It's a great time to be in the bail bonding business! In the past three
years, the number of locally owned and operated bail bonding services companies
have tripled across Alabama and the country.
The exponential growth in bail bonding companies is a direct reflection
of the increasing crime rate. It's true,
more and more people are giving up on life and spending more and more time in
the slammer. While the spike in crime is
bad news for our society, it's great news for business owners like you and me who
make a good living getting bad guys out of jail. Even with the influx in clients, locally
owned and operated bail bonding companies must step up their marketing and
customer service skills to keep the bills paid. As president of the Bail
Bondsman of America and editor of the newsletter, Breaking Out, I will be
highlighting several successful local bail agents to help you grow your own
business.
Respect, Dignity and Diet Coke
If you're going to make it in the bail bonding business, you need to
take a few notes from the owner of Rush Bail Bonds in Alabama.
This particular company started out 15 year ago as a one man show and is
now one the largest bail bonding services company in the entire state of Alabama.
During a brief interview, the owner revealed to me the secret to his success:
Respect, Dignity and a whole lot of Diet Coke.
When he first started his bail bonding business, he says bail agents
often treated criminal suspects like, well, criminals. He believes everyone makes mistakes and deserves
to be treated with respect and dignity.
A simple shift in perspective quickly became the talk of the jail and
soon after Rush's phone was ringing off the hook. And even though most of their clients are
charged with violent crimes, they always offer them a diet coke in his
office. Carbonated beverages are banned
in jail, so a Diet Coke is a real treat and ice breaker.
Bail Bondsman Connecting with Clients
As I traveled the country, interviewing local bail bondsman, it became
very clear how important it is for a bail agent to bond and connect with their
clients. No, you don't need to break the
law or break your client out of jail to do so.
In fact, all it takes is a simple phone call to say hello and ask about
their day. All too often when a suspect
is arrested and booked into jail, they will lose contact with their friends
and family. The most successful bail
bonding companies in Alabama, will often be available for their clients 24/7,
365 days a year. Making yourself
available to your client builds trust! The more your client trusts your locally
owned and operated bail bonding services company and your bail bonding agents,
the more likely they will recommend your bail services to other friends and
cellmate.
Successful Bail Bondsman Go the Extra Mile
It's clear from visiting successful bail bonding companies across the
country, bail agents with the most revenue always go the extra mile. Making an extra effort for your clients will
vary depending on your finances and circumstances of a particular case. For example, Rush Bail Bonds will always provide its clients with a town car and gift
certificate to the Outback when released from jail. This small gesture makes a
big impact on your client and their families.
In Georgia, I interviewed a bail bondsman who once drove an inmate's
wife to the hospital while she was in labor with their 10th child. Another successful bail bonding company sent
one of its clients a care package with his favorite brownies every week until
his family could gather enough money to get him out of jail. Bottom line: make your client and their
family feel special! Going to extra mile
will make you a better bail bonding agent and a better community member.
Hire the Best Bail Agents
The key to any successful bail bonding company is hiring and retaining
the best bail bondsman in the business.
The best place to search for new bail agent hires is the American Institute of Bail Bonding and Bail Enforcement Training. This prestigious bail bonding school educates the brightest
bail agents in the world. In fact, the
most successful bail bonding company in Alabama only hires bail agents who have
graduated from The American Institute of Bail Bonding and Bail Enforcement Training.
