Why? Because most of our limits are self-imposed. Over time, process servers set those limits for themselves. They listen to other servers complaining how hard it is, and they give up. How long will we stick with a challenge before giving up and moving on? How long will we stare at a whiteboard, trying to think of a way past a problem, before giving up and moving on? How many cold calls to law firms or paralegals are we going to make? Emails to send? Proposals to create? Bids to participate in? Follow-ups to make?
 
Those limits only seem real because habit has created them. But they are not real.

Think of a time when fear helped you push past what you thought was a barrier. Think about a time when a huge incentive helped you push past what you thought was a barrier to the success of your process service business. Then, you could do more. Because as it turns out, your limit was only 40 percent of what you were truly capable of achieving.  

Next time you think you have reached your cold-call limit as a process server, make one more. Next time you think you have reached your training limit, take another class or read another helpful article. Next time you think you have reached your quality in the service you provide your clients,  double-check your limit, check again, and find yet another thing you can improve. Challenge yourself to see if you can do even better. And you will realize that your limits as a process server are self-imposed. You will realize that your self-created limits are what holds you back from achieving success as a process server! You realize that you can accomplish a lot more than you once thought possible!
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​Source: Ink

Author:  The Process Server Center | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States. 
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What would your business be like if you were the process server who came to mind every time someone said they need a process server in your area? ​We bet your inbox would be full of requests or orders to serve legal documents from qualified legal professionals. All of us at the Process Server Center want this for you! We want you to be the Go-To Process Server in Your Area! We want you to be successful in growing your process service business! And we are excited to be a part of this journey with you!

​Becoming the Go-To person in your industry takes consistent, laser-focused and clear direction and effort. As a process server you must be bold in your beliefs and confident in your knowledge in order to be seen as a resource in your industry. 

Does it sound difficult? Perhaps it does, but remember Steve Jobs' words that "perseverance is the main determinant of a success". Most people easily get discouraged or even give up but we are convinced that "about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance", Steve Jobs added. 

So who are the Go-To process servers that attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals turn to when they need that service done right the first time? The Go-To process servers are the fixers who step up and do the actual work. Under pressure, other process servers turn to them to identify and implement solutions. They get the legal documents served every time on time. They are the ones who know how to find that person who is avoiding to get served. They are the ones who know people, know how to talk to people and know how to calm down an angry person. The Go-To process servers possess that knack for making process service seem so easy. 

How can you become a Go-To process server in your area? Here are nine ways to achieve that:

• Prepare: 

It is not luck that simply puts you on the Top and makes you the Go-To process server in your area of coverage. It is rather a culmination of the sweat and sacrifice that few see. Greatness is built on doing what is repetitive and dull, like going from door to door to serve legal documents or making cold calls to attract new clients. The Go-To process servers constantly battle doubt and temptation. Away from the actual action or field work of serving process, they face their limitations and fears, taking small steps forward as they push out of their comfort zones, always telling themselves, "Just one more service" or "Never again".​

As they prepare and train, Go-To process servers imagine the day when it all comes down to the wire. They visualize different scenarios when they knock on that door, and physically, mentally and intellectually prepare themselves. Alone, they study the strengths, flaws, and tendencies of their competition. They learn from the best in the process service industry and never tire to learn. There is nothing supernatural about it. As hockey great Wayne Gretzky explains, "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been." The same is true for the Go-To process servers. They just prepare more and process faster. As a result, their reactions become unconsciously instinctive and the end result is a proper service of process done right every time.

• Open to Responsibility:​

Most people wait for life to come to them. They play small. They are intimidated by the prospect of stepping-forward, of taking risks and of challenging themselves. When difficulty or even opportunity presents itself, their first reaction is disbelief, doubt, denial and dejection.

The Go-To process servers are more afraid of missing out than making mistakes. More than anything they want to own the outcome. Go-To process servers take responsibility and assert themselves when others shrink back. They learn from challenges when serving legal documents and they embrace opportunity to step in and take this difficult service of process that no one else wants. 

• Set an Example:

​Go-To process servers are leaders and this leadership stems from the example they set every day. Other process servers measure themselves against their example. Go-To process servers are the ones who always go above-and-beyond, whether it's doing the extra research about the person to be served or finding and confirming a new address without being asked for it. They don't take shortcuts, they don't forget to timely turn in affidavits. They are consistent in what they do, so attorneys, paralegals and the likes know they can rely on them when it really counts. Go-To Process servers set the bar high. Top process servers don't need direction They have already figured out the destination. They just need a vehicle to get there.

• Take Charge:

​Do you know the top reason why people fail? They react. Go-to process servers are proactive. They appreciate that they may only get one shot at serving the legal documents or providing top service to that client. Go-To process servers don't get ahead of themselves by worrying about any fallout. They are not paralyzed by fear of falling short. And they don't let themselves be distracted by what other process servers are doing. Top process servers are 100 percent certain and 100 percent committed. By seizing an opportunity to serve a single serve client who later may turn out to be a high-volume long-term one,  process servers stand the greatest chance for success. 

• Don't Shy Away from Failure: 

​Go-To process servers often face a dilemma best summed up by Michael Jordan. " I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times. I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. And that is why I succeed."

Winners know that the distance between winning and losing is often a matter of inches. Go-To process servers are humbled by the knowledge that they can always fall short no matter how far they came. Despite any setbacks, successful process servers don't dwell on the moment or feel sorry for themselves that they lost that contract or missed that client.  Go-To process servers know that learning entails a lot of losing. It may be losing a contract. It may be not charging enough for that hard service. But they never lose their stamina, confidence or will. 

• Bear the Criticism:

Your work as a process server reflects who you are as a person. Pressure situations can bring out your best. But they can also expose your worst instincts. Go-To process servers also have flaws, and sometimes disappoint. But they do have the courage to act and are willing to accept responsibility for the outcome in order to best serve their clients. 

What separates them from other process servers is accountability. Go-To process servers do not make excuses or blame someone else. They don't play the victim or wallow in anger. They realize that they set the standard. Top professional process servers get back on their feet and lift their heads high.

• Build Relationships:

​Go-To process servers carry an innate air ... a vibe... a spark. They exude energy and confidence in their knowledge and constant training. Clients gravitate towards them. Other process servers too. Most important, attorneys and paralegals trust them to take them where they can't take themselves. They trust these top process servers to step up and serve this difficult case when they need them.

Go-To process servers forge relationships. To succeed, everyone must believe in each other. Top process servers build connections with others, whether they are clients or peers. They look for ways to keep everyone involved, helping and finding ways too constantly become better at what they do.

• Summon Your Will:

​Sometimes there are hardships and difficult times. It all seems to be slipping away. Frustrations are piling up. Some are looking for a reason to quit. In those difficult moments, when those around them are losing their faith, Go-To process servers make themselves bigger. They find that little extra to make a second or a third effort in finding that person who is clearly avoiding service. They channel everything they know into that difficult moment, believing that nothing can stand in their way.

• Maintain Composure:

​Go-To process servers may feel anxious like everyone else. But they don't freeze up. They keep their head high when everything around them is crumbling. They don't overreact. They don't allow themselves to get overwhelmed with more volume of services that they can possibly handle. Go-To process servers know where they want to be and prioritize what will help them reach their outcome, their goal, their dream. 

There is one trait that unites top process servers and that is grace under pressure. They have mastered their emotions. Clients have confidence in them and are relaxed because top process servers stay calm themselves, even when the deadline is short. It is exactly what earns them the respect and loyalty of both legal professional clients and their peers. 
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​Do you have the perseverance to be the Go-To Process Server in your area? The Process Server Center is here to help you every step of the way in your journey to the Top!
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