5 Marketing Tactics for Your Repossession Agency to Gain More Clients

Marketing your repossession agency is not necessarily a straightforward endeavor.  Repossession agencies do not market themselves like a typical local business nor are all marketing tactics apparent. As a repossession agency, your primary customer is the creditor: banks, credit unions, captive lenders, national forwarding companies, and so on. How do these clients find their vendors? There are multiple marketing tactics for repossession agencies. The most important tactics are through your compliance profile, with online presence and via email outreach. 

Compliance Profile

A compliance profile is generally not the first thing that any recovery agent thinks of when making a marketing plan. However, the savvy ones know that creditors have a high level of risk when dealing with self-help repossession and therefore need to be sure that their vendors are taking all precautions to reduce their risk. The creditors want to know they can trust you and that you will keep them away from lawsuits. When an agency demonstrates that their compliance documentation including annual training, insurance accords, business licenses, lot inspections, and more are in order, they have a leg up on the competition.

The best option to showcase compliance is through a RISC Pro membership. RISC Pro gives you this compliance profile, tools, and support to keep your compliance rating at the top. In addition to the tools, RISC Pro is a platform where creditors can see the agents who take their compliance seriously. It allows agents to quickly share their profile with creditors, creating an easy marketing tool to talk with prospective clients. You know that the collateral recovery industry has different rules, so being able to market your compliance standing is more important than any website or advertisement.

Website

A website will not necessarily be the most crucial element of marketing a repossession agency, but in the 21st century, nearly every business should have a website of some sort. Everyone goes to the www to find what they need or to get more information on a company. You may not necessarily land a new client through your website, but it can be your online contact card. Use your website to showcase that you are CARS certified or licensed in a specific state. List your services, your coverage area, and promote your mantra on how you do business professionally. Without a website, you are missing an opportunity for a potential client to find and learn more about you. 

It can be intimidating to make a website, but it does not need to be a multi-thousand-dollar endeavor. Many platforms such as Wix or Squarespace provide the tools to create a website with no coding necessary. These plug and play options will cost you under $25 per month if you are moderately tech-savvy. Or, search out online services that will create a website for you at a low price. If you need a logo, there are dozens of sites that do affordable logo design. Tailored Logo, Fiverr, or Canva are a few examples. Online apps are making marketing material creation easier each day.

Social Media

Social media can be a time suck and a rabbit hole for negative dialogue. If properly used, it is another way to increase your online presence. LinkedIn and Facebook are the most valuable platforms where repossession dialogue occurs and industry contacts ‘hang out’. LinkedIn is the platform where many contacts of your creditor clients are active and searchable. It is also the more professional platform where creditors seek the professional agent. Locate the vendor managers, repossession supervisors, or asset recovery directors working for the clients you hope to work for. Connect and add them to your network. Reach out to them via LinkedIn Inmail or a personal email to set up a call or talk via email. Be proactive in finding the clients you want for your business. 

Facebook is the platform where a lot of the recovery agent chatter happens. Generally, you do not see much conversation from lending clients or third-party providers, but they are definitely on Facebook listening. Actively posting in the groups that have a positive or constructive dialogue can elevate you as an agency owner. It will shine a positive light on your business but be aware who might be reading. Bashing creditors will not help you get business with any of them. In some cases your posts can even be used against you in a lawsuit. Overall, social media is a great tool to increase your online visibility, but it can eat up a lot of your time. You also must be careful of how you want to present yourself and your company online. 

Google Listing

One quick and easy way to improve your online presence is to add your company to Google My Business. Finding recovery agencies is generally not something lenders do by searching the web, but there is always the chance that someone might be looking for you. It only takes about 10 minutes so there is no reason not to check this simple online marketing checkbox. 

Electronic PDF Sales Flyer

Many recovery agencies choose to omit certain details on websites since the recovery business has unique safety and legal concerns. For this reason, a great marketing tool can be a simple email along with a detailed digital sales flyer for prospective clients. This flyer can provide more details about your lots, offices, policies, services, and attention to compliance. It’s a perfect piece of marketing collateral to send direct to prospective clients. Designing a sales flyer can be done in Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, or other simple online design tools. Ensure it looks professional, matches your website, includes contact details, and is an emailable-sized PDF. 

In short, marketing tactics for repossession agencies need to be nurtured if gaining new clients is a goal. These are not the only tactics to increase your client base, but they are essential. Your compliance profile is the most important thing creditors want to see. If you do not have an online presence, you are missing the boat.   

RISC updates its CARS Financial Client collateral recovery training program for lenders and national forwarders.

TAMPA, FL 9/28/2020 – RISC, with support from the leading consumer financial law firm, Hudson Cook, LLP, have completed the 2020 update of the training certification program CARS Financial Client (CARS FC). The CARS FC certification program was created for financial clients, including national forwarding companies and lending institutions, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the state and federal laws that apply to self-help repossession. The course update aligns the content with current federal law and the addition of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).

RISC developed this collateral recovery training curriculum in 2017 to support industry professionals who do not perform repossessions and is updated annually.  This online training program takes enrollees through all aspects of the repossession process, from government regulations to possible liability traps, and teaches best practices. The program covers topics such as:

  • CFPB Oversight
  • Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA)
  • Dodd-Frank prohibition on Unfair, Deceptive, and Abusive Acts and Practices (UDAAP)
  • Telephone Protection Act
  • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
  • Contracts
  • Crimes and Torts
  • And much more

CARS FC is an online course administered on the RISC Educational Platform that allows for self-paced training. Over 5,000 people are certified annually with RISC’s CARS FC, CARS, and CARS Continuing Education programs. To learn how to train yourself or your employees, contact us at [email protected].

About RISC

RISC is an organization dedicated to providing compliance oversight and training services to the collateral recovery industry and beyond. RISC advocates on behalf of all practitioners within the industry. For more information, visit www.RISCus.com or call (813) 712-7535.

Insurance broker, Western Skies MGA, endorses CARS, RISC Pro and Driver Safety.

Western Skies MGA announced that they will be officially endorsing several of RISC’s compliance education and services. Read the full press release below:

8/23/2020 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Western Skies MGA announces their endorsement of collateral recovery compliance services company RISC and their CARS education courses.

Las Vegas, NV – Western Skies MGA, an insurance brokerage firm writing coverage for the towing and repossession industry, announced that they are officially endorsing RISC (Recovery Industry Services Company) and its compliance training certification program, CARS, the Driver Safety training, and their RISC Pro Membership. RISC is the primary compliance services company in the collateral recovery industry that provides compliance and safety training for both recovery agencies as well as lending institutions.

RISC’s CARS National Certification program covers the full spectrum of crucial knowledge that recovery agents need to safely do business in the industry. CARS is the only training accepted in all 50 states by all national creditors. In addition, RISC’s Driver Safety Training can be instrumental in reducing claims and keeping recovery agents safe. RISC Pro Members are part of an elite network of agency owners that use all RISC training courses while meeting stringent vetting to achieve a higher level of compliance standing.

“At Western Skies, we always encourage our customers to train their staff with the most comprehensive and up to date certification courses,” says president, Daniel Smith. “Thorough vetting and training are essential to reduce insurance claims and help reduce liability in the event of a lawsuit.  RISC’s CARS National Certification and Driver Safety programs are the top education programs in the collateral recovery industry. We desire our customers be RISC Pro members because we can have confidence that they have had the best training possible.”

Western Skies MGA will continue to remind its clients of the importance of training as a vital piece of any recovery agency’s business protocol. To learn more about the CARS National Certification Program, Driver Safety Training, or RISC Pro visit www.riscus.com.

About Western Skies MGA

Western Skies MGA is a licensed wholesale and E&S brokerage headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. We have strong insurance carrier relationships and can help secure coverage for all commercial trucking and transportation risks; even very hard to place risks. Our staff has years of program administration and insurance experience. We make it our business to understand your business and to provide guidance, excellent customer service and support to each and every client. The integrity of our company is our biggest asset, so we select individuals and companies we do business with very carefully. With a team of seasoned professionals, the very latest in data management technology and communication systems, as well as the implementation of consistent standards of practice, Western Skies is the transportation partner you can trust. Contact us at (702) 685-2074 or email us at [email protected]. westerskiesmga.com

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