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It all comes down to confidence; and the way that the clients gain confidence is by your professionalism. There are many organizations that promote this in our industry. ASIS, CFE, ISATP, ISMA are four of the better ones. But professionalism comes from within. You must have integrity and loyalty to both your client and your self. As the old saying goes, you don't commit a crime to stop a crime. If you agree to do something for a client that is illegal you have lost your credibility with that client because he now can not trust you not to do something to or against him. As an investigator you need to be aware that people are watching you. I have picked up several clients due to the inappropriate behavior of my competitors at social events. At a Christmas party several years ago a competitor showed up in a very out of style black velvet suit with a large red bow tie and red socks. One of his biggest debugging clients came over to me and said "well I can't let someone like that in my business, call me on Monday". I once had another client tell me that he goes to investigative conventions to know who not to refer business to. There are some really great investigators out there and I am proud that most of them are my friends. I am also saddened that so many others carry out their business in such an unprofessional manner. I would like to share some information that I got from the "Personal Profiles" of Atlanta area Investigators on the internet. They may think that they are cool or cute but how many of you would want to expose your company to the liability of some of these individuals. I found that several individuals used screen names like Magnum, Gumshu, Bone, and others had quick remarks like "Who's askn" (not a typo). Under Marital Status I found things like "Same as yours, Does it matter, and Who cares! Well if I were a person hiring a protective agent to guard my wife I would care. Under Hobbies I found things like spending money and makin Love, normal trash, Kickin Ass, and drinking coffee. Are these the qualities that a CEO from a Fortune 1000 company is looking for in their investigators? Then the fun really started when we got to "Personal Quote" , What's up with that!!! , Several make my day's, Have gun will travel, If its good to ya, it's good for ya, Up against the wall, You are under arrest and you have NO rights, Impeach Bill Clinton Now. Get rid of the Dirtbag!! and several sports slogans. When we look at these not only do we see someone who is immature, we see several people that are cutting themselves off from business. If you were one of the 50% of the people that voted for Clinton are you going to call this person to handle your case. If you support the Bull Dogs will you call someone saying GO TECH? From a selfish side I would say to all of the above keep it up. You're great for my business. From the professional side, as a leader in the Security and Investigative industry I must give some of you some advise. Major corporations know what type of Investigator they are looking for. It is one that fits their corporate image. They know that they are ultimately liable for the work of anyone that they hire. If you want to fit into Corporate America you must become part of Corporate America. One of the first things that I was told when I started in business was that "You must look like you can afford to buy what you are selling". There is a time and a place for Jeans and Cut Offs. But, when you are attempting to land a major corporate account you need to dress as if you belong in that corporation. Your brochures and business cards need to be professional. Get rid of the magnifying glass, gun, handcuffs, or little trench coated man on your business cards and letterhead. Have a professional brochure designed that will set you apart from all of the photo copy brochures. Be sure to have your E-Mail address on your card. Never cross out information and write in new. Spend the money to buy new cards. The one job that you loose because the person thinks that you do not pay attention to detail could pay for a million new cards. You must remember that no matter how small a case may seem to you, it is the most important thing in the world to your client at that time, or they would not be there. Think about what you are doing and how you are acting or dressed. Would you hire you, or would you go across the room and hire the Professional Investigator at the next table. I have heard for years about the TSCM people who decided it would be fast money and went out and bought one of those "WE DO EVERYTHING" analyzers. One thing that you must keep in mind, no mater what equipment you use, is that you still need to understand electronics and wiring. If you don't know the theory of how to bug, you will not be able to locate a well placed transmitter made with current specs. I have had clients call me and tell me that they have had another TSCM firm so a sweep and they were told that the phone was bugged but that it was out side the building so they could not find it only to find out that they had used a TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer) and did not know the difference between a line splice and a tap. Or when they hear a local radio station coming in from the Carrier Current check and tell the client they are bugged because they don't understand electronics. Then there are the times when they check an ATT phone system and pick up data and don't understand why, thus alerting the client to an "Information Loss". I see some of your readers posting some very good questions, and then I see some others that remind me of the first part of this letter. I am afraid that most of them could not make it through a real TSCM school if their life depended on it and unfortunately they are the ones out in the community running their mouths the most. We have used Thermal Imagers for years to check the outside of the building for laser transmitters. We have found two cases using that device. It is not an end all to the TSCM business, but it is one of a minimum or 5 types of analyzers that are needed to conduct a professional sweep. If anyone would like to know more, I would be glad to speak with them. Keith Flannigan, CFE usgmi@worldnet.att.net Director United Security Group Management Inc |