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Question Answered by Maggie, the Process Server Helper | PROServerCENTER is a legal professional organization whose mission is to set a national standard for the process service industry in the United States.
Maggie, the process server helper, answers: "Rich people come from all types of industries and it is possible to get rich even in process service. What’s more, you do not need to be brilliant. You do not have to be a workaholic. You do not need to have some unique talent if you want to get rich, either. Here's the secret most process servers don't know: Getting rich is about how you live your life and run your business, and what you do with the money you make!"
The Process Server Center loves to help process servers with questions they may have in order to succeed in their business. We recently received a question from one of our community groups and we turned to Maggie to find out the answer. Here is what we talked about:
PROServer Center: "So what do you think, Maggie, can a process server get rich from process serving? You know, start off small, as a single process server, serving all documents yourself, and then grow enough where you become the boss and generate enough to make a good profit?"
Maggie: "Let's try and answer this question here. First of all, let's take into consideration the fact that our own perception defines what "Rich" means. One process server may consider making a profit of $3,000 per month to be rich. Yet another may need a lot more to even break even. There are different paths one can take in order to build his/her process service business. Depending on the path we choose, the goals and outcomes would vary. "
PROServer Center: "Well, Maggie, I know that being rich is mostly a feeling that depends on how much you want or think you need to feel rich. Let's set some parameters here and talk about what a process server can do if they are just starting out or have been serving for some time as the only process server in their business... How do they go from that start point to a point, let's say, where they now hire other process servers to work under them on a regular basis... And perhaps where this process server no longer needs to physically serve papers, but rather manages the business and grows it even more?"
Maggie: "A wise man once said: 'Show me how you run your business, and I will let you know if you run it for a long time...' Getting rich in process serving is about how you run your business. It is about, first of all, who you are, what your needs are, and what your goals are. Understanding these well helps you understand the resources you have and the results you want to achieve. Let's now try and help our community readers with 7 steps process servers can take to get rich and move themselves from being a solo process server to a process serving business with several servers that runs smooth and has the potential to grow... well, and in the process, make its owner get rich!"
1. Get Prepared
Maggie: "The first step will be, of course, to get well prepared. Process servers can get rich mostly by adopting good behaviors and money habits in their businesses and personal lives. They have financial discipline. They manage their money well. And that’s something any process server can learn to do. Before you embark on the endeavor to get rich as a process server, make sure you are well prepared and trained to serve legal documents yourself. Many of the rich people out there have started off from the very bottom in their now large corporations. And part of the reason for their success is that they know the ins and outs and every little detail in between in their businesses. As a new or solo process server, take the time to learn. Invest in your knowledge: take online training classes, work for other agencies, pay attention to the little details, see what others are doing well and what others are not doing so well, learn how other process servers do it in the field and how they are efficient about it. Don't forget to include business and organizational skills as part of your training as process serving is as much about delivering legal documents as it is about being organized and managing your business well. And if you want to get rich as a process server, you have to do it better than others!"
2. Gather Experience Under Your Belt
Maggie: "While getting your online training, put yourself out there and work for others or for a handful of clients. Don't think a job is too small for you. Take each and every one and don't fear diversity. There are many rules and regulations in process serving based on type of court, federal, state, county, town level, then based on type of legal action. There are many things to learn and as easy as process serving seems, it can quickly get pretty confusing. While getting experience under your belt, pay attention to the details and intricacies of each process and create strict procedures that your business must implement at each step of serving legal documents: receiving the paperwork, creating the record, getting the documents ready for service, making attempts, preparing the affidavits and getting paid. Each step in this process has its own challenges, so be sure to fully understand them and seek ways to perfect each step. The more you know and understand about process serving as a type of business, the higher the chance for success."
3. Market Yourself Carefully
Maggie: "When you are new as a process server, very few clients know you even exist. Growing your business takes consistent efforts to do your work better than others and to network. Don't market yourself without a plan. Instead set yourself some goals, craft a few marketing ideas and implement for a period of time. Then compare what works and what doesn't, and make a new plan. Growing a process service business takes time, of course, and being consistent in your networking is important if you want to see a positive outcome. Consider joining NAPPS, provided you have the required years of experience to be eligible for membership; they are the nationwide association and it matters to be one of many other process servers. Maybe also consider joining Serve-now, but consider they are an internet directory and the fact they recently were acquired by an Australian company?! If you are already experienced as a process server and want to stand out as one of the best in your area, join PROServer list. It is the exclusive place for top notch process servers, but it is not for everyone, rather reserved for the best of process servers."
4. Take Care of Each and Every Client
Maggie: "Oh yes! No exceptions! Take care of each attorney, paralegal, pro se client, as if they are your one and only client. It definitely pays off! Unfortunately I see so many of you spending time and money to market themselves, only to see you fail because you cannot organize yourself to take care of your clients. It is actually pretty easy to grow your process service business if you are the new kid on the block. The common talk among legal clients is how frustrated they are with unreliable process servers. So they are constantly on the lookout for the next process server. Once you get their attention, make sure you take care of them better, faster, with more diligence than the previous process server. The happier your client is, the higher the chance they will recommend you to others. Do you see what's happening? One, two, three, more... your satisfied clients will start hearing about you and you are suddenly on your way to get rich while doing process serving."
5. SAVE SAVE SAVE
Maggie: "While you're doing all of the above, do not use/waste, etc all of your profits, no matter how small. Make sure to start putting money aside until you have at least 6 months, preferably 1 year, of savings that you can live off yourself. Why that matters? Remember you wanted to get rich and be the boss and hire others? Well, when time comes to take this step, it is important that you focus on the growth, on managing your process servers, overseeing and training them. You need to be free of 'How do I pay my own bills?' worries, in order to build and grow your process serving business. During this growth time, in addition to managing, hiring, training people to work under you, you will continue to make sure that each client is taken care of 100%, no exceptions. Many servers fail during this stage as they continue to serve papers themselves, they lose focus and do not manage their business which should be there primary goal at this growth stage..."
6. Run a Tight Ship
Maggie: "In a small business, inefficient operating processes cost money in hidden ways. Sloppiness bleeds profits. Rich small business owners run a tight ship.
Be hands on as process service business owner. Inspect the little things. Broken equipment, lax schedules, incorrect affidavits, insufficient due diligence — all lead to a general air of carelessness that soon spreads like it is contagious. The flip side is, paying attention to details can transform your process serving business into a lean, mean, profit-generating machine. Details mean the difference between:
7. Get More Clients
Maggie: "While growing and training your process servers, be frugal and continue to save more of your profit margins for... no, not for a rainy day. Continue to save in order to get rich! Once your servers are trained and doing well to perform with minimum supervision, get more clients. It is time to get rich! You are well prepared, well organized and well run as a process serving business. It is time to look for large clients with high volume to help you get rich while doing process serving! Start with your local large law firms. Show them your knowledge and past experience. Let current clients talk about you. If you are a PROServer List member, ask to be featured in the monthly process server publication "In Focus" that features the best process servers in the country. While continuing to grow, continue to manage your business every day, while looking for inefficient processes. Eliminate problems, perfect each process, show your clients they can trust that every service of process will be done on time and without any hassle for them. Just to mention... that's when the time comes for you to raise your fees to reflect the highest level of professionalism with which you operate your process serving business."
PROServer Center: "I see now that growth in process serving requires perseverance and diligently following the steps to build and grow your one-man business to a solid one with several process servers. Maggie, what would you say as an encouragement to our readers who are eager to get on the path to becoming rich from process serving?"
Maggie: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Be prepared to take risks if you want to get rich as a process server. But, walk into it with eyes open and protect the downside by managing the risks carefully.
Dream and visualize... It would help you stay motivated when it gets tough!"
PROServer Center: "Thank you, Maggie! We will share your tips with our process servers."
Maggie: "You are welcome! Don't forget to Ask me Anything about process service!"
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.
Highlights:
It is with great pleasure that we introduce PROServer James Wheeler, Jr. from the state of New York. Jim is the owner of Here to Serve, LLC, a process service business that provides professional and reliable process service in Otsego County, state of New York, as well as parts of Delaware, Schoharie and Chenango counties. Jim is both a certified and pre-screened process server with PROServer List which means he has successfully passed the Certification Exam, administered by the Process Server Center and has been pre-screened by our client members. "Jim Wheeler is by far one of the best and most professional process servers", shares one of our PROServer List clients, Andrew Watson with Associated Legal, "Our company works with more than 4,000 process servers nationwide, and Jim from Here to Serve definitely stands out. He is knowledgeable and proactive, professional and goes beyond his duties to investigate and many times obtain a new address for difficult to find respondents. Jim is extremely reliable when called upon to serve legal documents and handles rush services fast and with great diligence. I would say he truly deserves the designation of a PROServer, one who is 'the best and most reliable [...] selected among many process servers to be fully equipped to serve process correctly the first time'".
Jim Wheeler Jr. has over 17 years of experience and more than 42,000 papers served and counting ...! Here to Serve in New York State utilizes the latest technologies in the process service profession, including GPS stamped photos upon request. When asked what differentiates him from many other process servers, Jim shares that he is obsessed "with improving and perfecting the process with the ultimate goal of amazing my clients. I strive to work twice as hard as my competitors who are often half my age. " In addition to process service, Here to Serve helps legal professionals with document retrieval, court filings, record searches, notice postings, foreclosure sales attendance/representation as well as occupancy inspections.
Paralegals, attorneys and pro se clients are all eager to share their experience with Jim Wheeler's work. He is one of very few nationwide process servers committed to proper service and thorough due diligence. Jim is knowledgeable, investigative and persistent with fair pricing, quick service and always a correct and timely affidavit. "My very first service of process was in October of 2003. The moment I completed that service, I knew this was my future. So for the next four years, I slowly grew the business while holding down a full time day job. Then in the fall of 2007, I left my day job and went 'all in' on serving papers full time. It has been the most rewarding career imaginable. I love my job!", Jim Wheeler shares. And loving his job truly shows when you hire Jim from Here to Serve to help you with your process service. Jim always goes the extra mile and is eager to continue to learn more and acquire new skills, a trait the Process Server Center highly encourages by offering free online programs to its PROServer List members. 
The Process Server Center has a twofold purpose. On the one hand, clients needed an easy way to sift through the many listings of process servers in the United States and quickly find a reliable process server they can trust. On the other hand, PROServer List is the first group of exclusive process servers who stand out among their peers with their highest professionalism. It allows servers to differentiate themselves and be awarded for their hard work and persistence in this difficult profession.
PROServer List is not for everyone, but it is definitely the group for process servers like James Wheeler, Jr. who, in addition to their professional skills, are a pleasure to work with. Jim not only serves your legal documents, and delivers the correct affidavit on time, but watches out for court dates, serve by dates, follows up to clarify on client's instructions, asks questions before attempting a service in order to make sure he has the best approach to successfully serve a defendant in a lawsuit.
In his years of experience, Jim has many process service stories to share. "The thing about process serving is I never know what's going to happen on the job. Some people chase me off their property. Others invite me in for dinner. Once I served a person who then asked me to stay for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie. Still others have asked me to keep them in my prayers. One man I recently served reached out to me online a few days later and we have now become friends. He even made me some homemade apple sauce and a loaf of banana bread. In addition he became a client when he hired me to serve someone else..."
When you need legal documents served in Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie or Chenango counties in New York, do not hesitate to reach out to Jim Wheeler from Here to Serve. "Process Serving, when done with compassion and understanding, can open new doors for relationships and mutual respect.", Jim adds. When you hire Jim Wheeler, your process will be handled properly every time, and who knows, you may even become friends. Learn more by visiting Here to Serve website.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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!
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.
The judicial system did not escape the debilitating effects of the current challenging times. Courts shut down or moved to a virtual environment. Remote work became the norm and members of the legal community are fighting to find a stable footing. During these difficult times it has become crucial to rely on legal technology for everything from electronic filings to digital depositions to virtual hearings. Legal experts are providing insights and predictions as to the future of the legal industry and the direction in which it will continue to share. Few people in the legal industry have the experience and knowledge to weigh in the way Karl Harris, CEO of Lex Machina, can. In a recent interview with John Goodnow from Above the Law, Harris shared his insights on the changes to come and the factors that will allow law firms to succeed in the new legal world. 
Law Firms on the Cusp of a Fundamental Revolution
According to Karl Harris the legal industry will experience changes in the way they deliver their services. "The stakeholder that’s going to be driving the change is clients", Harris shared. He sees part of this revolution to involve a continuing shift away from the traditional billable hour model. “The billable hour, it’s just got to go away, right? Nobody likes it. Clients don’t like it, the associate that’s got the little timer on their screen doesn’t like it, nobody likes it.” Harris further explains that under the billable hour, “there can often be an adversarial relationship with a client and its outside counsel, as you’re kind of wondering, ‘Are we really in alignment? Are our incentives aligned? Are they doing the right thing?’ ”
To Harris, law firms that succeed and will continue to be change agents for the legal industry are the ones that lead their firms to become active partners in promoting their clients’ business goals. From a necessary evil and a line on an expense sheet, clients now take on a central role in the legal industry process. Harris believes that by sharing risk and aligning a law firm's success with that of its customer, firms will become more efficient with their own resources. Being efficient and moving toward fixed-fee work does not necessarily mean that a law firm's revenue will go down. “It’s okay if a fixed-fee arrangement actually results in a higher fee than what a billable arrangement would, because what the client is paying for is reduced risk, and people are willing to pay to reduce risk", Harris adds. Agile Enough to Meet Clients' Evolving Needs
According to Harris, the question is which law firms are going to be able to meet that change. In conversations with law firm leaders and partners, the number one question on their minds is if the firm is agile enough to meet the changing and evolving needs of their clients. Unfortunately, the answer to this question among paralegals, attorneys and legal assistants is negative. Law firms do not feel generally agile enough to meet the new and fast changing needs of their clients.
Harris said he sees this as a deeply untenable state of affairs, especially for law firms that employ a traditional fiscal system. “There’s a lot of risk, year to year, in the law firm model. At the end of the year, you pay out all the profits to partners and you start with zero. You finance the firm for three quarters of the year with loans from a bank. You’re not even in the black until the last few months of the year, and then you make all your profits. Like, if you make one mistake, it can bring down an entire firm.” One of the most important questions a law firm can be asking itself, according to Harris, is about its leadership team. “What’s the profile of the ultimate decision-makers at these large law firms? Are they nimble, technology-savvy? Where are they at in generational turnover, and what’s their willingness to take risk and make changes?” In the months and years ahead we see competition growing stronger and more sharp-elbowed. Law firms that are not ready to pivot quickly as circumstances merit could find themselves pushed right out of business.
Leveling The Field
Based on fast technological advances in the legal industry, small and midsized law firms are quickly embracing new tools and applications. Technology is becoming a great equalizer in the legal field, one that allows small and midsized firms to punch above their level. These changes lead to an increase in competition, that challenges the status quo for large, highly leveraged law firms. As more attorneys have the tools to service their clients, the level of competition and customer service goes up, and the legal industry begins catching up on the ground it has lost to the broader business world. Harris gave the example of trying to decide whether to file a motion for summary judgment in a major case. The traditional method of making that decision might be to email blast the firm for insights on the judge or opposing counsel, and then trying to use whatever anecdotes arrive to supplement the attorney’s legal reasoning and judgment. With Lex Machina, however, an attorney can click a few buttons to pull statistics on:
“What AI is doing right now is massive pattern matching at scale", according to Harris, "That’s what machine learning, natural language processing does: it makes sense of patterns that may be too hard for the human to hold all the data in their mind … . It’s great at processing lots of data at scale, but it’s just matching patterns. There is no intelligence that’s replacing your judgment, so don’t be afraid of AI. Embrace it. Leverage it to your advantage.” Software can quickly pull the 10 most recent successful and unsuccessful MSJs a given judge has ruled on, or calculate what percentage of cases of a certain type succeed or fail in a given jury pool. And software does it faster, and for pennies on the dollar compared to what it would cost an associate or partner to generate the same data. That data helps attorneys make better litigation decisions and helps them communicate more effectively to their clients on why a given recommendation is the right one.
Winners And Losers among Law Firms
“Law firms are going to need to change, and there will be winners and losers,” Harris noted. When asked about the one factor that, above all, will determine which firms succeed and which do not, Harris answers, “Law firm leaders need to make sure they’ve got that customer-centric product management approach. At the end of the day, the firm is your product. Be listening to your clients. Watch what they’re doing. Be aware of the data. Look how they’re evaluating your performance, and don’t fight that. Embrace it, because you’ve got to be in line with your customers.” Similar to factors that influence other type of businesses, the success or failure among law firms will always come down to how well we serve our customers. We live in a time where there are plenty of technological and innovative companies and leaders who give law firms the tools, know-how and actionable tools that would help them do what the legal industry already does but better. Tools like Lex Machina or PROServer List are just a couple of the many great solutions available to law firms, both large and small, to embrace the changing needs of their clients and truly get on the path of becoming winners.
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.
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. 
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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: 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.
Highlights:
Ernest Moody has recently joined PROServer LIST as a newly certified PROServer from the state of Florida. He runs Capital Court Services, conveniently located in downtown Tallahassee. Ernest proudly provides prompt process service to all of the state agencies, such as Florida Secretary of State, Chief Financial Officer, Department of Revenue, Attorney General and Governor's Office. In addition, Capital Court Services regularly serves registered agents, including Corporation Service Company, CT Corporation System, Prentice-Hall Corporation System, LexisNexis, NRAI and more. Ernest Moody is certified by Florida's 2nd Judicial Circuit as a process server, FL License No. CC300127. Additionally, he is an accredited FAPPS Process Server (AFPS) and has training and experience in private investigations. Ernest holds a certificate in Legal Investigations from Florida Gulf Coast University and has received the designation of a certified PROServer after successful completion of the required Certification Exam with a score of more than 80%. He is now awaiting pre-screening from client members of PROServer LIST upon which he will be awarded the dual designation of a certified and pre-screened PROServer. "I have been a full-time professional process server for over 10 years and I take the profession seriously. It is surprising how many people become process servers in order to make "side money" or because they only want to work a few hours a week. They are unable to meet the needs of many clients, and tend to reflect poorly on the profession. Litigation support is what I do. I take pride in my work and the career that I have built", shares Ernest about his experience and what differentiates him from other process servers.
Many of the clients who hire Ernest for their process service needs, quickly realize how seriously he takes their business. At Capital Court Services "I strive for transparency and clear communication with every client regardless of the size of their firm," further shares Ernest. The company is fully equipped to handle a variety of legal cases with different requirements for deadlines and methods of service, including small claims pleadings, family law, witness subpoenas and tenant eviction complaints.
Ernest has many stories about the many services he has successfully completed for his clients. When prompted to share a story that has stuck with him, Ernest says "I have served thousands of papers for the Florida Department of Children and Families, and those cases are often tragic. My early experience serving negligent or abusive parents made a great impression on me, and gave me a much better understanding of the important role that process servers play for the legal system and society. On a lighter note, I once located and served a man in the middle of a national forest. He was temporarily staying in a tent to hide from his divorce papers."
Next time you need service of process, retrieval of public records or a skip trace to locate a difficult defendant, Ernest from Capital Court Services can help you! Learn more by visiting their website at Capital Court Services.
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.
Process servers have an important responsibility in our society, and that role stems from the meaning of process service. As part of the judicial process, service of process is a procedure which requires one party to a lawsuit to give a proper notice of initial legal action to another party in an effort to exercise jurisdiction over the party being served and enable this same party to respond to the proceeding before the court. 
What Does a Process Server Do?
Process servers perform a number of tasks such as document retrieval, filing of legal documents with the court and process serving. A process server's main duty is to deliver legal documents, called process, to a party or parties involved in a lawsuit. As such, the key responsibility of a process server is to notify the parties of a legal action taken against them.
How Does a Process Server Deliver Legal Documents?
A process server hand delivers process or legal documents that were filed with the court, called an originating court, to a party or parties indicated in the lawsuit, as well as to other parties, not named in the lawsuit, who may have information about it.
Let's expand more on the steps that comprise service of process from finding a process server to the delivery of the legal documents, called process:
Next time you have legal documents to be served, you will be well-prepared as to what happens when you hire a process server. As a client, you will know each step a process server takes in order to successfully deliver your process and file the completed affidavit of service with the court. Depending on the type of case and the court requirements, some of these steps may involve even more steps. For example, if the process server discovers that the address you provided is bad and the person to be served moved out, you or the process server may do a skip trace in order to find the current address of this person.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are approximately 15,000 to 20,000 process servers in the United States, working both full and part time. These numbers exclude sheriffs, constables, and other law enforcement officers who may also serve legal documents. When you are trying to find and hire a process server, it is important to fully understand the process and duties of process servers. The outcome of service of process is crucial to your lawsuit and the responsibility of a process server to properly deliver the legal documents is a key part of this outcome.
Understanding how crucial process service is to the outcome of your lawsuit, would you hire a process server who does not fully and completely follow your instructions? Or would you find and hire a process server who would fulfill his/her specific job functions as described above? To ensure proper service of process as a client, you would want to find and hire a PROServer, and not just a process server.
What is the Difference Between a Process Server and a PROServer?
A process server is anyone engaged in delivering legal documents, either full time or part time. Some deliver legal documents as part of a process service agency, others work independently. There are people who have a full time job and in addition they deliver legal documents. Some process servers seek training, others do not. There are some states or parts of states that require certification or licensing for process servers, but most do not have this requirement. Some process servers ask questions and strive to learn, others do not. Some process servers follow your instructions, others fail to complete some of their duties as listed above.
On the other hand, a PROServer is a process server who is committed to the positive outcome of your lawsuit and fully understands the key role process service plays as part of the judicial process. A PROServer is a process server who is pre-screened and/or certified to deliver legal documents to any person or business in the United States. PROServers are pre-screened by legal professionals, like paralegals, attorneys, process service managers who have used their services. Pre-screened PROServers are the best and most reliable process servers selected among many process servers to be fully equipped to serve process correctly the first time.
What Every PROServer Knows In Order To Be Successful?
Depending on the state in which he/she is engaged in the profession, a PROServer is actively searching for ways to further improve his/her service results, whether it is through online training programs, industry challenges, adopting new technologies or streamlining the processes. Performing his/her job duties properly is part of the daily routine of each PROServer who understand that success comes with constant improvement and it is the only sure way to attract and retain new clients. PROServers ask questions prior to starting their attempts to deliver the legal documents. They carefully read any information or instructions provided by the client. A PROServer knows what tools to use in order to protect himself from incomplete instructions as they may lead to a bad service of process. PROServers fully document what happens out in the field when they are making the attempts and retain this information as part of each process service.
Clients are beginning to recognize the difference between a process server and a PROServer and what it means to the outcome of their lawsuit. Government agencies, large and small law firms are willing to pay more but eliminate any delays in process serving, whether it is due to process servers not following instructions, not properly completing the delivery of the legal documents or failing to produce an affidavit of service on time.
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.
Can a perfectly executed service of legal documents, known as process, go wrong? 
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.
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.
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. 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.
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:
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?
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:
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:
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.
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:
"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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. |
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