A friend of mine started dating a new guy she met online and sent me a text saying, “Hey, ever heard of this guy?” A quick Google search later, and we knew everything from where he worked (company website) and where he lived (property appraiser website), to where his kids went to school (tagged in a mutual Facebook friend’s post) and that he had a DUI in college (county court records search online).

So, with all this information online, is professional skip tracing doomed? What’s the point of hiring a private investigator? How do you prove there is a benefit to using your services?

Expertise

Clients don’t just pay you for the time it took you to find your subject, they pay you for the years of expertise that allow you to be successful and efficient. Interpreting the available data is a important part of the value you provide. While credentials allow access to data, it does not paint the entire picture. How that data comes together and what it means is significant. They are paying you for the classes, the certifications, the licensing, institutional knowledge and the on-the-job education. Remember this when you are establishing your fees.

Proprietary Information

Your years of knowledge, education and licensing enable you to be trusted with the necessary data to keep the public safe. Your credentials give you access to proprietary databases allowing access to regulated data such as credit headers, utility connect info, DMV records and much more. This access allows you to help find missing persons, keep criminals off the streets, ensure financial responsibility, and enforce court requirements – they are all a part of your promise and duty to protect the public from wrongdoing. This is not a job for the regular citizen. Many records are available publicly in order to keep criminals from hiding information, but proprietary information is private so criminals can’t hide.

Time is Money

Monitoring subjects doesn’t happen one case at a time and doesn’t heed to convenience. Your laser focus on finding your subject allows your client to do their part in keeping civilians safe while you single in on skip tracing, regardless of volume.

The bottom line is skip tracing is not about just finding data – anyone can do that. Skip tracing is about safety and accountability. Your expertise is invaluable and a service to the public.