Contract Agents

As someone who believes in networking, I thought I would pass on a few of my thoughts on contracting for services. I have used the services of many people on this board and throughout the industry from coast to coast and border to border and have always tried to maintain a good reputation while doing so.
1. Never allow your personal or professional reputation to be besmirched over matters of money or performance. Ask a fair price for your services and pay a fair price when contracting the services of another agent. Always pay upon the completion of the contract, in cash would be preferable, but if the contracted agent agrees to accept a check, never write a check that can't be cashed immediately. Remember, you are the one who asked for and accepted their help. The reponsibility to pay is yours and not the bonding company, the indemnitor, or any other third party.

2. Never denigrate the services of the person you contracted. You asked for their help. As the agent in charge of the case, you always reserve the reponsibility to terminate their involvement at any time, but you should never bad mouth them, especially if your assignment was completed successfully. They are not there to be the primary agent. They were hired to assist you.

3. Whenever possible, you should give the contracted agent as much advance notice as possible that you will be in their area and might need their assistance. Last minute requests are usually a sign of poor planning and do not speak well of your professional status.

4. Avoid giving yourself titles of little or no meaning. Referring to yourself as an elevated rank or title is considered by many old hands to be an indicator of a wannabe or rookie. If your name alone isn't sufficient to command the repect that you think you deserve, work harder to establish your reputation instead of arbitrairily designationg yourself as a "special" anything, or CEO or any other ridiculous title.

5. Be respectful of local agents when you come into their territory. It is quite possible that they have more knowledge of the local environment than you and will probably be more helpful if you do not come off as a "know it all". When hosting another agent, either by invitation or circumstance, be a generous and gracious host. Buying a cup of coffee or even dinner should be a given, especially if you are imposing on their time. Being gracious will make it less of an imposition and will most likely lead to relationships that just gets stronger with time and experience.

There are probably many other things that I'm leaving out, but hopefully you get the idea. Am I the most liked recovery agent in the business? Maybe, maybe not, but my reputation has never been seriously questioned in the twenty-six years that I have been in the business. I have never signed a contract to recover a skip nor has anyone ever asked me for a contract. Would i refuse to sign one? Probably not, but it has never been an issue. Let us hope that everyone involved has learned from their mistakes and are able to recover from this unpeasant incident.

_________________
Joe Stiles
Bail Fast Bonding/
Black Aces Bail Recovery
Knoxville, TN
800-689-5031

Fully agree with these statements.

_________________
Mike
Norcal Bail Enforcement
San Jose Ca.
360 237 1721 efax
408 402 2710 work cell
DOI Bail Agent Lic 1844214
BSIS G1533544

Go hug a Tree

Joe,
Well stated! I am proud to say that I have been able to work with the Man from the Mountain!

Scott

_________________
R.E. "Scott" MacLean III

"Leaders are like Eagles, you never see them in a flock, but one at a time"

Chesapeake Group Investigations, Inc.
Chesapeake Bail Bonds
877-574-0500
301-392-1100 (fax)
301-392-1900 (Office)

For anyone old or new to this business Mr. Joe Stiles is one of the most PROFESSIONAL Business person you will get to hear from and you can take him at his word on any subject matter he will discuss with you. I have been around since 1975 and I hold Joe in high admiration & Professionalism and most of all he has my respect and I am proud to be able to call him a good friend.

Thanks Joe for your contributions and many long hours you have put in to help make the Bonding & Recovery Business Professional.

_________________
The Rose Investigations LLC
Collection Agency
Security & Investigations Consultant
Retired Private Investigator & Bail Enforcement
NAM VET 1969- 1975 US Army (RECON)
Office 260-220-3877
1-888-631-5520
Fax 260-456-6062

very well spoke Joe

_________________


Do not consider anything for your interest which makes you break your word, quit your modesty, or inclines you to any practice which will not bear the light, or look the world in the face .... Marcus Antonius

I AM Some Folks "KARMA" and A MODERATOR @ FRN

Joe, I haven't had the opportunity to work with you on a recovery, but have had the pleasure of hearing your knowledge and listening to you expertise..you are absolutely top notch in my book...truly a pleasure to call you a friend!

_________________
Matt Arnold
President/CEO
BEA, PI, PPS
Finders Investigations, Inc

I also think this post should be made a Sticky post

_________________
The Rose Investigations LLC
Collection Agency
Security & Investigations Consultant
Retired Private Investigator & Bail Enforcement
NAM VET 1969- 1975 US Army (RECON)
Office 260-220-3877
1-888-631-5520
Fax 260-456-6062

I worked an out of state case (Tennessee, of course), for a bondsman that I didn't know from Adam, because I was contacted by Joe and offered the opportunity. I hadn't met Joe at the time but his reputation preceded him and I treated the case as though I was working with/for him (I wasn't. He referred me and put me in contact with the bondsman and stepped back completely.). My team and I located the fugitive, after a two-week investigation, in Panorama City, Ca and, with nothing more than the bondsman (and Joe's word), transported him by car to Knoxville, some 2,300 miles away.

Somewhere in all this, I think, Joe had made the comment that if the bondsman didn't pay the agreed upon fee, he would. I believed him. However, after arriving in Knoxville, meeting one of the bondsmen's agents at the jail and surrendering the skip, we met with the client himself and received payment, and firm handshake and thanks for a job well done.

Then we met Joe and had lunch. Networking perfection. And yes, I've shared this story before, back when it happened, but it seems to fit here.

_________________
Tom Duprey
Founding member, NABBI (Nat'l Assoc. of Bail Bond Inv.)
Ca. Bail Agent Lic#1845795
Owner/Operator, Thomas Duprey Bail Bonds
Owner/Operator, Orange County Bounty
(714) 727-4689

If the bondsman wouldn't have paid you Joe would have just like he said. I missed out twice having lunch with Joe , the first time is when my Mother had past and I went to Jefferson City, TN which I went right through Knoxville twice but I would have not been good company at the time. And the next time Joe came through Fort Wayne going to Columbia City, IN it was during the winter a couple of years ago and he call and wanted to have lunch but it so happened they were forecasting some major snow and I wanted him to go and where he was going so he would miss the snow. I will be going to visit Mom's grave in the summer and I hope we can meet face to face after all these years.

_________________
The Rose Investigations LLC
Collection Agency
Security & Investigations Consultant
Retired Private Investigator & Bail Enforcement
NAM VET 1969- 1975 US Army (RECON)
Office 260-220-3877
1-888-631-5520
Fax 260-456-6062

Joe Stiles my wife and me drank coffee in the parking lot of a citgo station, later he was in town and we met at Longhorn Steak House. I bought the coffee and he bought my wife's and my meal at LongHorn and I really wanted to buy his but he insisted he pay.

Next, I meet Bill M and Scott M in Virginia. We met at a restraunt myself, my wife and another person. Before I know it Scott's paid the bill. I'm looking for a part time job so I can pay these guys back. Anyways, there are many good folks on this forum and even though I probably won't be in this business much longer I've enjoyed meeting some and conversing on the phone with others. BTW, Jeff, was a huge help to me just a few hours ago!!

Take care

_________________
Bill Williams
Bail Agent
Eagle Bonding Services
Asheville NC 28804
828-777-8667
Lic # NC10013561
Lic # TN 2033018

Never be haughty to the humble
or humble to the haughty - Jefferson Davis