Posts Tagged 'locator form'

Fantasy Football and Research Attrition

Published March 24, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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The most important day in fantasy football is draft day. Players study and prepare for weeks. On this glorious day, you go through numerous rounds of picking your team. You win or lose your whole season on that day. But it takes several months to find out. Sure, you can make some moves and a couple trades, but a pig is a pig, no matter how much lipstick you put on it. Most of the time you cannot make up for the bad choices you made on draft day.

Similarily, the most important day of your research study is the first session with your client. You can make or break your whole foll0w-up season right here. This is why I stress the importance of making their first encounter enjoyable while getting as much locating information as possible. Just like the fantasy draft, as soon as the first encounter is done, your attrition rate is determined by the events that occurred. Specifically, the client’s impression of you and the amount of locating information you received. Over the following months, you will find out if you won or lost.

What do I suggest?  Prepare.

Tracking Clients: Quick Tip #2

Published February 5, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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If you are out looking for someone and you see the neighborhood postal worker, talk to them. Ask them questions that can help you in your search. For instance, “Do you know if the Hendersons still live in the blue house?”
Don’t force it. If you are casual about it, you may be surprised by what you find. Also, check out this post for a story along the same lines.

So who else from the neighborhood can help?

Public Records Databases: It’s all in the name

Published January 15, 2009 Attitudes , Follow-up Strategies , Skip tracing Leave a Comment
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If you don’t have an accurate Social Security Number on a client, you need to keep something in mind. In order to get the best information on this research client, one question will determine your public records strategy:

How common is their name?

John Smith
With him, you’re going to have to be creative to get the right public records. If you just submit that name in a search, you’re going to get a phone book of results. Not only will you have to input the full name, but you will have to put in a city, state and possibly a year of birth. You could search by a previous address, if you had it. If an SSN is associated with the name at that address, click it and reap the rewards.

There is one way you can ease the pain: get John’s middle name at his first appointment. Even a middle initial is huge. With common names, you need any differentiation possible.

Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo
The future’s looking bright. You could probably search the whole United States just by the last name (if allowed) and see what comes up. Anyone with that last name will likely be a relative.

Also, just put the name in Google. Any match has to be your man. I found a client from several years previous because his crazy name was mentioned in a newspaper from out-of-state.


Lesson: Note the uniqueness of their name before you get their information. If it’s John Smith, go the extra mile to get as much as you can.

Locator Forms: The Best Weapon Against Attrition

Published January 6, 2009 Follow-up Strategies 1 Comment
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Clients may not be as dumb as Homer, but they do feel the pressure if you don’t treat their private information with respect. So here are some tips for filling out a locator form with a new research client.

1. Fill it out as late as possible
Unless you’re a jerk. Then do it as early as possible. Seriously, the more time you have to build rapport, the more they will trust you and tell you.

2. Document their daily routine
No matter who you are, you have a routine. Drug addicts, doctors, acrobats…everyone. Asking them to describe a typical day is a good way to get them talking, and it also prevents you from waking them up during their nap time between 2 – 3 pm.

3. Don’t settle for one phone number
Things change. Maybe all you will need is one phone number. But think about the last time you changed your cell phone number. Did you know you were going to change it 6 months prior, or even 3 months? Get as much contact info as you can, including people who can get a message to the client (use those words too).

4. Ask for their Social Security Number last
Send me your SSN to this email. What? I’m a professional!…It’s a moot point. This is sensitive information and you don’t know me. Remember this the next time you ask a client for one. Explain the reasons why you are asking for one, and exactly how you would use it (if needed).

5. Have them fill it out if they prefer
Bottom line: Do whatever makes them the most comfortable when giving their personal information. If they fill it out themselves, thank them for saving you some work. But make sure it is adequate before you send them on their way. And if their handwriting is like mine, God be with you…

Check out this post and try applying the philosophy to the locator form experience. If you have any other tips with locator forms, please comment.

Ben Van Hunnik

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